Two of us did the full Loowit Trail as a day hike starting from June Lake trailhead, going clockwise. I don't have anything to add to the info in previous trip reports, except I want to note trail issues in the area of the Muddy River and propose a possible off-trail alternative. Granted we were near the end of a long, exhausting day, but we found the many gully crossings (7-9) of the Muddy River to be particularly frustrating and even somewhat dangerous due to loose surfaces, with one downslope to the bottom of the gully requiring butt-scooting or climbing down rocks. There is a lot of redundant climbing that is made more difficult the heavier your pack. It may be easier to avoid these gully crossings completely by crossing the Muddy River in two places by going off-trail downstream when you first emerge from the trees when traveling clockwise and can see the whole erosional landscape carved out by the Muddy (original report incorrectly identified one of the waterways as coming off the Shoestring Glacier but that crossing is later and not covered in this trip report). Not far below the trail, the river gradient lessens noticeably and instead of being gullied is two wide braided channels that carry very little water at the height of the summer hiking season. There is very little vegetation in this area to obstruct off-trail travel and the gradient is low. You would cross the two wide channels then ascend the moraine on the other side until you intersect the Loowit Trail. Sorry, I don't have any photographs of the area, but the trail is clearly visible in satellite/aerial images. We considered this off-trail route when we first saw the landscape but opted to stay on the trail, so take my suggestion with a large grain of salt.

First fell in love with the mountains a long time ago, on a volcano far away, so felt it was time to checkout the Loowit Trail, circumnavigating St. Helens. This trail has a bit of everything ( pines, lava, sand, pumice, overgrown tree tunnels, etc. ), with new views/features appearing around every corner.

Note, the trail has become very popular with day trail runners, but this report will focus on the backpacking side.

TL;DR;

• I choose the 3-day clockwise itinerary ( see logistics below )
  • Starting/ending at Climber's Bivouac (CB)
• Water:
  • Summer fill locations only, plan accordingly
• Trail:
  • Feet dry for rockhoppers, but many choose to ford
  • Couple blowdowns, and overgrown sections, but all easy
  • Ravines technically easy, but loose rock can be intimidating
    • Only really used ropes once, but nice to have to assist
    • Definitely one person at a time though!
• Critters:
  • Elk, Goats & goat-lings, Sparkies (chipmunks), usual Birdage
• Flowers:
  • South & West: Past Peak, but good in Toutle canyon,
  • North & East: Peak, or close to.
    • Amazing patchwork quilt of alpine flowers!
• People:
  • Came in waves, but several 4 hour stretches with nobody
  • Loowit Camp: 3 parties, out of maybe dozen sites
  • Pumice Butte camp: 6-7 parties, maybe out of 8-9 sites?
  • ~50% day trail runners / ~50% backpackers
  • Surprised to meet 2 mountain bikers on Plains of Abraham / Pumice
• Big Brother: Better behave, as one passes by multiple monitoring stations :)
• Logistics: See section at end

CLIMBER'S BIV TO TOUTLE

• No water fills available during this section ( nor at CB )
• Gentle ascent to Loowit junction through pretty pine forest
• Turning left quickly turns into fun rock-hopping over lava fields
• Then pleasant rambling through meadows, with summit rim looming above
• First roped ravine was probably the toughest, but very short
• The ravine at 46.18818, -122.24107 wasn't bad, except for the demoralizing loss of ~300'
• Toutle canyon is impressive, and one descends into a different ecosystem
• Maybe a dozen sandy sites on south bank river benches
• Got there early, so was forced to nap ( such hardship! )

