Southwest Huffman Peak

Overview

As you can probably tell by the name, this is not the most significant mountain in the area. The area we are talking about here is just south of Mt. St. Helens within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Like its neighbor, Siouxon Peak on the same ridge, this peak, has mostly thick forest on its flanks but a nice bare rocky summit for views (how convenient, eh?). Why is this obscurely named mountain worth a page? Well, it has 440 feet of prominence making it an official peak per Washington standards and the two trails that go near the summit offer a nice loop with different characteristics. You can go along a beautiful creek viewing various waterfalls, large and small or you can ford a freezing cold creek and head up a more gentle ridge through forest. (Actually, there is a third way. You could take the ridge over from Siouxon Peak, check out that page for details to get to its summit and follow the path towards Point 3800 and keep on the ridge southwest after you come to the trail down to Wildcat Falls.) Neither way will get you to the summit though. You'll have to use your bushwhacking abilities to achieve the final destination.

Up top, views of the big four stratovolcanoes in this area will reward your efforts. And you will probably be alone on the summit as basically no one visits this peak. In fact, the only reason I did was that I thought I was on nearby Huffman Peak. There is no official elevation I can fin don this one either. It is over 4000 feet but not quite as high as Siouxon or Huffman.

Of note on the Huffman Peak trail (the one through the forest after the creek fording), along the trail is Hickman’s Cabin, which was used by fire prevention forestry workers in the 30’s to store cross cut saws used in making fire breaks. The lookout site on Siouxon was actually rebuilt once but then abandoned when fire prevention began using airplanes.

Either path to the summit will get you about 2650 feet of elevation gain and each is 7 to 8 miles one way, so you'll get in a pretty solid workout here.

Getting There

From Portland take I-205 north (or from Seattle, take I-5 south to I-205) to Exit 30 (Orchards exit). Go right (coming from the south) on Highway 500 which becomes Highway 503 through Battle Ground, WA for 26.2 miles (hey you drive a marathon!). There are a few sharp turns in the road through the small town on Amboy, WA. At 26.2 miles from the freeway, which is just past the Mt. St. Helens National Monument Headquarters, turn right onto NE Healy Rd and go 8.8 miles to a fork. Veer uphill (to the left) at the fork onto Road 57 and go 1.1 miles to a pass. Turn left at the pass onto Road 5701 and go 3.5 miles to the parking lot at road's end (the trailhead is just before the end of the road on the left) if you are taking the waterfall-filled path. (Actually, this is a good spot to go either way if you are doing the loop hike up this one.) If you want to start and get back to the lower trailhead (that will take you past Hickman Cabin) you would only go about half a mile on Road 5701 and look for the trailhead on the left (near a hairpin turn to the right in the road).

Red Tape

There is currently NO red tape to climb/hike/bike here. There used to be a NW Forest Pass requirement but the National Forest Service has repealed it at this location.

Camping

There are a multitude of great camping spots all along the various trails. Every so often they pop up along any trail, most with a ring of stones for a fire and a nice flat surface. Probably the best camping spots are along the Siouxon Creek with great views of the falls. Please follow Leave No Trace policies. No fees to camp, enjoy this area while you can.

Mountain Conditions

Wind River Ranger District
(509) 427-5645

Images

View Southwest Huffman Peak Image Gallery - 6 Images