Backpacking the Northwest » Mt. St. Helens

Siouxon Creek Trail | Amboy | Washington

drew — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 05:06:46 +0000

Highlights:
Busy trail used by hikers, bikes, and horses. Pretty waterfalls and nice camping

Summary:
Siouxon Creek is well known in the area for having easy access, miles of nice trails, good camping spots scattered along the trail, and many options to make side trips. There are many spots to sit and reflect on the beauty around you as you are swayed by the music of the river. Be careful on the upper end of the trail as steep switchbacks make it a little risky for children. Bugs can be a problem in the summer. Make an overnight adventure for you and your friends, and explore the many side trails. Hikers be aware the many mountain bikes use the trail as well, so be advised. I like the early springtime the best as there are no bugs, and no people.

Trailhead:
Drive either north or south along Hwy 503 to the small town of Chelatchie, and turn East onto NE Healy road. Follow this route for 9.2 miles, and turn left on Rd. 57 After another mile or so, turn left again onto Rd. 5701, still following only the paved road to the trailhead in a little more than 4 miles. (Lat:45.94618 Lon:-122.17826) Some Reviews of his hike
Reviewed by Pat on 9/27/2007
Took my wife a ways up the trail. No other hikers today. Had a good time and she wants to go back.
Reviewed by Anna37 on 7/26/2007
This is a 1.5 hour drive from Portland, and can be hard to find. Once you pass Calamity Peak, it’s still a good half hour drive down 57 to the trailhead. Seems desolate at first, but we passed several couples and mtn bikers during the course of about five hours. It’s just beautiful here. The river runs all along the first few miles, with gorgeous waterfalls and swimming holes to cool off in. The trail is good for running and hiking, and is by far one of the better mountain biking trails on the area. I didn’t do this whole trail, but am excited to return and get farther out to the views of Mount St Helens. With so many options, it’s a bit like spending the day at an outdoors-themed fun park. Amazing experience.

Reviewed by Kristen on 6/25/2007
For horse users, stay at the first parking area! The second one is too narrow and almost impossible to get turned around (especially if cars are there). Also, first parking lot will only fit 3-4 rigs. Trails were okay, some creek crossings, some steep slopes on one side of the trail dropping off to the creek. Trail guide describes bridge but its for foot traffic only (not horses) and you come to it right away. Trail was a little narrow in a few spots (for horses) but in most places okay. Trails were cleared of logs and such. Lots of pretty waterfalls. Water was crystal clear. Lots of hikers on the trail. Trails were fairly well marked. Quite a bit of tree cover.

Reviewed by RT on 10/2/2006
Forest service road was being paved today (Oct 2nd). Took an hour before I could get through. Also, made it to a waterfall lookout and had something growl at me…Couldn’t see what it was, possibly a coyote??? Other than that, a peaceful hike. Tried to get up Horseshoe Ridge but it was too strenuous for me…Nothing gradual about that trail! Maybe next year!

Reviewed by tz on 8/18/2006
Great for camping with kids. It is a short hike in (about a 1/2 mile) to a place to pitch a tent. Then you can hike, swim and explore with the kidlings. This was the first backpacking trip we took our baby (6 months) on, and is a good trip for first time packers–short but big trees, a creek, waterfalls, and a sweet bridge to jump off of into icy water.

Reviewed by Zack on 5/17/2006
Me and my friends first came here on a day hike, and we’ve gone back since to camp, and just recently (5/15/2006) to do some mountain biking. Beautiful surroundings and views of Siouxon Creek as the trail snakes along the water’s path. There are several great spots to take an icey dip to cool off and eat a little snack as well!

Reviewed by Rema on 4/3/2006
What a great hike! I think my dog loved it as much as I did. Not crowded at all, only saw 4 other people. I have no complaints! Directions were good, trail was nice and all one could hear was the sound of flowing water. I will definitely return and try going further, or attempt Horseshoe Ridge. Waterfalls were very pretty!

Reviewed by Jim on 1/16/2006
Nice teaser! Limited on time, we went only two miles in from the TH to the second bridge. The hike took a mix of experienced and novice hikers less that 90 minutes roundtrip. Winter allowed us to have the extremely accessible trail virtually to ourselves. This also provided us a short, picturesque drive to and from the TH. My sister lives in Amboy so we will be back.

Mt. St. Helens Crater Rim, WA

drew — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 04:17:42 +0000

Originally uploaded by hikingdrew
Switchback Steve took this awesome shot the week after we made a summit in the freezing rain. While we could not even see the dome when I went, he returned to find the weather and the winds were cooperating.

Thanks Steve!

