Mount St. Helens Archives - Pacific Northwest Explorer

Harry’s Ridge Hike

Where: Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Distance: 7.8 miles

Type: Out and back

Elevation gain: 1500 feet

Difficulty: Moderate (for length)

Overview:

The trail to Harry’s Ridge is one of my favorite hikes on Mount St. Helens. My wife and I spent a long weekend exploring Mount St. Helens a few years ago, and I was eager to see what changes had taken place since my last visit. My wife had been up to the mountain only a couple of weeks before, kayaking Coldwater Lake with a friend of hers, but it had been many years since I had been there.

Mount St. Helens, May 18, 1980. Photo credited to U.S. Geological Survey. Sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

Everyone knows about the eruption of Mount St. Helens, so I won’t go into any detail here. Check out my Mount St. Helens post for more information on the eruption and see more photos of the mountain and the blast zone, if you’re interested.

Harry R. Truman. US Forest Service photo, sourced from Wikimedia Commons

Harry’s Ridge is named for Harry R. Truman, the 83-year-old curmudgeon and owner of Spirit Lake Lodge who refused to evacuate and died in the May 18, 1980 eruption. The hike begins at the Johnston Ridge Observatory, named for volcanologist David A. Johnston, who was camping near where the observatory is now located and was also killed in the eruption).

The observatory provides a panoramic view into the crater of the mountain and down to the valley below that was filled by the eruption landslide, pyroclastic flows, and lahars. It’s an otherworldly vista that you will not find anywhere else in the country.

Getting there:

The observatory is located at the end of the Spirit Lake Highway (WA 504). To get there from the Seattle area, travel south on I-5 and take WA 505 (Exit 63) through the town of Toledo to the junction with WA 504. From Portland, take Exit 49 off I-5 at Castle Rock. Johnston Ridge is approximately 50 miles east of I-5.

2023 update: As of July 6, the Johnston Ridge Observatory is inaccessible due to a landslide near the Coldwater Visitor Center on Hwy 504. Check the Observatory website linked above for more information.

Trailhead:

Park in the Johnston Ridge Observatory parking lot. There is an $8.00 per person per day charge payable in the Observatory. National Park Senior Passes and America the Beautiful Passes allow the holder entry without charge. A Northwest Forest Pass will allow one person entry without charge. But you need to check in at the Observatory before heading out on the trail, even if you have a pass. Trail maps, restrooms and drinking water are available in the Observatory.

The hike:

From the Observatory, follow the paved trail to an overlook on Johnston Ridge near the Observatory. There are good views here into the crater of the mountain and the blast zone. At the junction just beyond the overlook, turn right onto the Boundary Trail.

There are great views all along the trail. Wildflowers were still abundant when my wife and I did this hike in late August. On the north side of the ridge, you will see a new forest beginning to grow. The trail descends gradually for about a mile and a half through mostly open terrain to a trail junction. Stay left here on a new portion of the trail to avoid a traverse of a steep slope on the old trail. At the 1.8-mile mark you will come to another trail junction. Stay left on the Boundary Trail. The trail to the right takes you to the Devil’s Point viewpoint.

At about the two-mile point in the hike the trail descends the south side of the ridge to a junction with the Truman Trail at the 2.2-mile mark. At the junction, continue straight on the Boundary Trail. This section of trail has some shaded spots with small trees and shrubs. The trail then climbs steadily for about another mile and a half to the junction with the Harry’s Ridge Trail.

There are good views of Spirit Lake on the Boundary Trail just beyond the junction. Huckleberry bushes, lupine, and Indian paintbrush are abundant here. Back at the junction, take the Harry’s Ridge Trail up to the summit of the ridge. Along the trail to the summit there are more views of Spirit Lake, Windy Ridge to the east of the lake, and Mt. Adams in the distance.

At the summit of Harry’s Ridge there is a closer view into the crater than can be had from the Observatory, and the blast zone extends around you in all directions. You’ll want to linger here and take in the view. It’s a good spot for lunch, too, and a good turnaround point. The trail continues down the ridge to another lower viewpoint, if you want an even closer view into the crater. When you’re ready to leave, return to the Observatory the way you came.

Other area attractions and activities:

There are other worthwhile hikes that start at Johnston Ridge, as well. The Truman Trail, for example, will take you into the blast zone directly below the crater. Check at the Observatory or the Observatory website for more information. There is also a nice trail around Coldwater Lake, and the lake is a good place to canoe or kayak. And the day after we hiked to Harry’s Ridge my wife and I hiked Lava Canyon, on the southeast side of Mount St. Helens, another hike that is very much worth doing.

Originally posted September 25, 2018 by Alan K. Lee. Most recently updated July 6, 2023.

All photos ©Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Lava Canyon, Mount St. Helens

Lava Canyon Trail

Where: Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Distance: 2.6 miles

Type: Out and back

Elevation gain: 900 feet

Difficulty: Moderate (for some steep sections and trail conditions)

Restrictions: Dogs and other animals not allowed.

