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 HikesSouth Cascades > Mount St. Helens
2.4 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 650 feet
Highest Point: 4,060 feet
Rating:
An infrequently-used but surprisingly charming trail leading to the site of a former waterfall, and offering the only access to Spirit Lake.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
8.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 970 feet
Highest Point: 4,752 feet
Rating:
Named for the lovable curmudgeon who refused to leave his homestead when St. Helens was on the brink of erupting, Harry’s Ridge offers a fascinating panorama of the restless giant, still smoking and belching occasionally, years after her devastating awakening.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
3.3 miles, one-way
Gain: 280 feet
Highest Point: 3,400 feet
Rating:
This middle section of the Toutle Trail starts at Forest Road 81 on the north side of Red Rock Pass.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
10.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,425 feet
Highest Point: 4,200 feet
Rating:
Get up close and personal with Mount St. Helens as you explore the northern flanks of the eruption site and meander through the unique ecology of the pumice plains.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
12.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 5,699 feet
Highest Point: 8,364 feet
Rating:
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.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
10.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2,400 feet
Highest Point: 4,390 feet
Rating:
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 Cascades > Mount St. Helens
9.3 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,200 feet
Highest Point: 4,600 feet
Rating:
The road to the Sheep Canyon trailhead has washed out and the trailhead is closed. The hike to the Sheep Canyon viewpoints now requires an extra 2.4 miles, and begins at the Blue Lake trailhead, found at the end of the drivable portion of Forest Road 8123.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
0.7 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 165 feet
Highest Point: 3,465 feet
Rating:
What was once a nice, short loop hike for families on the east side of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic monument has been lost to downed trees and heavy brush. Thankfully, the lake is still visible from an overlook partway up.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
5.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 900 feet
Highest Point: 3,400 feet
Rating:
The Pika Trail is a scenic winter non-motorized connector trail between Swift Trail 244 and June Lake Trail 216B.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
0.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 0 feet
Highest Point: 3,625 feet
Rating:
This very short and flat interpretive trail offers a wonderful way to take in the sights and sounds of a small lake still recovering from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
5.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,600 feet
Highest Point: 2,800 feet
Rating:
The suspension bridge on the Lava Canyon trail is closed due to cable damage
This trail begins with an amazing, ADA accessible, interpretive trail before proceeding down a steep rugged canyon to a one-of-a-kind swinging bridge.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
10.4 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,250 feet
Highest Point: 4,000 feet
Rating:
Hike a trail on the southwest flanks of Mount St. Helens. While mudflows and flooding rendered the land close to St. Helens difficult to negotiate even for two-legged hikers, the Blue Horse trail has been cultivated enough that the way is passable and pleasant for both horses and hikers.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
1.7 miles, one-way
Gain: 203 feet
Highest Point: 2,803 feet
Rating:
A rolling snowshoe route departing from the Marble Mountain Sno-Park near Mount St. Helens.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
1.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 0 feet
Rating:
This is a 1.2-mile loop trail that takes hikers on a tour of the structure the Army Corps of Engineers built to keep sediment from Mount St. Helens from washing down the Toutle River and inundating the communities downstream.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
4.8 miles, one-way
Gain: 1,300 feet
Highest Point: 3,280 feet
Rating:
The first section of the Toutle Trail begins at the Kalama Horse Camp, where ample parking and camping are available. The trail crosses a gully and follows alongside the Kalama River.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
7.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 500 feet
Highest Point: 2,120 feet
Rating:
There are two routes to Kalama Falls. One is a single-track forest trail that is 3.8 miles long and the other is a two-track road that’s 1.9 miles long. Both are easy to walk, with some elevation change, and both reach the same destination: Kalama River Falls.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
11.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2,820 feet
Highest Point: 5,780 feet
Rating:
On maps, Mount Margaret doesn’t seem impressive enough to warrant its namesake Mount Margaret Backcountry. It is not the tallest nor the most majestic peak in the area. However, it is easily summited and it offers clear unobstructed views of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount St. Helens (in three different directions), and expansive views of much more, including legendary Spirit Lake.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
20.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3,200 feet
Highest Point: 5,250 feet
Rating:
Escape the crowds on this two-day backpacking adventure into the less-traveled areas on the north side of Mount St. Helens.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
2.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 170 feet
Highest Point: 3,130 feet
Rating:
Nestled in the southeast corner of Mount St Helens, the Pine Creek Trail offers a short, easy graded path into second growth forest at the base of the active stratovolcano. You can visit a historic wood-shingled shelter built in the 1920s and continue on to a viewpoint along the Muddy River Lahar moonscape.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
4.8 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 500 feet
Highest Point: 3,140 feet
Rating:
Strap on your snowshoes and explore the Marble Mountain trails with a gentle hike to June Lake in the shadow of Mount St. Helens.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
2.4 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 100 feet
Highest Point: 2,500 feet
Rating:
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.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
6.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,665 feet
Highest Point: 4,700 feet
Rating:
The Independence Pass trail is impassable past the first 1.5 miles due to significant washouts and cannot currently be connected with the Boundary Trail to complete this loop.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
11.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2,400 feet
Highest Point: 5,025 feet
Rating:
Hike along a lofty ridge at the demarcation of the blast zone. Look south at blown-down and toppled forests and a series of sparkling alpine lakes surrounded by silver snags. Look north at alpine meadows flush with wildflowers and hillsides cloaked in verdant old-growth canopies. One of the best trails for comparing before and after the eruption landscapes, Goat Mountain is also one of the best for views.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
0.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 25 feet
Highest Point: 4,200 feet
Rating:
A barrier-free, paved hike of less than one mile from the Johnston Ridge Observatory. The trail includes interpretive kiosks and 360 views of Mount St. Helens and the surrounding blast zone.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
8.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,697 feet
Highest Point: 4,750 feet
Rating:
Visit this gentle trail climbing through old lava flows, lodgepole pine trees, meadows of wildflowers and huckleberries with breathtaking views of Mount St. Helens. A creek at Lower Butte Camp offers a good opportunity for camping and plenty of day hike potential on to the Loowit Trail.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
4.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,100 feet
Highest Point: 4,000 feet
Rating:
Take a short dayhike in a ghost forest to a beautiful babbling brook on the southwest side of Mount St. Helens.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
1.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 0 feet
Highest Point: 2,500 feet
Rating:
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.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
12.7 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2,400 feet
Highest Point: 5,000 feet
Rating:
Venture through dusty lahars, cool forest, and the high country on the shoulder of Mount St. Helens on this 12-mile loop. Do it in a day, or plan to camp along the way—this hike is both beautiful and a bit of a challenge; you’ll need a little scrambling experience to be comfortable hiking the whole thing.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
1.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 400 feet
Rating:
The Volcano View Trail completes a trifecta of great hikes for children near Mount St. Helens. The nearby Ape Cave and the Trail of Two Forests both provide welcome respite from the typically hot and dry hikes around St. Helens. The Ape Caves weave underground through old lava tubes, while the Trail of Two Forests shows the volcano's power, contrasting old-growth forest with the devastated landscape that didn't escape the 1980 explosion. Now the new Volcano View Trail offers hikers of every age a mile-long nature trail that curves around stumps, boulders and hemlocks.
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
1.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 730 feet
Highest Point: 4,000 feet
Rating:
Zig Zag is a solitary lake set high in the southern Cascades. While difficult to get to, it's worth the time and effort to explore this area.