Near its beginning from the northern trailhead, Paradise Hills Trail #153 offered a spectacular view of Mount Saint Helens. The mountain was decked out in a fresh coat of snow in the morning, and by the end of our sunny day much of the snow had melted, returning the mountain to the summer’s barren-rock look. The trail stays mostly under a canopy of silver fir, noble fir, Douglas fir, and hemlock, with a few open areas of blowdown. At the ridgetop where the trail briefly follows Forest Road 234, the upper reaches of Mount Adams glowed fresh white over a forested ridge. Fungi appeared frequently along the trail—most interestingly reddish-capped Shrimp Mushroom and concaved-topped Short-stemmed Russula.
At the southern trailhead of the Paradise Hills Trail—marked by a filled garbage can, large chest freezer, and other detritus—we passed a quarry and headed up gently inclining Forest Road 6401, which was bordered by alders and vine maples in bright yellow fall foliage.
After one and a half miles, the road crosses Paradise Trail #124, which we turned south on to visit Rock Point, where I decided against a steep rock-and-grass-and-dirt scramble to the top. After Rock Point we returned north on the Paradise Trail. Branches on top of branches lie across much of the tread, evidence of its infrequent use. But the yellowing leaves of vanilla leaf brightened the understory, and bracken fern turned exposed hillsides a golden-yellow. Just past where the trail crosses FR 6401, a beautiful small, unnamed lake appeared below the trail. Ancient logs floated along the shore, which was bordered by fall foliage shining bright in the sunlight. After crossing the high point of Paradise Hills, the trail entered a former clearcut, where it became rather sketchy. GPS showed the trail in an impossible location. It seems as though a new route, not shown on GPS maps, was half-heartedly created through the clearcut, and subsequent growth of trees and shrubs have obscured much of that faint path. A little bushwacking got us through to Forest Road 234, where a more evident Paradise Trail picked up again, leading us to its terminus at a junction with Paradise Hills Trail #153. From there we returned to the trailhead, completing 12.8 miles with 2,439 feet elevation gain.
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