My Circle Hike of Spirit Lake and Mount St. Helens

September 1997

On the trail at Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument with Mt. Rainier in the background

Introduction:

This trip is a circle hike of Spirit Lake and Mount St. Helens I did in September 1997. This is my first hiking trip in the West. Before this trip I had backpacked only in the Midwest (OH, WV, MI). There so many things to see and do on this hike it's almost overwhelming. I didn't get to see everything I would like too. It was cloudy on three days of the trip and the views were obscure by low hanging clouds. Oh well, now I have a reason to go back again. Also I would like to do the trails in the Mount Margaret Backcountry. Maybe next time I will hike an even longer loop in the Monument. I walk both trails in the clockwise direction. If I was to do these trail again, I would go counterclockwise to view the landscape from a different direction and hopefully at different time of day. What follows is the list of the trails I used on this hike.

Looking down on St Helens Lake and the highest peak in the picture is the Dome

Trail Description:

This is most fascinating volcano hike in North American. Almost all the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument trail miles were affected by recent volcanic activity. On the south side of the mountain where are old growth forest, chunky lava flows and a mile-wide mudflow. On the north side is the barren landscape were chunks of the mountain top come to rest. North of Spirit Lake the trail goes through dead, blow-down forest with sweeping views. This challenging hike is a world-class scenic adventure.

This snail will make a good trail meal

Trail Facts:

• Total Distance Hiked: 75.7 miles
• Hiking days: 5 days
• Circle Hiked of Spirit Lake: 38.9 miles
• Direction: Clockwise
• Circle Hiked of Mt. St. Helens: 36.8 miles
• Direction: Clockwise
• Total Elevation Gain: 9,000 feet plus
• Lowest Point: 3160 feet
• Highest Point: 5883 feet

Reference:

The guidebook I used for this hike: A Complete Guide to Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (The Mountaineers Books, $12.95)

My camp site at Ghost Lake

Boundary Trail 1: Above the snow and the clouds

|| Backpacking at Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument ||

|| Circle hike Spirit Lake || Circle hike Mt. St. Helens || The Maps || Mountain Biking ||

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This web site was design by Mark Ziegler, December 1997