HIGHLIGHTS No matter how you get to the top of Silver Star Mountain, you will enjoy expansive views and abundant wildflowers. The easiest of the direct hiking routes to the summit is from the north along either an abandoned road or a wildly scenic new trail, which passes a series of jagged rock formations and goes through some of the best wildflower meadows in this book. The two routes can be easily combined into a spectacular, relatively easy, and surprisingly little-traveled loop.
DIRECTIONS From the intersection of State Highways 502 and 503 in downtown Battleground, drive 5.7 miles north on Highway 503. Turn right on N.E. Rock Creek Road, which soon becomes Lucia Falls Road, and proceed 8.6 miles to a junction. Turn right on Sunset Falls Road and drive 7.4 miles to a junction at the entrance to Sunset Campground. Turn right on gravel Forest Road 41 and almost immediately cross a bridge to an unsigned junction where you go left. Proceed 3.5 miles on this pothole-filled road, and then turn sharply right (downhill) on Road 4109. Stay on this sometimes rough road for 1.5 miles to a multiway junction. Turn left and go 2.7 steep, bumpy, uphill miles to the road-end turnaround.
There is no trail sign visible from the trailhead, and several old roads and trails look equally promising. The proper route leaves from the west end of the parking area and goes about 25 yards to a trail sign identifying this as Silver Star Trail 180. If you don’t see this sign very soon after starting to hike, go back and try again. The Silver Star Trail switchbacks four times up a slope covered with brushy vine maple and then comes to a junction with a closed jeep road. Bear right (uphill) and walk about 150 yards to a large gravel turnaround in the road.
The scenery here, and for some time to come, is truly outstanding. The entire area is surrounded by huge sloping meadows that are carpeted with wildflowers in late June and early July. There are dozens of varieties, but the most common kinds are beargrass, lupine, wild carrot, paintbrush, iris, yarrow, valerian, tiger lily, and golden pea. Scattered about the open slopes are perky little noble fir trees, which look for all the world like Christmas trees, a popular use for this evergreen.
In addition to the flowers and trees, there are terrific views. Most impressive are Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier, peeking over forested ridges to the north, and Mt. Adams to the east. Southward, Mt. Hood makes an almost perfectly framed appearance in a low point in the ridge east of Silver Star Mountain.
