Bear Creek Mountain #1130
Jul 22, 2004
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Bear Creek Mountain
- Region: South Cascades -- White Pass / Cowlitz River Valley
- Agency: Wentachee National Forest, Naches Ranger District
- Trails: Bear Creek Mountain (#1130)
- Avg Rating: 3.22
- Be Aware Of
- Snow on trail
Goat Rocks Wilderness offers unstoppable views of Rainier, Adams and Goat Rocks, Washington’s sixth volcano, according to “Hiking Washington’s Geology"" by Scott Babcock and Bob Carson. It’s 3-1/2 hours south and east of Seattle
Bear Creek Mountain, fully described in the geology book, turned out to be a great hike, with variety, forest, meadows and views.
After camping at Rimrock Lake on the eastside of the mountains, we drove the 15 miles of gravel and two miles of deeply rutted dirt road to the trail parking lot and Section Two Lake. It’s a pond really, full of fat pollywogs.
The trail’s first two miles is a pleasant walk in and out of forest and meadow, along the North Fork Tietin drainage. A progressive floral display begins with yellows, arnica and butter cup, then deep purple gentian. In the distance we started to see a reddish brown rock wall. That’s Bear Creek Mountain. We walked around three minor blowdowns. The trail starts climbing into subalpine forest, where two streams of Bear Creek tumble down, red and magenta paintbrush spiking up through lush green gardens. At 2-1/2 miles a fork to Conrad Meadows is marked, a potential return route if you have two cars.
The way turns steep and open as you climb through St. Helens ash, past brilliant red boulder fields. The trees are shrubby, but thick with needles, twisted with wind.
Hardy alpine plants appear--resilient phlox in hues from pale lavender to magenta poking up through the volcanic ash and red rock, heather both white and purple—all attracting multitudes of butterflies.
A small snowfield was easy to cross, but one large field intersects the trail toward the top. We scrambled up along side it (as others had done), walked across a ledge, then dropped down to continue the trail, which circles clockwise around the summit, teasing us with first Adams, then fascinating glaciered Goat Rocks, then Rainier. This was a piece of heaven, definitely worth it. At the top (site of a former fire lookout) sit and enjoy. Hardly any bugs on this trail that day.
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