Visitor Resources
• Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/
• Mount St. Helens Visitor Center, 3029 Spirit Lake Highway (State Route 504, 6 miles east of Castle Rock); parks.wa.gov/interp/mountsthelens/
• Johnston Ridge Observatory, 24000 Spirit Lake Highway (State Route 504), Toutle; fs.fed.us/gpnf/04mshnvm/attractions
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There’s something undeniably energizing about witnessing an area in ruin show new signs of life. Since the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, the land surrounding the volcano has been slowly transforming from a near moonscape to one in which vegetation, birds and wildlife are reclaiming the blast zone.
People have reclaimed the mountain, too. Dozens of trails at every level of difficulty flank Mount St. Helens on all sides, giving visitors easy access to varied landscapes from miraculously untouched old growth forests to lava tube caves, to recovering ecosystems. Six hikes in particular offer a diverse sampling of this ever-changing region of striking contrasts, ranging from short, easy interpretive trails to moderate and advanced treks, keeping people coming back again and again.
Birth of a Lake Trail
Northwest of Mount St. Helens, Birth of a Lake Trail in the Coldwater Lake Recreation Area provides a lesson in how the lake was created in the aftermath of the eruption. This half-mile, accessible loop dotted with interpretive signs leads visitors on a boardwalk over one of the youngest lakes in the country. Due to its short length, this trail is perfect for families with small children.
Directions: From I-5, take exit 49 and drive 45 miles east on State Route 504. Turn left into the Coldwater Lake Recreation Area.
Eruption Loop Trail
At the very heart of the blast zone, Eruption Loop Trail begins at the Johnston Ridge Observatory just north of the volcano. Both the observatory and this easy half-mile interpretive trail offer unparalleled views of the crater and the lava dome that’s forming. Pausing at the interpretive signs, hikers can learn all about debris avalanches, magma and other volcanic phenomena. Inside the observatory, interpretive exhibits and films offer more information about the eruption and its aftermath.
Directions: From I-5, take exit 49 and drive 52 miles east on State Route 504 to the end of the highway.
Harmony Trail
Spirit Lake sits in the center of the blast zone. The 1980 eruption sloshed the vast lake up hundreds of feet onto the surrounding hillsides, rendering any remaining water toxic, and filled the lake with an avalanche of downed trees. A month after the eruption, the lake still lacked any trace of oxygen. Today, this 2.4-mile round-trip hike is a perfect place to witness nature’s resilience. Harmony Trail leads hikers to the log-strewn lakeshore, today 200 feet above the original surface elevation. Along the route, nutrients are finding their way into the soil, vegetation is reclaiming the landscape and herds of elk once again roam. The trail’s end rewards hikers with a view of Mount St. Helens across the lake.
Directions: From I-5, take exit 69 and drive east on Hwy. 12 to Randle. Turn right on State Route 131, which becomes Forest Road (FR) 25. Turn right on FR 99 and drive to the Harmony trailhead. The distance from I-5 to the trailhead is about 82 miles.
Windy Ridge Trail
Windy Ridge is a sobering sight. This 4-mile round-trip trail, actually an old logging road that’s the same route people attempting to flee the eruption used, lets hikers peer right into the belly of the volcano. Evidence of the volcano’s cataclysmic power is all around in the stripped matchstick tree trunks flattened to the ground, all facing away from the blast.
Directions: See directions to Harmony Trail. The Windy Ridge trailhead is at the end of FR 99. The distance from I-5 to the trailhead is approximately 84 miles.
Ape Cave
Bring a headlamp or flashlight, extra batteries and a jacket and you will be outfitted for this popular hike through an ancient lava tube left not by the 1980 eruption, but by an eruption approximately 2,000 years ago, evidence that Mount St. Helens has blown its top before. Kids love this hike. The temperature in the cave is a constant 42 degrees regardless of season or weather conditions above ground. Two routes offer varying degrees of challenge, with the 1.5-mile round-trip lower cave being the easiest one and the upper cave involving ladders and some tighter spaces.
Directions: From I-5, take Exit 21 and drive east on State Route 503, which becomes the SR 503 Spur. Turn left on FR 83 and left again on FR 8303. The distance from I-5 to the trailhead is approximately 40 miles.
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