The Cinnamon Trail is open (as of 2025) and hikeable in its entirety, spanning the full 10 miles from Red Rock Pass on the FS 81 road to the Kalama Horse Camp.  The Mount Saint Helens Institute's set of trailwork volunteers is enhancing and mitigating the trail starting east and advancing west (and throughout 2025).  

From the west going east (beginning at Kalama Horse Camp [KFC]), the Backcountry Horsemen and a Forest Service crew chainsawed all (>30) of the blowdowns heading east and up trail to the FS 8122 Road.  Following the sawyers, an excavator redid the tread from the bluff south of KFC (where the Kalma Falls Trail begins) halfway up to the FS 8122 Road.  A VW-sized boulder blocks the trail 1 mile heading east (passable for hikers but not for an excavator).  Restoration of the tread from the bluff to the FS 8122 road is needed.  

The Kalama Fire occurred on September 09, 2022.  The burned area is primarily located from the south bluff, overlooking the Kalama River, to the FS 8122 road and from the Kalama River to the ridge.  When viewing the trail from north to south and looking down to the Kalama River, a patchwork of fire-affected and spared areas is easily visible.  Now, three years later, the forest is rebounding and 'greening up'.  

As per Mount St. Helens Institute, the Cinnamon Trail has been re-worked to repair severe erosion and trenching. Crews removed berms, and addressed drainage issues, in addition to widening narrow areas along the trail and cutting back vegetation. See images for more details. The sections of trail that has been re-worked are now in excellent shape. 

Images are before, during, and after trail maintenance. 

This trail offers panoramic views of Mt. St. Helens and glimpses of at least three more volcanoes – Adams, Hood, and Rainier. You also get to hike under lots of big trees – noble firs, Douglas firs, hemlock, and western cedar - while following a trail which undulates along ridges and switchbacks up and down the mountain. Forest bathing at its finest!

For the easiest trail experience, leave one vehicle at Kalama Horse Camp, and take a second means of transportation five+ miles to the Red Rock Pass Trailhead (despite the potholes on gravel NF-81 between the two sites). This permits traveling the Cinnamon Trail from East to West. The legs involved will thank you for the more than thousand foot lower elevation of your destination in this direction.

The Cinnamon Trail begins across the road from the Red Rock Pass parking area with some brushy sections before and after you take the unsigned fork to the left to switchback up the initial 600'+ climb. A shorter horse or person might find the brush obscures their view of the trail in spots. Some large noble firs bracket the trail. The trail grade varies, with some short, steeper sections, but was well laid out. Near the end of the first mile, keep your eyes peeled for Mt. Adams peeking out above the shoulder of Mt. St. Helens slightly N of East. A great place to stop and enjoy fresh, juicy, Washington cherries this time of year.

The next .5 mile's nearly level through younger firs before the trail gently descends about 500' to a saddle over about .8 mi. The trail then gradually climbs a little more than 700', mostly along ridges which narrow to arêtes in some areas as the north side steepens. Mt. Hood and Silver Star were visible along this stretch, a ways east of Cinnamon Peak to the southwest. You pass the end of one logging road, and cross NF-8303 three times. I really savored the glorious views of Goat Mountain, Mt. St. Helens, McBride marsh, and the Butte Camp area also.

You can appreciate where the Back Country Horsemen (BCH) folks have been clearing near the trail in places. We crossed six blowdowns, but they were all small diameter, in places easy to cross or dodge, not obstacles for human or horse. Most of the trail sloped well, but several areas had deep rutting.

I was glad for Deet on my face and neck, and long sleeves and pants. I wished I'd applied Deet elsewhere before taking a carefully placed off trail bathroom break. 7 bites in less than a minute to sit on for the next few days!

We were ready for lunch by the time we reached our peak altitude, just under 4,000', a little over 5 miles along the trail. Instead of sitting in the small clearing at the end of NF-8303, we stayed on the trail and picked a big log near some large trees to provide seating between tiny seedlings.

The last 3.6 miles feature LOTS of very large trees , including the still-standing, near hollow hemlock pictured by bobcat on the Oregon Hikers trail page. The cool shade felt great as the trail wended its way down the north side of the mountain to the Kalama River. I heard its many small waterfalls, and felt the increased moisture on my skin. Walking in a tree cathedral.

Once we crossed NF-8022 the first time, we could appreciate the recent work done to remove deep rutting, add water bars and check steps, and widen the corridor. That equipment operator was sensitive, skilled, and brave. Thanks to the Washington Trail Association volunteers, (WTA), Mt St Helens Institute, and BCH for all the hard work they've done, assisted, or sponsored to keep this trail available! You can marvel at several huge fallen logs which had been handsawn by WTA volunteers in years past to clear the trail.

