Huffman Peak

Losing then gaining elevation off of popular Siouxon Creek south of Mount St. Helens, the Huffman Peak Trail skirts around its namesake summit (4100 feet, 5.5 miles from the trailhead) and over to neighboring Siouxon Peak (4160 feet, 7.5 miles from the trailhead) before dropping down to Forest Road 6403. For the adventure hardy, a loop can be made by taking either the Wildcat or Chinook Creek trails back down to Siouxon Creek and returning to the trailhead. 

The Huffman Peak Trail and its surrounding access points have been heavily impacted by lack of maintenance, repeated wildfires, and landslides over the last few years, making it a challenge to navigate in places and an obstacle course in others, so plan for extra time to complete this hike.

Leaving the trailhead on the Siouxon Creek Trail, the junction for the Huffman Peak Trail appears on the left in 1.1 miles, then continues to drop down another 0.3 miles to Siouxon Creek, which can be a thigh-high ford in early season.

From the creek, the trail climbs steadily through a second-growth forest of fir and hemlock with pockets of meadow filled with beargrass, passing below Peak 4009 at 4.6 miles and Huffman Peak at 5.5 miles. Pay attention for the junction with the North Fork Siouxon Trail #126 (it's not obvious on most maps). From there, you descend before Huffman Peak to the north (left) on state land. Here, the trail can easily be lost; it stays left around the peak to stay on the ridge. Neither summit has an established trail to the top but there are plenty of open rocky perches due to recent wildfires.

Past Huffman, the trail continues to undulate on the ridge until it approaches a saddle at 6.5 miles. You can find a trail junction for Wildcat Trail #156 here, offering a possible return on a 14.4 mile loop hike with the Siouxon Creek Trail. 

You will arrive at the junction for Siouxon Peak in 7.5 miles. A short 0.1-mile side spur ascends to the summit. Savor views of Swift Reservoir to the north and a panoramic horizon of Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams and Mount Hood as you rest up for the remainder of your journey.

It is possible to continue further along the Huffman Peak Trail to its end on a 2.1 mile descent to FR 6403. A large landslide makes this task difficult and dangerous, however, Chinook Creek (#130A) intersects at the road junction, offering another opportunity for a roughly 20.7-mile loop hike back to your car along the Siouxon.

There are no established campsites on the trail but where it meets FR 6403 does offer flat open ground. The fire lookout remnants on Huffman and Siouxon draw curious hikers in addition Huffman’s 440 feet of prominence that makes it worthy of official Washington State peak bagging status.