TOUTLE => BLAST ZONE => PLAINS OF ABRAHAM => PUMICE BUTTE

• Got up early to meet the golden hour on the Toutle rim
  • Had breakfast watching rockfall down in the canyon
• Toutle crossing:
  • Southside ropes nice, but optional
  • Was able to rock hop dry
  • Once across, descend a tad until can see northside ropes hidden around a corner
  • The climb out of ravine wasn't as bad as it looks
    • Rope probably handy for decent though
• Side trip:
  • Followed hooved trails to Studebaker trig station
  • Looked down to see two herds of 20+ elk
• Continued across the wonderful expanse of meadows and flowers
  • With just the ravines reminding one of the past destruction
• Soon one starts to look up open maw of the blast zone, rather intimidating
• The various waterfalls seem to be eating the volcano alive
  • Dome builders, better get cracking! 
• Loowit creek crossing:
  • Was able to rock hop, but easy ford would be safer
• Side trip: Lower Loowit Falls (?)
• Like a moth to a light, could not resist going to the base of the falls at 46.23382, -122.18185
• From satellite, it appears to be the lowest step of Loowit falls, but could be wrong
• Easy ramblings up spectacular narrow red canyon
• However the route is exposed to serious rockfall hazard, so evaluate risk before entering cliff zone
• Side trip: Loowit falls lookout
  • Took the branch trail to the view of the spectacular twin plumes of Loowit falls
  • Also admiring the view, was a malting momma goat with two kids
• The climb up windy pass was on steeper ground then I expected
  • Take care not to loose rocks on those below
• As expected, the Plains of Abraham were stunning
  • Especially with the patchwork of purple shag pile flowers
  • Was confused by seeing mountain bike tracks on the plains, until met two bikers later
• Camps:
  • One camp near creek at base of windy pass, rest at...
  • Pumice camps sits at the edge of a spectacular cliff/waterfall
    • With views out to Mt. Adams
    • If the creek is dry in the morning, the cliff edge spring is usually still running
    • Winds came up, then abruptly stopped when the sun went down

PUMICE BUTTE => CLIMBER'S BIV

• Numerous ravine crossings, one requiring a bit of a butt scoot
• As descend into forest, the trail becomes fast and shady
• After June Lake junction, trail heads back up and through the worm flows lava fields
• At pretty Chocolate Falls ( 46.15795, -122.17415 ):
  • Treat yourself to a quick wander upstream, following the sweet smooth rock water slide!
• From here on, it's a bit of a demoralizing 800-1000' climb to meet the Ptarmigan trail
  • Said demoralizing only as one immediately loses elevation again, descending the fast trail back to the CB
  • That said the views up high through the fields of bear grass, and Mt Adams, were spectacular

All in all, a wonderful hike, likely to repeat in the future, maybe the opposite way.

LOGISTICS

At the time of writing, some restrictions:

• Due to construction, Windy Ridge is only open on weekends right now
  • So no backpacking parking
• June lake no longer allows overnight parking
• No camping in the blast zone, nor...
• Travel above 4800' ( unless get a climbing permit on recreation.gov )

These restrictions tend to funnel most loopers into one of two itineraries:

• 3 day loop backpackers, camps at Toutle Creek (TC) and Pumice Butte (PB)
• 1 day loop trail runners

Loop Direction ( I did it clockwise ):

• In general would not sweat this decision:
  • Both directions are great, the camps are the same, and...
  • Saw plenty folks going both ways
• That said:
  • If first day had the worst weather:
    • Maybe CCW ( as found CB=>PB less visually interesting )
  • If first day was on a weekend:
    • Maybe CW ( as PB camp is more likely to be full )
  • Else ( agree with TR from "J Em" ), slightly favor CCW as:
    • CW ends in a 800-1000' climb, just to loose it again shortly after
    • Nice to bathe in the Toutle after the dusty blast zone day
  • Whichever direction you choose, one leg will get longer then the other, try walking backwards a bit to fix :)

Water:

• Water is a big issue this time of year
  • Many creeks dry, and snow (almost) non-existent on the trail
  • I used 2L per day
    • But carried 1-2L extra as planned on some side trips, and insurance
• At time of writing, found these fill locations:
  • Western:
    • Toutle Creek
  • Northern:
    • Loowit Creek
    • 2-3 creeks between Loowit Creek and Windy Pass
  • Eastern:
    • 1 creek south base of Windy Pass
    • Pumice Butte creek/spring
    • Muddy River
  • Southern:
    • Ravine above June Lake: 46.15785, -122.16398
    • Chocolate Falls: 46.15795, -122.17415

Permits:

• No permit needed for Loowit Trail, assuming you stay below 4800'

Road:

• Last couple miles are a bumpy dirt road
• Take it slow and most cars should make it
  • Though high clearance would be less stressful
• Gas and milkshakes at Cougar

Parking:

• CB: 80% full on weekday 8:30am, 90% full on weekend
• NW forest pass or America the Beautiful pass required

Gear Notes:

• Ankle gaiters, and sun-hoody highly recommended
• Saw some folks with sun-umbrellas
• There was usually micro shade available somewhere for stops
• Poles really useful for bolder hopping, ravines and fords
• Did not use, but recommend some purification tables in case of filter issues with silt

We did 3 days/2 nights CW from climbers bivy TH.

Super cool loop with lots of variation in terrain, and lots of flowers (especially lupines) at the moment! And some of the berries are starting to get ripe! None of the ravine areas (or other challenging parts) felt sketchy to me but ymmv. The river crossings are also not bad— my party all either rock-hopped or waded (never deeper than mid calf).

