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A climb up the base of Mt. St. Helens.


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Map Key

4.6

Miles

7.4

KM

Point to Point

4,187' 1,276 m

High

2,875' 876 m

Low

1,569' 478 m

Up

256' 78 m

Down

8%

Avg Grade (4°)

25%

Max Grade (14°)

Dogs Off-leash

Features Views

Because of its height abbove sea level, this trail accumulates a lot of snow. You'll have access to the trail as early as June (when snow generally melts), however it's not officially opened until deemed ready by the Forest reserve. You can check the status here: fs.usda.gov/recarea/mountst….

To park here you need a Northwest Forest Pass which you can purchase online or on location (near the Ape Canyon Cave).

Description

You can park right in front of the starting point. The trail is 100% singletrack that gradually takes you up the southeast side of the volcano, Mt. Saint Helens to the junction with Loowit Trail. You'll occasionally get openings with gorgeous views across the plains, a devastation spurred by its eruption in the 80's. Views are pretty unique as you'll see the direct path of the lava flow down the volcano.

Once you get near the top, you'll leave the forest and head into ashen volcanic plains (marked as the ending point on the trail). You'll have an amazing view with some of the Pacific Northwest's tallest mountains surrounding you. You'll of course have Saint Helens in front of you, however depending on the visibility you can also have a clear view of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams all from this point.

Contacts

Shared By:

Nick Alvey with improvements by Alice Pence

Trail Ratings

  4.6 from 9 votes

#6917

Overall
  4.6 from 9 votes
5 Star
67%
4 Star
22%
3 Star
11%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Trail Rankings

#272

in Washington

#6,917

Overall
10 Views Last Month
1,145 Since Aug 22, 2017
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult

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22%
11%
56%
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Photos

It looks like a glacial moraine, but it's actually a mud/lava flow from the 1980 eruption.
Jul 22, 2019 near Amboy, WA
Lunch spot at the Ape Canyon trail junction with Snotel station in view
Oct 13, 2019 near Morton, WA
Getting up close and personal views of Mt. St. Helens from the Ape Canyon Trail.
Aug 22, 2017 near Morton, WA
Lava Canyon Mt St Helens Area 07/17/16
Jul 4, 2017 near Amboy, WA
Ape Canyon Trail.
Aug 22, 2017 near Morton, WA
Ape Canyon Trailhead.
Aug 22, 2017 near Amboy, WA

0 Comments

Weather


Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 70 days ago
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Aug 19, 2023
Michael Samra
All clear up to junction and beyond. Quite a bit of mountain biking traffic so be alert on steeper sections. 9.5mi — 5h 00m
Jul 3, 2023
Shawneen Gonzalez
9.9mi — 4h 49m
Sep 9, 2022
Mark Pigman
Sep 3, 2021
Gorby Jackson
6.1mi — 1h 48m
Oct 31, 2020
Karl W
Oct 12, 2020
Olivia Cospito
Jun 10, 2020
John Victor
Oct 12, 2019
Alice Pence
the views were worth the switchbacks 9.7mi — 3h 17m
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