Hiking Into the Crater of Mt. St. Helens
Hiking into the crater of Mt. St. Helens was literally a bucket list dream for me since I was a kid. And thanks to the Mt. St. Helens Institute, it was about to become a reality!
We met our team on Friday evening, and we were ushered down a private road to our campsite for the weekend. We got our tents all set up, and had a meal. The food at this camp was a MASSIVE pleasant surprise - we weren’t expecting an actual camp cook! Salads, pastas, garlic bread, snacks, beer… We were very well taken care of!
I went for a quick after dinner walk to see what was around, and… oh hey there, Mt. Hood!
Bedtime - have to be well-rested for a HUGE day ahead!
The next morning was an early wakeup call, but if you’re going to stuff bacon and eggs down my throat, along with copious amounts of coffee, FINE, I won’t complain! Plus, check out this gorgeous sunrise.
And after a delicious breakfast, it was time to hit the road and drive to the trailhead.
At long last (ok, it wasn’t THAT long) we arrived at the Loowit Trailhead. One last snack, a quick orientation, and we’re rolling! The first part of the hike was super easy, chill, and relaxing. And all of the wildflowers though!
After we finished with the pumice plains, it was time to leave the Loowit Trail (sorry, can’t tell you any more than that!) and start gaining some elevation.
Another guide joined us as we gained elevation into the crater - this mountain goat walked with us for quite some time. (Except I think he needs to think about a new coat!)
Finally, it was time to LITERALLY hike into the Mt. St. Helens crater!!
But before we left, there was a MASSIVE rockslide in the crater. Quite the seismically active day! Some of these boulders were easily the size of cars… glad we weren’t too close to the crater wall!
Now for the sad part…. Time to hike out of the crater, and head out. But damn, those views of Spirit Lake & Mt. Rainier, and also Mt. Adams!
Quick stop to photograph Loowit Falls on the way out. I had no idea there was a full on waterfall inside the crater!
Finally, the long walk back to the trailhead. But at least we’re back in the gorgeous wildflowers. Show me all of the purple lupines!
Thanks again to the Mt. St. Helens Institute for an AMAZING once in a lifetime adventure!!
Here are some hike stats for ya, courtesy of the MSH Institute:
Distance: Approximately 9 - 10 miles (14.4 km - 16 km) round-trip
Elevation Gain: 2000 ft - 2500 ft (610 m - 760 m)
Duration: Approximately 10 hours