Mount St. Helens south and east: Ape Cave to Windy Ridge

Route description

From Portland, take I-5 north to Woodland and follow SR-503 east along the Lewis River reservoirs to Cougar, about 90 minutes. Cougar is the last place for supplies on this side of the mountain. From there, Forest Road 83 leads to Ape Cave, a lava tube over two miles long. In summer, you must book a timed entry online in advance.

Walk the lower cave, an easy three-quarters of a mile each way on a sandy floor; the upper cave requires scrambling over rock piles. Bring two lights and warm layers, as it is about 42°F inside. Further along Forest Road 83, Lava Canyon has waterfalls and a suspension bridge in a gorge scoured by mudflows in 1980.

From Forest Road 83, Forest Road 90 and Forest Road 25 lead north through Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Forest Road 99 then climbs to the Windy Ridge Viewpoint, about 16 miles long with viewpoints over the blast zone. From Windy Ridge you look straight into the crater and over Spirit Lake, still partly covered with logs. Forest Road 99 is usually open only from early summer to autumn.

These roads are narrow, patched and slow, with frost heaves and few pull-outs; they suit cars and small motorhomes better than large rigs, and they are closed by snow in winter. A Northwest Forest Pass or Monument Pass is required at some sites. Continue north on Forest Road 25 to Randle on US-12, where there is fuel and a road east to Mount Rainier.