Hiking Guide
WTA's hiking guide is the most comprehensive database of hikes in Washington, and comprises content written by local hiking experts and user submitted information. All data is vetted by WTA staff. This resource is made possible by the donations of WTA members.
We respectfully acknowledge the lands we are visiting are the homelands of Indigenous tribes of the Pacific Northwest, some of whom have reserved rights on these lands. Tribes continue to rely on and share in the management of these lands today. Please tread gently and treat these places with respect.
Results List
66 HikesTrail of Two Forests
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 0.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 50 feet
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Highest Point
- 1,885 feet
This trail loops through two forests that stand side by side, but are separated in age by 2000 years. One forest is old-growth Douglas-fir and western red-cedar and the other is a young forest that was originally engulfed by lava flows from an eruption of Mount St. Helens over two millennia ago.
Mount St. Helens - Worm Flows Route
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 12.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 5,699 feet
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Highest Point
- 8,364 feet
The Worm Flows Climbing Route, from Marble Mountain Sno-Park, is the most direct route to the summit of Mount St. Helens during the winter season. Ice axe, crampons, and avalanche awareness are necessary when attempting to summit St. Helens in the winter. Skis with climbing skins or snowshoes with cleats are also highly recommended.
Mount St. Helens - Monitor Ridge
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 10.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 4,500 feet
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Highest Point
- 8,365 feet
Permits are required to summit Mount St. Helens. Find details about acquiring them in the hike description.
Mount St. Helens is a peak that should be on every life list. And because it is an active volcano, it is best not to put it off for too long. Climbing to the crater rim is an opportunity to see not only amazing views in every direction, but to see geology raw, unformed and in its making.
Birth of a Lake Interpretive Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 1.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 0 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,500 feet
This trail is currently inaccessible due to a road closure
A short boardwalk at Coldwater Lake, the Birth of a Lake trail is stroller and wheelchair friendly, and provides interesting information about the creation of this lake thanks to the 1980 eruption.
Eruption Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 0.5 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 25 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,200 feet
This trail is inaccessible due to a road washout
A barrier-free, paved hike of less than one mile from the Johnston Ridge Observatory. The trail includes interpretive kiosks and 360-degree views of Mount St. Helens and the surrounding blast zone.
Lakes Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 9.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,700 feet
This trail is currently inaccessible due to a road closure
The Lakes Trail offers a nice day hike along a volcano-created lake, or a gateway into the Mount Margaret Backcountry.
Boundary West
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 10.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,400 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,390 feet
This trail is currently inaccessible due to a road closure
This short section of the much longer Boundary Trail (which spans the Dark Divide between Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams) provides a nice day hike amid the unique geology of the St. Helens area.
South Coldwater Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 7.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,400 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,000 feet
Trail inaccessible: Access to this trail is blocked by a road closure
This early or late-season hike takes you for a ridge walk high above Coldwater Lake, which was not a standing body of water prior to the massive eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. You'll walk through a serene willow forest, marvel at the power of nature when you encounter twisted hulks of logging machinery, and see plenty of gnarled stumps where tall evergreens once stood.
Hummocks Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 2.4 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 100 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,500 feet
Trail inaccessible: Access to this trail is blocked by a road closure
Popular because it's the perfect balance between day hike and easy enough for little legs, the Hummocks Trail is a relatively flat loop hike among strange hills that were left by the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980.
Elk Bench
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 2.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 600 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,100 feet
Trail inaccessible: Access to this trail is blocked by a road closure
This short trail is located near Coldwater Lake and connects visitors to the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater to the Lakes Trail and the Mount Margaret backcountry.
Harry's Ridge
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 8.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 970 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,752 feet
Trail inaccessible: Access to this trail is blocked by a road closure
Named for the curmudgeon who refused to leave his homestead when St. Helens was on the brink of eruption, Harry’s Ridge offers a fascinating panorama of the restless giant, still smoking and belching occasionally, years after her devastating awakening.
Norway Pass
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 4.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 860 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,500 feet
Witness the destructive force and the restorative power of nature on this hike in the blast zone of Mount St. Helens’ 1980 eruption. The rocky ash and treeless areas are testaments to the devastation caused by the explosion, while wildflowers and shrubs signal the return of vegetation to the denuded landscape.
Windy Ridge and Plains of Abraham
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 8.0 miles, roundtrip
-
Elevation Gain
- 2,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,850 feet
FR 99 is closed beyond Wakepish Sno-Park for the winter season.
