Читать книгу Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver - Douglas Lorain - Страница 34
ОглавлениеTRIP 1 North Siouxon Creek
| Distance | 9.4 miles, Out-and-back | |
| Elevation Gain | 1300 feet | |
| Hiking Time | 5 hours | |
| Optional Map | USGS Mount Mitchell, Siouxon Peak, Yale Dam (part of trail not shown) | |
| Usually Open | Mid-March to November | |
| Best Times | April and May | |
| Trail Use | Dogs OK, horseback riding | |
| Agency | Yacolt State Forest | |
| Difficulty | Difficult | |
| Note | Good in cloudy weather |
HIGHLIGHTS Although similar to the much better known trail on the main branch of Siouxon Creek (Trip 3), the trail up North Siouxon Creek has two important differences. While both hikes feature fine forest scenery and a lovely creek, North Siouxon Creek has much more difficult road access, so solitude is virtually guaranteed. And while its six waterfalls make the trail along Siouxon Creek more scenic, the North Siouxon Creek Trail is no slouch in the scenery department and the one waterfall along the way is absolutely first rate. Also, since this trail has almost no people, wildlife is much more common, especially elk, which quiet hikers have a good chance of seeing.
DIRECTIONS From the intersection of State Highways 502 and 503 in Battleground, drive 12 miles north on Highway 503 to a junction at the north end of Amboy. Turn right, still on Highway 503, and proceed 5.2 miles to a junction just 0.1 mile past the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument headquarters. Turn right on Healy Road, which becomes Forest Road 54, and drive 5.2 miles to a major fork. Bear left on gravel Road S 1000, which is often rough and muddy, go 0.4 mile, and then bear right at a second fork, still on S 1000. Stay on the main road for 4.7 miles, passing several minor intersections, until you come to the next major fork. Bear left (downhill), drive 1.4 miles, and then park at an unsigned pull-out where an old logging road goes right (south).
The unsigned but obvious trail goes sharply down the embankment on the southeast side of the pull-out, descends four quick switchbacks, and then skirts the edge of a clear-cut. Once reentering forest, the path settles into a pattern of ups and downs that will continue for the remainder of the hike and add significantly to the total elevation gain of the trip. The abundantly green vegetation is the usual mix of western hemlock and Douglas fir draped with mosses and ferns. Although the trail stays well above cascading North Siouxon Creek, you can always hear this rollicking stream in the canyon on the right.
At 1.6 miles, just as the trail reaches creek level, you cross a good-sized but unnamed side creek. In early spring this crossing can be a bit intimidating, so look for a log just downstream. After the creek crossing, the trail makes a couple of uphill switchbacks and then descends near the base of an old clear-cut before resuming its up-and-down pattern. At 3 miles you make a sometimes tricky crossing of another good-sized side creek, this time in the middle of a steep, sliding cascade that doesn’t quite merit the title “waterfall.”
Black Hole Falls, North Siouxon Creek
More uneventful but attractive forest hiking takes you to 4.5 miles, where you turn right onto a spur trail signed BLACK HOLE. This path switchbacks downhill for 0.2 mile to the base of Black Hole Falls, easily the scenic highlight of the trip. Thundering over a basalt cliff and filling a terrific (but cold) swimming hole at its base, this 55-foot waterfall is an impressive sight. In the spring, when the water is high, the spray from the falls fills the rocky amphitheater here providing constant moisture for the mosses and ferns that cling to the rock face. Expect to see dippers, chunky little gray birds that live along mountain streams, feeding in the creek and tending a nest behind the falls. This waterfall is an ideal lunch spot. Unfortunately, there is no adequate campsite in the area, so hikers must make this a day trip.