I like to savor the view and subtle spray from the rushing water below at the Kalama River bridge to refresh myself before that last little 40' climb over a couple tenths of a mile to the parking lot. The temps measuring about ten degrees cooler than back at home helped too.

This trail well rewards your effort. With many breaks for picture taking, snacks, enjoying the views, and lunch, we completed a leisurely hike in less than 7.5 hrs.

Our intended destination was Kalama Falls starting from Kalama Horse Camp. We never made it to the falls. The trails are not well-marked in this area, and the instructions provided here are only helpful up to the primitive campsite,  so come prepare with your own map if you aren’t familiar with the area. We ended up hiking several miles on what was likely the Cinnamon Trail. We encountered two other hikers who also weren’t sure what trail they were on. We hiked until we encountered significant snow, probably around 4000’. Prior to that, the trail was in pretty good condition with just a few blow-downs and tiny patches of snow. On the drive out on FR 81, we noticed the turnout parking area for the shorter road version of the hike. We spoke to a family who had just returned from the falls and warned us of fresh cougar tracks in that area. 

There are two routes to Kalama Falls.  One is a single-track forest trail 3.8 miles long and the other is a two-track road 1.9 miles long.  The forest trail is for hikers and horsemen, and the gravel road for casual walkers and bikers.  Both are easy to walk, with some elevation change, and both reach the same destination – Kalama River Falls.  

Forest Trail

The forest trail to Kalama Falls begins at the Kalama Horse Camp off the FS 81 road (closed from December to March but available parking outside the camp).  From this campsite, five Gifford Pinchot NF trails radiate.  The Cinnamon Trail crosses the Kalama River on a wooden stock bridge, ascends upon the bank of the river, and heads east for ¼ miles to a primitive campsite (see map).  At this site, the Kalama Falls Trail begins south on an old two-track clay road.  No signage but take the only route heading south as the old road wends past a few dispersed camping sites.  At the south end of the dispersed campsites, the route becomes a single track.  After a mile on the single track, the paved FS 81 road is reached.  Crossing the FS 81 road the trail parallels the river with a worthwhile spur to an overlook.  For the most part, the tread is pumice, relatively flat, and traverses a replanted Douglas Fir forest (ca. 1999) with little elevation change for 2 miles where it crosses the gravel road (#7800).  Remain on the footpath (and enter an older forest) as it passes pahoehoe type lava formations.  This smooth, stacked magma looks like layers of arrested molasses and flowed approximately 1200 years ago damming up a stream that created Merrill Lake.  At mile 3.5 the trail crosses the 7500 road once again (near a concrete bridge) and enters an old-growth forest of Douglas Fir and Western Redcedar.  The falls are ¼ mile south on this footpath. 

Road Route

A shorter 1.9-mile route begins at a gated two-track gravel road (#7500 road).  The location is at mile 6 on the 81 Road.  The road is through the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Merrill Lake Wildlife Area.  This road route ends just before a single lane concrete bridge.  A sign points to entering the forest and is a 1/4-mile footpath to the Kalama River Falls.  

The Falls

The Kalama Falls is a two-tiered, plunge type waterfall, and a worthwhile destination viewed from two upper bank levels with an old-growth forest in the background.  The geology suggests the lava ended here before it pushed further south forming the north bank of the Kalama River downstream.  Beyond the falls the Kalama River heads west as a wild and scenic river eventually reaching the Columbia River.  The falls are active year-round, and the river’s origin is spring-fed McBride Lake on the south slope of Mt Saint Helens.  The Merrill Lake stream that converges with the river the bottom of the falls doubles the volume.  The trails from the bluff overlooking the falls are primitive and difficult to traverse.  Aside from the riverbank at the foot of the falls the bank peters out for exploring.  

The Kalama River Falls and trails are public access and part of the 1448 acres acquired by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) between 2015 and 2019.  The WDFW does not maintain trails so the forested paths are overseen by the Backcountry Horsemen of Washington.  The longer forest trail spans three land managers: The Gifford Pinchot Forest, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, and the WDFW land bordering the east side of the river. 

Driving Directions

From Woodland, take Highway 503 east for approximately 28 miles to Forest Road 81. Take a left on Forest Road 81 towards Kalama Horse Camp Recreation Area. Follow Forest Road 81 north for approximately 8 miles.