Great views and beautiful fields of flowers

Did the plains of Abraham loop to windy pass, and then added Loowit falls, for a total of ~11.5 miles, 5.5 hours of hiking

The trail is mostly good, though some narrow sections on plains of Abraham, narrow & steep but still doable section near windy pass, and couple of steep sections on the way to Loowit falls.

Drove through FS 25 and FS 99 till it's end. There is ongoing road work on FS 25, one lane is closed and the other may be blocked while work is going on during the day. I waited several minutes, the sign says up to half an hour wait is possible. Otherwise the roads are all paved (except very short sections) and very winding.

We started our overnight from Ape Canyon trailhead around 10am heading towards Pumice Butte. Nice and cool in the woods for the first few miles. Views of St Helens and Adams from the north side of the butte, where we set up camp. After hanging out for a bit we set out for Loowit Falls.

Passing through the Plains of Abraham you're treated to great views of the aforementioned mountains and a beautiful Mars-like environment. I would say after this was the highlight of the trip - upon hiking over Windy Pass it really opens up. Incredible views of Rainier, Spirit Lake, and Mount Margaret backcountry. The area is bursting with purple lupine and we were blessed with the presence of a very large herd of goats. After checking out the waterfall we headed back to camp while taking in the golden hour washing over the landscape.

In the morning we watched a family of goats playing before we ate breakfast and packed out. Overall this makes for a lovely overnight with great options for side trips.

Beta: No snow on the trail. A bit of water nearby camp on the N side of Pumice Butte, but I doubt it will be there much longer. If my memory is correct about 2.5 miles down the Loowit Trail (all flat) before you reach Windy Pass there is a running creek of clear water, and we definitely passed several strongly flowing water sources after Windy Pass. Navigating up and over Alpine Butte - it can be hard to find the initial trail, but there is one that doesn't involve going straight up and over. This part of the trail a little slippery and narrow in places. No mosquitos for us but a few pesky biting flies in the woods.

Road from Randle to Windy Ridge Viewpoint is 93% in excellent condition, which just means you’re likely unprepared for it when you hit the random spots that take you airborne or bottom out your vehicle.

Once at the viewpoint, there was plenty of parking and the pit toilets were well maintained with toilet paper restocked at some point in the day.

The trails were in good shape and mostly easily passable. Passed relatively close to dozens of mountain goats, who seemed mostly indifferent to my group.

Definitely bring plenty of water and sunscreen.

**Found**
Single trekking pole recovered at Windy Ridge amphitheatre. Email lyondri@msn.com with description if you've lost yours. Happy to hand off or ship. :)

The last trip report from Aug 2020 by M&M Outdoors had a very good description of the trail. We stayed at the Iron Creek Campground on FR 25 so we drove 25 and 99 to get to Windy Ridge. The road were paved with some potholes and uneven surfaces. We also drove FR 26 which was in worse condition. The trail is in good condition with lots of wildflowers, we did not see any mountain goats or any animals. We were the only group on the trail and we saw a group of backpackers from afar and met one ranger. After the 2 miles service road, we headed up Abraham Trail on the left along the ridge. It is steep and with lots of loose gravels. Poles would be helpful and watch your footing. I think the worst part was at Windy Pass. We were not able to see the trail at first and went up the rocks but then came back when we turned around and spotted the trail. It was a small path with drop offs and very dusty with loose sandy soil and gravels (the last pic). However, this trail is amazing and became one of our favorites. We saw Mt Adams, Mt Hood, Mt Rainiers, St Helens up close and Spirit Lake. Highly recommended if you are not afraid of height.