Chinook Trail

Approach

From I-5, exit 9, take SR 502 (aka NE 10th Ave.) 2.0 miles north to 219th St. Turn right and travel east to Hwy 503 (aka NW 10th Ave.) for 5.5 miles and turn left (north). Follow Hwy 503 for 5.8 miles to and turn right on Rock Creek Rd. This highway turns into Lucia Falls Rd. Go 8.4 miles, and just past Moulton Falls, turn right on NE Sunset Falls Rd. There will be a sign pointing the way to Sunset Campground. 7.4 miles later, at Sunset Campground, cross the river on the one-lane bridge and go left up the hill on the gravel road. (Road 41). Go 8 ¾ miles on Rd. 41 and park at the large turnout. The trailhead is at the south end of the large parking area. The gravel road should be easily navigated by normal 2wd vehicles and is in decent shape except for a few potholes as of this writing. It should take you less than an hour to travel from the I-5 exit to the trailhead.

Road 41 will be closed by snow at some point in the winter and since the trailhead is at 3,549 feet elevation, expect it to stay closed until at least April or May in most years.

Route Description

Once at the trailhead, hike 3.7 miles to a faint trail junction in the silver fir forest on the saddle between Bluff Mt. and Little Baldy. The junction is marked with a black and pink ribbon tied to a tree. This section is the "old" trail along the ridge. Follow the trail up the hill on the right. (If you miss this admittedly faint trail, continue on the main trail until you are out of the forest and climb directly up toward the obvious summit through the bear grass and brush covered slope. You will find the trail eventually as you climb the slope. Once on it, follow the directions below.) Once you are on the talus south of the summit and the "old" trail starts its descent on the west side of the peak, pick a spot and climb the talus directly up to the summit. The "old" trail continues down the west side of the peak but is very overgrown and, unless you're in it for the huckleberries, probably not worth trying. Of course, if you would like to head on up to Silver Star, it's the logical route for that and since you can see the main trail from this bushwhack, it would be hard to get lost. Total distance is about 8.4 miles RT and about 1,560 vertical feet gain, RT, due to some ups and downs in the route.

Essential Gear

Depending on the weather, normal hiking gear.

Miscellaneous Info

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