We camped nearby the night before and we arrived at the trailhead at around 9:00. We hiked up the forest trail to the upper tube which is typically the exit, but we entered there! The tube takes quite a bit of concentration to ensure safe footing, I would suggest bringing gloves since there is many times where climbing over large rocks piles and using your hands is necessary. We passed a few groups of hikers, but didn’t encounter too much traffic. Overall the lava tubes were pretty fun to explore!!

It was a great weekend to be in the Ape Caves. After a stopover at the Pine Creek Information Center to get a Forest Pass and some ideas on where to camp, We headed up to the trailhead. Lots of activity at the trailhead and in the caves.

We started at the lower entrance and went up the upper passage to the upper entrance. There where a lot of people in the cave and we passed several large groups below the lava fall. At the lava fall someone was nice enough to tie a rope to a rock sticking up from the floor on the top side to allow easier climbing, but it was not securely mounted as it slipped off after the last member of our party was up it, We fixed it and moved on.

After the Lava Falls we encountered less groups, but we did meet a couple groups headed down from the upper entrance. Be prepared to wait for groups headed the other way to pass when you approach the tighter spots.

After we passed the Skylight we only met a couple groups, all headed up at about the same pace we were. Make sure to bring a powerful headlamp for the upper section, as scrambling and climbing with a lantern for light can be a challenge. While the cave is a chilly 42 degrees, I had my sweatshirt sleeves rolled up and was sweating pretty good when I climbed out the upper end, so as always, pack lots of water.

I had been to Ape Cave as a teenager in the 70's. I remember only a little, so when Jim told me he had never done Ape Cave and wanted to go, I was eager to go back.

Our week in the Lewis River area began with a drizzly day, so we opted to go to Ape Cave on Monday. The first difference I noticed was a paved parking lot. The road was just dirt and crushed rock 35 years ago. I don't remember there being any amenities; just a sign to the entrance, which had steps down into it. Now there are two vault toilets and a Forest Service Information Center ("Ape's Headquarters"). You can rent lanterns or receive a guided tour. Because of the improvements, a Northwest Forest Pass is required.

Ape Caves is really just one cave, with two entrances. From the Main Entrance, the Lower Passage drops gently to a dead end in about 3/4 mile, and the Upper Passage climbs gently over very rough terrain for a mile or so, past an opening in the ceiling ("skylight"), to the Upper Entrance at 1.2 miles. The cave also continues 200-300 yards past the Upper Entrance to where it dead ends in a large chamber. So from end to end, the cave is about 2 miles long.

From the parking lot, walk on a paved path past the Ape's Headquarters and an interpretive signboard to a junction. A dirt path leading to the left is under a sign reading "Upper Entrance". The day we were there, this sign confused a lot of people. They started walking on the dirt path to find the cave, without even noticing that the Main Entrance was immediately to their right. If you wish to enter the cave at the Upper Entrance, you'll first need to hike the dirt trail for about a mile.

Jim and I decided to do both passages. So we entered the Main Entrance, climbed down the metal stairs, and started down the Lower Passage. I had brought a helmet and two headlamps, one weak and one powerful. Neither had fresh batteries, so I decided to use the weaker one in the easier Lower Passage. It was barely adequate. I found myself using a handheld penlight, which cast more light. The Lower Passage was easily walkable with good light; the floor was rough in some areas but sandy in others, featuring only minor stumbling hazards. At about 3/4 mile, the ceiling dropped to squatting height, then lower. We removed our backpacks and waited while people ahead of us crawled back out from what they reported was the very end, crawling height only. The two people ahead of us then crawled in along the sandy floor. We could see them 15 feet ahead of us, having reached the end, and decided not to crawl to the very end ourselves.

We returned to the base of the metal stairs at the Main Entrance, where I changed headlamps to the powerful one. After I put new batteries in it, the light it cast was fantastic.

We negotiated the Upper Passage slowly, meeting a lot of people walking the cave from the Upper Entrance going down (some unintentionally). A feature known as the 8-foot rock wall was tricky. From the one foothold, I was able to climb the remainder by "bridging", putting one boot on either side wall and relying on friction. Fortunately, my boots clung well enough to the slippery rock walls. It looked even trickier to downclimb.

There were two other areas where I chose to remove my backpack to squeeze through a narrow gap. But mostly, the Upper Passage is all about scampering up, over, and around piles of abrasive volcanic rocks that long ago fell from the ceiling.

The Upper Entrance (which served as the exit for us) has a solid metal ladder/staircase leading out a small hole to the surface. I saw small, because I felt that I needed to remove my backpack to get through it. Without a backpack, it is not a problem. It's a huge improvement over the rickety wooden ladder that I remember scaling (very tentatively) in the 70's.

Most people exited when they got to the Upper Entrance, not even realizing that the cave continued for another 200-300 yards. In fact, the remaining distance is quite easy. There is only one rock pile, and it can be skirted easily on the left side. I found it well worth going the distance to see the very end, despite the prominent graffiti there.

The trail from the Upper Entrance back to the parking lot was in good condition, making for a pleasant above-ground return trip.

Summary:

The temperature in Ape Cave is around 42 degrees. You WILL get dripped on. The Lower Passage is easy enough for kids, with supervision. The Upper Passage is rugged volcanic rock that must be climbed on and around; wear appropriate footwear and clothing.

For your two sources of light, best is a headlamp with spare batteries and a handheld light source to enable you to change the batteries if needed. Fresh batteries are a must. The rental lanterns cast more light, but they require a hand to carry them. You can expect to use your hands in places. You can also expect to bump your head on the rocky ceiling unless you are very careful. In the Upper Passage, I received many comments from other spelunkers wishing they had thought to bring a helmet, both for hands-free spelunking and to avoid hitting their head on low ceilings, a very real hazard.

The WTA Hiking Guide says, "It is not possible to hike in the caves the entire length between the two entrances." I wish I knew what the author meant. You CAN walk the cave the entire length between the two entrances. I think what he was trying to say is that the cave extends beyond both entrances. In order to go from one end to the other, you would have to do what we did: go to the end of the Lower Passage, then from there walk past the Main Entrance to the Upper Passage, beyond the Upper Entrance to the very end of the Upper Passage. Whatever the author was intending, I find his statement to be very misleading. You CAN go from one end to the other! I hope I have clarified this for everyone.

The road is clear all the way up to the caves parking lot. It looks like they added a new lower parking lot with one camp site and fire pit.(it may be for the site host but no one was there so we stayed overnight there.) There is a $5 day use fee for the caves per car load.
We walked to the upper entrance (1.3mi) and came back inside the tube (down hill). Highly recommend a bright lantern. We did and it really showed the fascinating lava forms. Stop and look up! Take your time to investigate and to watch your footing. You do some rock/boulder scambling to get over/around the rock falls withing the upper cave section.
Note-the road to windy ridge on the east side of Mt Helens is still closed (rte 25).