The trail was in good condition, with just one downed tree that had fallen over a switchback, so it was over the trail twice. It was high enough to go under easily, or you could go where hikers had climbed around it. There is one fairly short sketchy, narrow and partially eroding section of trail over a steep slope. There was a small, clear stream by the trail about 2/3 of the way up that would be good for filtering water.
We hiked up in fog/low cloud, hoping and praying we'd see St. Helens. And we did. Seeing the big trees through fog was cool, though. We weren't able to see Mt. Hood because of clouds to the south. We found some good rocks to sit on for an early lunch break. I saw three mountain goats in the distance, and there was what we assumed was steam rising above the top of the mountain from the dome. There were a few wildflowers, very few huckleberries, and some fall color in a few places. We enjoyed the hike, and would like to do it earlier in the summer, when the bear grass and heather are blooming. Oh, no bugs, except for a few ants when we were having lunch.

Capitalized on the cloudy weekend by hiking the typically sun-exposed Loowit. Can't recommend it enough! All the best views are right in front of you, so you don't lose much from the clouds.

Started at Blue Lake, went north on the Toutle Trail to meet up with the Loowit near the south fork of the Toutle River. Very nice forested trail with lots of ripe Thimbleberries. Descending to the Toutle on the south side is no problem; I frankly don't understand why they put in ropes, and there are many other places on the Loowit with more challenging footing. Climbing out on the north side is definitely steeper, with some small loose boulders, though the rope is still optional. Mainly, just keep an eye on people below you--I sent a rock into my friend's shin without realizing it.

The north section of the trail is arguably the most beautiful part, especially in partially cloudy conditions. Abundant ripe blueberries distracted us frequently. Crossing Loowit Creek in the afternoon was a bit of a trick--we walked south a ways from where the trail meets the creek and found a place where we could leap across it. You could also just ford it, but the water was moving pretty quickly so exercise caution if you do so. Crossing earlier in the day when the snowmelt is lower should be no problem.

After circumnavigating a large mountain goat herd, we camped on the Plains of Abraham under Big Pumice Butte, 15.5mi in. If we'd started earlier, we could've camped at the beautiful spots near the Ape Canyon Trail turnoff.

We started day two making great time, but near the southeast corner of the trail, the terrain gets more challenging (lots of nontechnical boulder-hopping) and we slowed a bit. We turned off the Loowit at Butte Camp Trail, which is a speedy, gentle descent and return to the Blue Lake Trailhead. Missed ~5mi of the Loowit, but no regrets!

Backpacked to Butte Camp with my toddler and mom! Arrived at the TH at 12:30pm and there were only two other cars. Was pleasantly surprised to get a picturesque view of Mt. St. Helens just 1 minute into our hike! The trail is in excellent shape. We only had to go over one small blow down. The wild flowers are showing off right now and we saw tons of ripe berries.

There was no one else there when we got to Butte Camp - there are quite a few camp spots on both sides of the trail. There is a gorgeous flowing stream nearby which was handy for filtering water. One other group joined us later in the afternoon, but that was it. No views of the mountain from camp but it was still beautiful and I would definitely come back here again.

Our hike out the next day was a breeze. We passed a handful of hikers but it was not busy at all.

Highly recommend this trail for a fun & easy backpacking trip!

As a bonus, we visited Ape Caves on our way (15 minutes before this TH, just don’t forget to book a reservation) and we stopped at the Mt. St. Helens Visitors Center on our way home.

Beautiful day for a hike! Lots of wildflowers blooming and pine forests to walk through. Open views of Mt Hood to the south from the upper Butte trail. Quiet trail - I arrived mid morning and there were three other cars at the trailhead. I ran into one small group of day hikers, two backpacking groups, and one trail runner but mostly had the trail to myself. 

Trail conditions: A few downed trees over the trail. They were fairly easy to navigate, although one of them required ducking under it twice to get around. There’s a small section of the trail that’s on an exposed hillside with a steep drop off, so beware of that if you’re nervous with heights. There’s not a lot of tree cover on the trail so expect lots of sun exposure if it’s a clear day.

Road conditions: the last mile or so to the trailhead is unpaved with some potholes. They were easy enough to avoid going by driving slowly in my Prius. 

I hiked to the connection with the Loowit trail. Garmin stats: 7.7 miles, 2000' elevation gain

Remembering the explosion of Mt. St. Helens was something I will never forget in my lifetime. My cousin won't either after surviving the blast that consumed him in ash that day.

My first time hiking and spending the night at Mt St. Helens brought back many memories for me, some of them haunting. If you happened to be around 45 years ago, we were just brushing the ash off everything we owned from there to Yakima and every place between right about this time. My husband reports he had ash as far as Montana. 

One of the most exciting things I remember from the explosion of Mt. St. Helens was my cousin's recount as a videographer for KOMO 4 News in Seattle, Dave Crockett. Dave was a little older than me and had been living and working in Seattle. 

During our trip to Butte Camp and overnight those of us who remembered the time leading up to and then the explosion could spew the details like ash as if it it were yesterday, others of us were too young, and then a few hadn't been born quite yet.

This trip for me had me recalling my disbelief that my cousin had been there for the story of his life, then have enough fortitude to video tape his thoughts and experiences. Luckily Dave somehow was found and was picked up by a helicopter patrolling the area for people.

This year was the 45th year of that explosion. You can watch Dave Crocketts video KOMO 4 NEWS

CAMPING: Dispersed camping first come first serve below 4800'. Above 4800' required a permit to travel and camp.

PARKING PASS: America the Beautiful interagency or NW Forest Pass.

THE TRIP: Side Trip- Ape Caves and Trail of Two Forests (see previous report here)

Day 1- Trip to Butte Camp from Red Rock Pass. From FS Rd 8100 just beyond Ape Caves drive to Red Rock Pass. Hike in 2.5 miles 900' gain to Butte Camp. Butte Camp is nestled within a lovely meadow with a flowing brook. 

Day 2 Butte Camp to Loowit Trail- the trail that goes around Mt. St. Helens. Take the trail further to the intersection of Loowit Trail. You can walk both directions either way to view boulder fields and sparse wildflowers gaining an additional 900'.

Total Mileage: 9 miles 2000' elevation