Overview:

Lava Canyon, on the southeast flank of Mount St. Helens, is one of my favorite hikes in the Pacific Northwest. If you’re a waterfall lover (and who isn’t), Lava Canyon is a must see. The Muddy River crashes through the canyon here, cascading over and through a seemingly endless series of ledges and narrow chutes, one right after the other for about a mile and a half. It is truly spectacular.

The history of Lava Canyon begins about 3500 years ago when an eruption of Mount St. Helens sent a flow of lava down the old valley of the Muddy River, destroying the forest and filling the valley with molten rock. Over the intervening years, the Muddy River cut a new course through the lava flow, and the canyon gradually filled with sediment. Then came the 1980 eruption, which melted the summit glaciers and sent a huge lahar (volcanic mudflow) down the valley, destroying the rebuilt forest and scouring out the built-up sediment, exposing the remnants of the earlier lava flow. What was left is a steeply descending canyon with an almost continuous series of spectacular waterfalls and cascades. (For more information on the 1980 eruption, see my Mount St. Helens post).

Getting there:

To get to the canyon, take Washington State Route 503 east from the town of Woodland, 20 miles north of Portland on I-5. Continue east past the town of Cougar. Where SR 503 turns south toward Vancouver, continue straight on SR 503 Spur, which becomes US Forest Road 90. Just past Swift Dam, turn left onto Forest Road 83. The upper trailhead of the Lava Canyon Trail is at the end of FR 83. (The lower trailhead can be reached by FR 8322, which branches off from FR 83 shortly before you reach the upper trailhead. The most spectacular part of the canyon is the upper section, though, so if you haven’t already explored that, you’ll want to start at the top.)

Trailheads:

The upper trailhead has restrooms and water is available. Parking requires a Northwest Forest Pass. There are no facilities at the lower (Smith Creek) trailhead and no parking permit is required.

The hike:

The trail from the upper trailhead begins as an ADA accessible paved path with sections of wooden boardwalk. This section of the trail has a number of interpretive displays explaining the history and geology of the canyon. After about four tenths of a mile, a side trail leads to a bridge across the river. The paved path continues a few hundred yards to a waterfall overlook.

Below the overlook, the path is rock and dirt, steep in places. After another three tenths of a mile, you come to another side trail and a suspension bridge over the river that gives a bird’s eye view of the canyon and waterfalls. On the other side of the bridge is a connecting trail that takes you back to the upper bridge, making for a 1.4-mile loop. (Update: As of June 2023 the suspension bridge is closed. Check the National Forest Service’s Lava Canyon Trail web page for current information).

Below the suspension bridge the trail descends very steeply. This portion of the path is narrow, covered with loose rock in places, and there are sheer drops to the river below. Take extreme care on this section of the trail. There have been several fatalities here in recent years. Shortly after my wife and I did this hike in 2018 an 18-year-old man went missing in the canyon. It is presumed that he fell into the river and drowned. You can read the story here. Those that do brave the trail, though, will be rewarded with the most spectacular part of the canyon. Just take the warning signs seriously and be careful.

At about the 1.3-mile mark, the trail descends a 40-foot ladder to the base of the rock formation known as The Ship. Before 1980, sediment filled the canyon to the top of The Ship, to give you an idea of how much sediment was scoured out of the canyon. A short but steep side trail (and another ladder) leads to the top of The Ship.

(Below The Ship, the trail continues another 1.5 miles to the lower trailhead. The entire hike from upper to lower trailhead and back is about six miles and the elevation gain coming back is 1350 feet.)

Return from The Ship the way you came. Cross the suspension bridge if it is open and take the trail on the opposite bank to the upper bridge and re-cross the river. The two bridges both give you great views of the river and canyon below.

View of Spirit Lake on the hike to Harry’s Ridge

Other area attractions and activities:

There are many other hikes on Mount St. Helens that are worth doing, including Harry’s Ridge and Ape Cave. On the southern flank of the mountain, Swift Reservoir and Lake Merwin offer boating, camping, and fishing opportunities. Just east of Woodland, Cedar Creek Gristmill is a historic restored mill open to the public. And in Woodland, Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens is well worth a visit.

Originally posted in a different format September 29, 2018 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted March 23, 2021. Edited, updated and posted in this format June 29, 2023.

Mount St. Helens

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was one of the most significant natural disasters in U.S. history. Everyone knows about the eruption, but a little history is in order here, I think.

Mount St. Helens had been dormant for 123 years until it awoke in March 1980. On March 15th a series of small, shallow earthquakes were recorded, centered below the summit of the mountain. In the days that followed, more quakes occurred, the largest a magnitude 4.2 quake on March 20th.