The limited water supply was the most challenging part for me, I carried a bit over 3.5L each day but could have used more.

Deets on clear water sources (by section as we hiked it) below:

Day 1: Bivouac TH -> Toutle river
The only source thru here is the Toutle river, except for one patch of snow you could melt if you were really down bad (not sure how much longer that will be there).

Day 2: Toutle -> Little pumice butte
There was one really clear spring less than half a mile from the point where the Windy trail meets Loowit, and a silty creek a while before that (below the falls). After windy pass, there is one clear creek right by little pumice butte, which was really low but still had some flow. Wasn’t psyched to be drinking out of that based on the amount of improperly buried shit all around the surrounding area :/

Little pumice butte -> bivouac th
There were a couple of streams through here but they were nice and silty, so if you wanted water that doesn’t look like iced coffee, you’d have to bushwhack a bit to get to a clear spring off the trail or take a detour at June lake.

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 

Would not recommend for those with a fear of heights or uncomfortable with rugged terrain/route-finding. I'd say if you don't like the first lava field or sketchy gully you encounter, perform a gut check right then - it won't get any easier. Also, how do you feel about ash? It'll try its darndest to get everywhere if you let it, and can scratch camera lenses to boot (ask how I know)! Because by the end you will become as one with all of the above. 

Starting from the Ptarmigan/Climbers Bivouac TH for your clockwise adventure as I did, rather than June Lake TH (no longer open for overnight parking... an inconvenient fact that's apparently not stopping some people), makes this challenging journey even more arduous.

Instead of tackling the toughest climb of the loop at a potentially cooler part of the day while your legs are still fresh, it now must be conquered at the end of the trip - along with the up & down trudge through the Worm Flows lava field, down where the elevation is toastier - at a likely hotter time of day. It's endurance-testing, for sure.

And with the Truman Trails closed from Windy Ridge plus Johnson Ridge still out of commission, the Climbers Bivouac seems to be THE place to start for most - parking lot was beyond full a bit past 10am. Going CW from there, the first water available is either from melting snow in a pinch (very short crossings, although one has a down-climb) or the Toutle River ford.

Spotted maybe 20+ tents clustered at or in the vicinity of the river, but I decided to zag and detoured left/south on the Toutle Trail - less than a half-mile later there is a gushing creek and immediately after there's an easy-to-miss junction where a pink ribbon and cut-log to the right leads to a fantastic, peaceful campsite in deep woods with room for at least 3-4 tents, maybe more (depending on how buddy-buddy the vibes are with fellow campers). That evening I had it all to myself!

The major fords are the Toutle River and Loowit Creek on the north side, and both actually *are* rock-hoppable provided one has trekking poles for balance and a smidge of daredevil 'tude (foolhardiness?). Forders versus hoppers seemed about 50/50. Although I regretted the extra weight of the unused water shoes I shlepped around, waterways and rock configurations of course change constantly so "to ford, or not to ford" is impossible to predict.

As many others mention, there are also two rope sections with very steep descents & ascents - one at the long reroute skirting a huge gully before Sheep Canyon, and the other at the Toutle River canyon. Consider some light work gloves and def check that anything loose is secured beforehand, like say sunglasses carelessly dangling from a front shirt pocket (please once again ask me how I know).

On the north side, water is plentiful from the creek near Studebaker Ridge or Loowit Creek but looked silty. The spring between the Loowit Falls & Windy Pass junctions was flowing mightily and I'd heartily recommend that one. There was also a good-looking afternoon creek after Windy Pass and before the Abraham Trail junction.

My second night was at the spring near Pumice Butte: silty in the evening and almost a trickle in the morning, but tasted great. It seemed half or more of the campers from the previous night opted to finish the trail in two days, and my rush to secure a camp spot was pretty unnecessary. Be ready to stake down your tent - one poor gent lost his, after a gust blew it off the cliff like a kite. This spot is windy!!

The only water for the remainder of the trail is snowmelt (a few more crossings on the climb back up to Ptarmigan Trail), a detour to June Lake, or at the creek that feeds Chocolate Falls. Overgrown on the NW and SE portions of the loop, but bugs were minimal (a few pesky flies) and the flowers are in full force - beargrass especially! That, along with the vista of Toutle Canyon on one side juxtaposed with the surprisingly gorgeous parkland towards Castle Ridge, and gazing at Mt St Helens & Mt Adams at sunset/sunrise from the Plains of Abraham were absolute highlights. The Loowit Trail: Type B Fun at its finest!!