Climb to really excellent views of Rainier, Adams and Mount St. Helens via an exposed ridgeline before traversing east through hillside wildflowers, and ending at junction with the Loowit Trail in the center of the Plains of Abraham.
Seaquest State Park - Silver Lake
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 3.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 100 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,390 feet
A forest walk and a wetlands walk-two trails for the price of one! This wide, paved trail loops through meadows and shoreline.
Ghost Lake
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 5.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 640 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,000 feet
Hike to a lovely, glittering, quiet little lake that at Mount St. Helens that few visit. You’ll have to work for it, of course. But it’s a neat little treat to share with friends, or head to it solo for some solitude.
Independence Ridge
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 2.6 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 40 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,500 feet
A connector trail in the Mount St. Helens area linking Independence Pass with the Boundary Trail. Views from here include Spirit Lake and the north side of the volcano.
Goat Creek
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 11.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 3,200 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,600 feet
Hike along a lush green valley wall above Goat Creek in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Because this part of the monument is so infrequently visited, it's possible you won't see another soul on the trail, meaning you'll get to have the incredible Cathedral Falls all to yourself.
Cinnamon Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 8.6 miles, one-way
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Elevation Gain
- 2,900 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,000 feet
The trail is closed until further notice due to wildfire activity.
This long, meandering trail in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument makes for a lovely out-and-back, or as part of a big loop hike.
Sasquatch Ski Loops
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 10.0 miles of trails
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Elevation Gain
- 1,000 feet
Visit three looping routes on Mount St. Helens near the Marble Mountain Sno-Park. From here you'll enjoy quiet forest and views of Mount St. Helens, as well as a variety of difficulties of hike, from a casual stroll to a more sweat-inducing climb. It's hikers choice!
Kalama Ski Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
-
Length
- 7.0 miles, one-way
The Kalama Ski Trail is a ski route near Mount St. Helens that connects the Cougar Sno-Park with the Kalama Horse Camp. Visitors should expect to share the area with snowmobilers on weekends, though it is often very quiet on weekdays.
Loowit Falls
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 9.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,200 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,575 feet
FR 99 is closed beyond Wakepish Sno-Park for the winter season.
Hike to a glacier-fed waterfall pouring out of the heart of a volcano. It doesn’t get much more dramatic than that.
Loowit Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 32.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 6,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,800 feet
Ready for a stunning long hike through the otherwordly landscape of Mount St. Helens? The Loowit Trail reveals the volcano and the blast zone in all its raw glory.
Windy Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 1.0 miles, one-way
-
Elevation Gain
- 200 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,300 feet
FR 99 is closed beyond Wakepish Sno-Park for the winter season.
A short trail accessible from the Windy Ridge area of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, the Windy Trail makes it possible for hikers to loop up a variety of trails in the blast zone.
Plains of Abraham - Windy Pass Loop
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 9.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 2,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,850 feet
FR 99 is closed beyond Wakepish Sno-Park for the winter season.
Hike a challenging loop outside of the Windy Ridge area of Mount St. Helens, including a route-finding scramble to the pass. For your efforts, you’re rewarded with expansive, ever-changing views of one of the world’s most dynamic landscapes.
Kraus Ridge
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 6.2 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,570 feet
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Highest Point
- 2,370 feet
Krause Ridge Trail offers a textbook example of a Pacific Northwest forest nearing succession climax. Whether you are a jaded forest trekker or an ecologist, this is a classical forest with big trees towering as a sunshade with a lush understory and an easy day hike.
West Crater
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 1.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 430 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,131 feet
Hike to a small lava dome with an associated summit crater in southern Washington.
Swift Creek
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 4.8 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,000 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,500 feet
This is a winter only trail linking Marble Mountain SnoPark to the Worm Flows winter climbing route.
Fossil Trail
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 8.0 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,300 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,500 feet
An overlooked trail in a high canopy forest with nice views of the area in Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
June Lake
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 2.86 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 445 feet
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Highest Point
- 3,140 feet
This sweet little hike on the south side of Mount St. Helens is a good destination for families seeking a short day hike, but it is also one access point for the round-the-mountain Loowit Trail, and a popular snowshoeing location, so it sees a fair amount of traffic year-round.
Hummocks Loop
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
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Length
- 9.5 miles, roundtrip
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Elevation Gain
- 1,800 feet
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Highest Point
- 4,200 feet
Why drive to the top when you can hike? Try this day hike as an introduction to Mount St. Helens for visitors who’ve never been here, or if they haven't been in a long time.