Directions:
From Seattle take I-5 south and exit I-5 to State Route 503 at Woodland, WA. Drive through Cougar, Washington, to Forest Road 90 and then A left turn onto Forest Road 83, Make a left turn on to FR 81 then a right turn onto Forest Road 830 to Climber’s Bivouac.From Portland, OR, take I-205 north to exit 30b to Battle Ground. Move over to the middle or left lane and proceed north on SR503 for about 10 miles to Battle Ground. Continue north on SR503 past Chelatchie Prairie and Amboy. At the junction of Lewis River Road and SR503, turn right and continue on SR503 past Cougar. SR503 turns into Forest Road 90. Make a left turn on to FR 83, then a left turn onto FR 81 then a right turn onto Forest Road 830 to Climber’s Bivouac.
You must have a Northwest Forest permit for parking. You must also have a climbing permit that you reserve ahead of time.Instructions for permits vary by the time of year you plan to climb. November 1 through March 31, a permit is required and there is no permit fee. Climbing use is unrestricted, permits are not sold on-line. Register and pick up your permit at Jacks Restaurant.
April 1 through May 14, a permit is required and the permit fee is charged. Climbing use is unrestricted but advance purchase and on-line registration is required. You must have your emailed confirmation with you when you pick up your permit at Jacks Restaurant.
May 15 through October 31, a permit is required and the permit fee is charged. A maximum of 100 daily permit holders are issues per day. Advance purchase and on-line registration is required. All permit sales and dates are final once sale has been completed. You must have your emailed confirmation with you when you pick up your permit at Jacks Restaurant.
All permit sales and dates are final once the on-lin sale is completed.
Permits are available on-line at Mt. St. Helens Institute,There are outhouses available at the trailhead and two miles up the trail.
Trail:
GPNF Trail 216A with connections to Trail 216 – Loowit TrailTrail Maps:
Topo Map, Forest Service Map
Length and Elevation:
11 Miles Roundtrip, Elevation at trailhead – 2,700 Ft, Elevation at turnaround point – 3,800 Ft, Elevation at the crater summit – 8,200 FeetReview: September 27, 2006
This fall the Forest Service paved the parking lot at Climber’s Bivouac and graded the gravel road to the parking lot. You will find people camping at the parking lot waiting for their turn to climb the next day. You have to bring your own water if you decide to camp here. Don’t forget to have enough water for your climb. You will need at least 3 liters in warm weather and 4 liters in hot weather. Even with this amount, you will want to have a reserve for when you get back to your vehicle.The trailhead is at the Northwest section of the parking lot. The first mile of the trail gently slopes up and is a pleasant walk through the woods. The next 3/4 mile steepens and begins to switchback and reaches the timberline. In about another 1/4 mile is the junction with Trail 216 which circles Mt. Saint Helens. About 1/5 mile further is the point where a climbing permit is required. This trail is patrolled by a ranger daily so you have little chance of not having your climbing permit checked by a Forest Service ranger.
From there the trail becomes a combination of rocks and volcanic ash. To the west of Monitor ridge is a crude trail that follows a gully up the mountain. The trail degrades to a rock scramble after about a mile. Pay attention to the way you came up so you can take the same route back down. After passing the monitors the trail begins to reappear and the rocks get smaller. The last 3/4 mile becomes a gritty slog. Have goggles or glacier glasses to protect your eyes from possible dust. Have a dust mask for your lungs.
On a sunny day there are spectacular views of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood. The view into the crater is breathtaking. You are one of the few that have made it to the summit. In all the world, only 100 people per day have this view.
You may want to head west to the true summit. You will find a small cairn and flags at the summit. If you are lucky you will see rocks fall off the new dome being extruded in the crater. Any rockfall creates a dust cloud and some of the clouds reach the crater rim.
A helmet would be a thoughful option. There are a couple places on the climb where a rock could hit you in the head and there is an extremely small chance the volcano could eject rocks while you are on or near the crater rim. Trekking poles are a godsend on the last part of this hike. It is like climbing a giant sand dune.

Switchback Steve

This article comes from http://eyehike.com

Circumnavigation of Mount. St. Helens

drew — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 04:37:27 +0000

Loowit Trail Mt. St. Helens

Elevation: Trail maintains an elevation of about 3400 to 4800 feet
Days: Visitor Center open. Cold Water open year-round. Trail access is dependent on snow.
Difficulty: moderate to difficult
Distance: 27 miles
Contact: Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument, 360-274-2100; Climbing Hotline, 360-247-3961
Maps: Green Trails Map #364SThe Loowit Trail weaves in and out of timberline as it skirts Mount St. Helen’s western slope. It crosses large glacial canyons and avalanche chutes. Most interesting are the numerous mudflows and rugged jumble of rock from the 1980 eruption of this live volcano.

In addition to exploring cooled lava flows and old-growth forests, hikers can expect an awesome panorama to the south and east of Mount Hood, Mount Adams, Yale Reservoir and the Lewis River Valley. On crisp, clear days, you can even catch a glimpse of the majestic Mount Rainier.

It rains in the Pacific Northwest. Along with your lunch, pack a lightweight rain jacket. The hike crosses challenging, rough terrain so wear sturdy footwear. The entire trail is 27 miles in length, but you can do small sections at a time. Campsite opportunities and water availability are limited. Portions of this trail system enter the Restricted Area where research permits are required for off-trail travel.