riparian plants like devil’s club and maidenhair fern.
After 1.9 miles the trail splits, and you go right on a path that winds steadily downhill for 0.2 mile to a good camp beside a ford of Siouxon Creek. This is where you need to break out the wading shoes. The stream is about 30 feet wide and calf- to thigh-deep, depending on the season. The ford isn’t particularly dangerous, but until late summer you can expect it to be chilly.
Pick up the trail above a little gravel bar on the opposite bank and quickly climb away from the water. The trail uses several short switchbacks and a couple of fairly steep traverses to reach the rounded crest of a forested ridge.
This forest is a good example of the succession process that takes place at low elevations of the western Cascades. The high canopy of the forest is made up of tall Douglas firs, while beneath this canopy grow shade-tolerant western hemlocks. If this forest manages to avoid logging or fires for the next couple centuries, the firs will die and the hemlocks will take over as the climax species. But since you don’t have time to wait for this process to take place, pick up your pack and push on northeast up the ridge.
For almost a mile the going is very easy as you stay level or gradually climb in a dense forest, and then the uphill grade picks up a little as you climb near the southern edge of the rim. Along the way you often come to open areas where you have to push through thickets of Oregon grape and salal, but which give you frequent views over the deep, green depths of the Siouxon Creek drainage. The trail gets steeper as it works away from the rim and traverses the heavily wooded north side of the ridge. This steeper grade lasts for almost 1 mile before you level off and contour across the ridge’s south side. As you go higher, wildflowers become more common, especially lupine, beargrass, bunchberry, and white anemone. When the uphill finally ends, the trail curves to the left and crosses a partly forested slope with lots of huckleberries and good views east to Huffman Peak, and then you come to a saddle and a junction with the North Siouxon Trail.
If you are up for a cross-country scramble, take the time to visit the top of Huffman Peak from this saddle. The climb initially goes through forests and then up an open rocky slope. The way is often steep and requires some rock scrambling, but it is not dangerous. The reward for this effort comes in the form of extensive views from the rocky summit. Several roads and clear-cuts spoil things a little, but the fine views of massive Mt. Rainier, truncated Mt. St. Helens, and bulky Mt. Adams more than make up for it.
View of Mt. St. Helens from Huffman Peak
After returning to the main trail at the saddle, you turn east and traverse the steep slopes on the shady north side of Huffman Peak. The trail goes through the saddle east of the peak and then stays level or goes gradually downhill for a little less than a mile before reaching a small brown sign marking the junction with Wildcat Trail 156.
The recommended loop turns sharply back to the right here, climbing very steeply for a few hundred yards to the top of a viewless knoll and then descending a little ridge to the south. The downhill along this ridge is gentle for most of the first 0.5 mile, but as the little ridge peters out, the pace of the descent quickens. A few miniature switchbacks help somewhat, but generally you steeply descend the forested hillside. For a short time the pace lessens as the ridge reappears, but this respite is followed by nine very steep switchbacks. You know you are near the bottom when you start to hear the sound of crashing Wildcat Falls, in the canyon on your left, and come to a rocky overlook above the falls. From this viewpoint the trail descends six more switchbacks to a stunning viewpoint near the base of the falls’ 100-foot sheer drop. From here the trail follows the creek downstream for 0.2 mile to a junction just above Siouxon Creek.
The trail to the right goes down 50 yards to a knee-deep ford of Siouxon Creek. Since you still have those wading shoes, this ford should be no problem. A short distance up the south bank is a campsite and a junction with the Siouxon Creek Trail. If you want to extend the trip a bit, bear left at the junction on the north side of Siouxon Creek, hop across Wildcat Creek, and then climb upstream for 0.5 mile through lovely forests to a junction with the Chinook Trail. Bear right (downhill) and drop to a rock-hop crossing just below 50-foot-high Chinook Falls. To close out the loop, walk downstream past a couple of campsites and across a wooden bridge over Siouxon Creek. Turn right at a junction on the opposite side of the bridge and walk 3.7 miles along the scenic Siouxon Creek Trail back to your car.
TRIP 3 Siouxon Creek Trail
| Distance | 7.6 miles, Out-and-back | |
| Elevation Gain | 700 feet | |
| Hiking Time | 3½ to 4 hours | |
| Optional Map | Green Trails Lookout Mountain | |
| Usually Open | March to November | |
| Best Times | Mid-May to mid-June | |
| Trail Use | Good for kids, dogs OK, backpacking option, mountain biking, horseback riding, fishing | |
| Agency | Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Gifford Pinchot National Forest | |
| Difficulty | Moderate | |
| Note | Good in cloudy weather |
HIGHLIGHTS This is the premier hike in the Siouxon Creek drainage. There are no grand viewpoints, but the glories of two Pacific Northwest trademarks, forests and streams, are nowhere on better display than here. A cloudy day is as good as a clear one because the forests and waterfalls are spectacular even in the gloom.
DIRECTIONS Begin by driving to Battleground, either by going north on State Highway 503 from Interstate 205, or by going east on State Highway 502 from Exit 9 off Interstate 5. From the intersection of the two state highways in the middle of Battleground, proceed north on Highway 503 for 16.8 miles and turn right on N.E. Healy Road just after you pass the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument headquarters.
After 9.2 miles on N.E. Healey Road, bear left at a poorly signed junction and travel on single-lane, paved Forest Road 57. Drive another 1.3 miles, and then turn sharply left on often unsigned Forest Road 5701. Follow this rough, paved road for 3.7 miles to its end at a trailhead parking lot.
The trail departs from the north side of the lot and drops 50 feet to an intersection with the Siouxon Creek Trail. You turn right and descend through a lovely forest composed predominantly of western hemlocks. On the forest floor are lots of downed nurse logs, mosses, sword fern, and oxalis. After 0.1 mile of downhill, you reach the creek bottom and cross West Creek on a flat-topped log bridge. The walls of the lush side canyon holding this creek are draped with mosses and ferns. Immediately after the bridge, you pass the first of many excellent creekside campsites. After this camp, the trail travels in small ups and downs,
