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| A portion of the cave wall. |
On a hot summer day, the
Ape Cave's cool interior is very inviting. It's a lava tube at Mt. St. Helens, a cave formed when the outer part of a lava flow cooled and hardened while the inner part continued to flow away. The entrance is somewhere near the middle. The Lower Ape Cave has a fairly smooth floor, and dead ends. You have to watch your step in places, but it's easy for most children. The Upper Ape Cave is much more challenging. This part of the lava tube experienced many places where the roof of the tube cracked while cooling and partially caved in. The roof does remain high enough to appease mild claustrophobics, and no crawling is required, but there is much climbing over boulders. The few places where the cave narrows are quite windy. The biggest challenge comes about 3/4 of the way through the cave, when there is about an 8' precipice that must be climbed. Footholds have been carved, but they are precarious to use. My husband said they didn't bother him, and lifting Jasper up was no problem, but honestly this climb scared me. This year I made my husband bring along some rope, and he tied it to a boulder at the top, which made climbing a cinch for me. Tall propane lanterns are available for rental, and many people enjoy using them and claim they are superior because they provide the most light. My vote definitely goes to small LED caving lights that go on your head with an elastic band. I personally think the lanterns are fine for the Lower Ape Cave, but who wants to climb over boulders while carrying a lantern with glass on it? Or carrying anything at all, for that matter? I was especially determined that each of us should have our own light source and that our hands should be free. We brought a fresh pack of spare batteries and had no worries.
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| Water has been dripping on this rock, probably for thousands of years, and has created a bubbly, eroded surface. |
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| Tantalizingly close to the exit is a skylight. |
When we emerged from the Upper Ape Cave, we discovered a carpet of wild strawberries. The trail back down to the entrance is full of small wonders. Strange patterns in the rocks are revealed to be rippling, oozing lava that has since hardened. Piles of buckled and cracked rocks tempt children to climb them. Openings in the ground reveal lava tubes on a small scale that must be crawled into. The peak of Mt. St. Helens can be glimpsed looming overhead.
A Northwest Forest Pass, daily or yearly, is needed to park at the Ape Cave. It can be purchased at the Visitor's Center, or
online.
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| Twinflower. |
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| A brown millipede. |
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| Sickletop lousewort. |
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| A view of Mt. Hood. |
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| Avalanche Lily. |
On a hot summer day, the Ape Cave's cool interior is very inviting. It's a lava tube at Mt. St. Helens, a cave formed when the outer part of a lava flow cooled and hardened while the inner part continued to flow away. The entrance is somewhere near the middle. The Lower Ape Cave has a fairly smooth floor, and dead ends. You have to watch your step in places, but it's easy for most children. The Upper Ape Cave is much more challenging. This part of the lava tube experienced many places where the roof of the tube cracked while cooling and partially caved in. The roof does remain high enough to appease mild claustrophobics, and no crawling is required, but there is much climbing over boulders. The few places where the cave narrows are quite windy. The biggest challenge comes about 3/4 of the way through the cave, when there is about an 8' precipice that must be climbed. Footholds have been carved, but they are precarious to use. My husband said they didn't bother him, and lifting Jasper up was no problem, but honestly this climb scared me. This year I made my husband bring along some rope, and he tied it to a boulder at the top, which made climbing a cinch for me. Tall propane lanterns are available for rental, and many people enjoy using them and claim they are superior because they provide the most light. My vote definitely goes to small LED caving lights that go on your head with an elastic band. I personally think the lanterns are fine for the Lower Ape Cave, but who wants to climb over boulders while carrying a lantern with glass on it? Or carrying anything at all, for that matter? I was especially determined that each of us should have our own light source and that our hands should be free. We brought a fresh pack of spare batteries and had no worries.
When we emerged from the Upper Ape Cave, we discovered a carpet of wild strawberries. The trail back down to the entrance is full of small wonders. Strange patterns in the rocks are revealed to be rippling, oozing lava that has since hardened. Piles of buckled and cracked rocks tempt children to climb them. Openings in the ground reveal lava tubes on a small scale that must be crawled into. The peak of Mt. St. Helens can be glimpsed looming overhead.
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