Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Dan A. Nelson/The Mountaineers Books Meta Lake
This broad, paved trail weaves through a lush forest of alpine and noble firs; these trees survived the fiery blast because of their youth and diminutive size.
The Meta Lake Trail celebrates life that miraculously escaped devastation during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. This broad, paved trail weaves through a lush forest of alpine and noble firs; these trees survived the fiery blast because of their youth and diminutive size. The early-spring eruption leveled tall, mature trees in the area, but, because there was still more than 10 feet of snow on the ground at the time of the blast, the younger, smaller trees along this trail were shielded by a deep snow blanket. The trail rolls past the rusty hulk of a mangled car caught by the blast. This route also visits the lakeshore and cuts through the thick new grass growing in the meadows. Other plants and animals are moving back into the region, including a family of beavers at Meta Lake. Listen, and you might hear the solid kersplash of a big dam-builder slapping his tail on the water, alerting his friends to your presence.
Driving Directions:
From Randle, drive south on Forest Road 25 to its junction with FR 99 (found just past Iron Creek Falls Turn right (west) onto FR 99 and drive about 10 miles to the Meta Lake trailhead on the right. Recent Trip Reports
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Pretty lake, there are soo many tadpoles at the shore of the lake it weird, and lots of fish jumping...
Pretty lake, there are soo many tadpoles at the shore of the lake it weird, and lots of fish jumping. Nice paved walk to the lake.
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming | Ripe berries
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The Spirit Lake/Harmony Falls hike was well worth the effort to get there from Camas, Wa. We headed ...
The Spirit Lake/Harmony Falls hike was well worth the effort to get there from Camas, Wa. We headed out at 10:00 am and figured we would be at the trailhead by noon. Nope. It seems it was a Biker Rally weekend of sorts, both motorized and pedaled bikes, all over the hills leading up to the trailhead. Two accidents with ambulance calls of bikers who laid down their hogs, not used to the sharp turns and uneven grades on the roads (NFR 23 and 99).
The Harmony Falls trail is mildly steep, boarderline between tennis shoes and hiking boots. It decends into a zone where the winds of the eruption had a force of 300 mph. A few dead trees were standing on sheltered hillsides, and nothing else but wildflowers and low bushes. Indian paint brush was abundant, as was the late crop huckleberries. The lake itself with its two mile long log debris field is very impressive, especially how the log debris field flows from the wind. The name Spirit lake brings to mind the spirit of the old lake, the Boy Scout camp, the lodges and their inhabitants, now 200 feet beneath the surface. Harmony falls were just a trickle but nice anyway. The hike back was mild cardiac but we were in the parking lot in 45 minutes. Not bad for two 50 plus kids. We also stopped at Meta lake on the way back, and admired the lake view and the finely decked out mushrooms. |
 Meta Lake. Photo by Jim Ebacher.
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