The
Ape Cave is a lava tube at Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument that is open for exploration. Hiking through it is a unique experience! A
Northwest Forest Pass is required. You can park right by the cave entrance, which is in the middle of the cave. Then you have a choice to explore either the lower portion or the upper portion. The Lower Ape Cave Trail is a pretty easy walk to a dead end. This is the trail to choose with very young children. The roof of portions of the Upper Ape Cave collapsed as it was cooling, which left massive boulders throughout much of the tunnel. While both trails are about a mile, the Upper Ape Cave is seriously more difficult because you'll have to climb carefully over lots of boulders. About 3/4 of the way through, there's about an 8" ledge that you'll have to scale. It's eroded somewhat over the past few years. The first time we explored it, it was relatively simple to scale this ledge just making use of the footholes carved into it. This time, we found the footholes would no longer be enough, but some helpful soul had left a strong rope for fellow climbers to use. Near the exit, there is a skylight which brings a rush of warm air into the cave and a glimpse of green ferns and blue sky. The exit itself has a sturdy metal staircase. Outside, there is a trail that descends gently through volcano scarred land back to the parking area. If you return in the evening, you may see tiny bats emerging from the cave entrance. It's always cold in the Ape Cave, so a jacket is a necessity. The park rents cumbersome looking lanterns with glass housings that look like they could easily break and leave you in the dark. Instead we've always used LED caving lights that attach to our heads with an elastic band (available in sporting goods stores) and carried our water and picnic lunch in backpacks. Having both hands free when climbing over boulders is definitely desirable. After exploring the Ape Cave, don't miss the nearby short
Trail of Two Forests, where there are really cool hollows left in the rock where lava once oozed around huge trees. Many vertical tree casts mark the spots where trees stood long ago, and a few horizontal tree casts are open for visitors to actually crawl through! Young children will love them, but they aren't good for even the mildly claustrophobic. Signs explain exactly how the tree casts formed. Both of these treasures may be permanently closed someday soon, if the move is required to help prevent the spread of White Nose Syndrome to the bats here in the west. Don't miss them!
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This boulder must have had water dripping on it for ages upon ages, leaving
these funky patterns. |
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| Weird cave mold- the only living thing we found deep inside the cave. |
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| The skylight. |
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| The exit. |
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| Wild strawberry. Photo by Jasper. |
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| Lupine. |
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| Twinflower. |
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| Huckleberry. |
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| Pussytoes. |
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| I think the beetle is a lampropterus cyanipenne, a wood-borer. |
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| Fireweed. Photo by Jasper. |
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| Jasper loved this fast moving beetle, which looked plain at first but was actually quite fancy. Photo by Jasper. |
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| Foxglove. |
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| We could just see the peak of Mt. St. Helens. |
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| The Ape Cave entrance. |
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| Western boykinia. |
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| Climbing out of a tree cast at the Trail of Two Forests. |
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| Deep inside a tree cast. Photo by Jasper. |
The Ape Cave is a lava tube at Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument that is open for exploration. Hiking through it is a unique experience! A Northwest Forest Pass is required. You can park right by the cave entrance, which is in the middle of the cave. Then you have a choice to explore either the lower portion or the upper portion. The Lower Ape Cave Trail is a pretty easy walk to a dead end. This is the trail to choose with very young children. The roof of portions of the Upper Ape Cave collapsed as it was cooling, which left massive boulders throughout much of the tunnel. While both trails are about a mile, the Upper Ape Cave is seriously more difficult because you'll have to climb carefully over lots of boulders. About 3/4 of the way through, there's about an 8" ledge that you'll have to scale. It's eroded somewhat over the past few years. The first time we explored it, it was relatively simple to scale this ledge just making use of the footholes carved into it. This time, we found the footholes would no longer be enough, but some helpful soul had left a strong rope for fellow climbers to use. Near the exit, there is a skylight which brings a rush of warm air into the cave and a glimpse of green ferns and blue sky. The exit itself has a sturdy metal staircase. Outside, there is a trail that descends gently through volcano scarred land back to the parking area. If you return in the evening, you may see tiny bats emerging from the cave entrance. It's always cold in the Ape Cave, so a jacket is a necessity. The park rents cumbersome looking lanterns with glass housings that look like they could easily break and leave you in the dark. Instead we've always used LED caving lights that attach to our heads with an elastic band (available in sporting goods stores) and carried our water and picnic lunch in backpacks. Having both hands free when climbing over boulders is definitely desirable. After exploring the Ape Cave, don't miss the nearby short Trail of Two Forests, where there are really cool hollows left in the rock where lava once oozed around huge trees. Many vertical tree casts mark the spots where trees stood long ago, and a few horizontal tree casts are open for visitors to actually crawl through! Young children will love them, but they aren't good for even the mildly claustrophobic. Signs explain exactly how the tree casts formed. Both of these treasures may be permanently closed someday soon, if the move is required to help prevent the spread of White Nose Syndrome to the bats here in the west. Don't miss them!
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