Mount St. Helens, May 17, 1980. Photo by Harry Glicken, USGS/CVO. Sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

Between March 25th and 27th 174 earthquakes greater than magnitude 2.6 were recorded, the largest a magnitude 5.1 quake on the 27th. The first eruption, also on the 27th, opened a new summit crater. The north flank of the mountain also began bulging outward, with the bulge growing 5-6 feet per day. More eruptions occurred over the next week few weeks. By April 7th the new crater measured 1700 by 2300 feet and was 500 feet deep. By mid-May the north side of the mountain had moved outward by 400 feet and the summit area had begun to collapse.

At 8:32 a.m. on May 18, 1980 a magnitude 5.1 earthquake caused the north flank of the mountain to collapse in the largest landslide ever recorded. A few seconds later the mountain erupted in a lateral blast that devastated an area as far as 20 miles from the summit and felled 230 square miles of forest. The blast superheated the waters of Spirit Lake instantly, causing a huge secondary steam explosion. This secondary explosion was heard as far away as San Francisco (but, interestingly, was not heard in the Portland area).

Mount St. Helens from Johnston Ridge, August 2018

The eruption sent an ash cloud 12 miles into the sky. In the Yakima Valley, northeast of the mountain, the ash cloud completely blocked the sun and noon was as dark as midnight. Ash fell as far away as Minnesota. The energy released by the eruption was estimated to be equivalent to 24 megatons of TNT, more than 1400 times the energy released by the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in World War II.

Pumice Plain between Johnston Ridge and the crater

At least 55 people were killed in the eruption. The official total is listed as 57, but two people on the list who were reported missing after the eruption may not have been in the blast zone that day, and three others who are not on the official list may have been. Two of the most prominent people that died that day were Harry R. Truman and David A. Johnston.

Eighty-three year old Harry Truman owned Mount St. Helens Lodge on the shore of Spirit Lake. He had lived there for more than 50 years and refused to leave when the area was evacuated. He was a colorful, locally well known character who had lived an eventful life and had become something of a celebrity in the months leading up to the eruption. He was buried by the initial landslide.

David Johnston was a highly respected geologist and volcanologist. He was camping near where the Johnston Ridge Observatory is now located. He was the first to report the eruption. “Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!” he radioed the USGS office in Vancouver, Washington just before he was hit by the blast.

Also killed in the eruption were photographers Reid Blackburn and Robert Landsburg. Blackburn’s body was found in his car at Coldwater Camp four days after the eruption. His camera was found later, but the film was not salvageable. Landsburg’s body was found seventeen days after the eruption. His camera was found inside his backpack under his body. The film in his camera survived and the photos he took before the ash cloud engulfed him provided some of the most dramatic and scientifically valuable photos of the eruption.

Thirty-eight years after the eruption, when these photos were taken, the area between the new crater and Johnston Ridge still looked much like it did when I first visited the area some 25 years before. Trees were beginning to regrow on the north side of the ridge, though, and shrubs and wildflowers were abundant. The land is recovering, but it will be generations, perhaps centuries, before the forest returns to anything like it was before the eruption.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory is a good place to begin an exploration of Mount St. Helens. At the observatory you can view interpretive displays and videos, and get information about the mountain, the eruption, and area hiking trails. The observatory is located at the end of the Spirit Lake Highway (WA 504). To get there from the Seattle area, travel south on I-5 and take WA 505 (Exit 63) through the town of Toledo to the junction with WA 504. From Portland, take Exit 49 off I-5 at Castle Rock. Johnston Ridge is approximately 50 miles east of I-5. There is an $8 parking/entry fee, payable at the observatory.

Wildflowers along the Boundary Trail on Johnston Ridge

One of the best hikes on the mountain is the trail to Harry’s Ridge, which begins at the Johnston Ridge Observatory. Total out and back mileage is about eight miles and total elevation gain is about 1000 feet. Check out my Harry’s Ridge Hike post for a more detailed description of the hike. You can also hike into the heart of the blast zone between Johnston Ridge and the crater. Check the Johnston Ridge Observatory website, linked above, for current information.

Another one of my favorite Mount St. Helens hikes is the Lava Canyon Trail on the southeast side of the mountain. Distances and elevation gains vary depending on how far down (or up) the canyon you go. You don’t have to go far down the trail from the upper trailhead to see some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest, though. The initial section of the trail is ADA accessible and everyone can view some of the best waterfalls. Again, check my blog post on Lava Canyon for more details.

Both the Harry’s Ridge and Lava Canyon hikes are among the best in the Northwest. They are very different, but both are incredibly beautiful and relatively easy hikes, and both can be done in a single weekend. But even if you’re not a hiker, visiting the Johnston Ridge Observatory and taking the short ADA accessible trail at Lava Canyon are more than worthwhile for everyone. And anyone who has not explored the mountain should do so at some point. It’s an unforgettable experience.

Originally posted March 27, 2021 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted June 19, 2023.