Mount Saint Helens (2 550 m / 6 818 ft)

Ideal for climbing in spring, summer and autumn, which is coinciding with the schedule of holidays and vacations of most tourism lovers. Winter climbing is recommended to climbers with considerable experience. Each route includes a fairly steep sections, as well as sections of the rough mountain ground, moving upon which requires considerable effort - the complexity of the route determined by the number of such sections in the total length of the route. The most popular route is the summer Monitor Ridge Route, the maximum height is 1400 m for 8 km up to the edge of the crater. Usually it takes from 7 to 12 hours. Standard winter route - Worm Flows Route - is the most direct of the available paths to the top, and provides a height difference of up to 1700 m in length of 9.7 km. Special equipment for climbing is not required, but it's not the "cakewalk" which helps providing a steady flow of tourists of different level of skills from "novice" to very experienced climbers. In some parts of the route are surrounded by petrified lava flows from last eruption in 2008 - landscapes of these places are fascinating comparable to Iceland.

Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County of Washington belonging to the system of the Cascade Mountains as well as to the "Pacific Ring of Fire" volcanoes. It is one of the most famous volcanoes in both Americas, with a large number of newly registered episodes of activity, including the catastrophic eruption of 1980 which reduced the height of the volcano by 400 meters to 2550 meters and robbed mountain of the status of fifth tallest in Washington. Geologically, it is the youngest volcano among other volcanoes of the Cascade Mountains, the peak destroyed by the eruption had been formed only 2 200 years ago. On its peak the glaciers' activity is being manifested - during the winter of 1980-81's it formed a new glacier - Crater glacier that was the result of high rainfall and constant avalanches, which allowed it to grow at a rate of 4.3 meters per year. Recent episodes of activity date back to 2004, as a result it had the formation of the new glacier by 2008. A popular destination for any level climbers: in spite of the risk of cancellation due to the ascent of volcanic activity, is in high demand all year round due to its cult status, plenty of routes and convenient entrances to their starting points.

• Famous Peaks that are not High Points

Located at 154 kilometers south of Seattle and 85 kilometers from Portland to the north of Washington, in the Canada border area. Mount St. Helen is in the vicinity of 72 km from a number of the other famous peaks of State - including Mount Adams and the highest volcano in the Cascade - Mount Rainier.

Arrival in Seattle or Portland, then by road to the resorts of the National Park - 3 hours by car from Seattle or 2.5 hours from Oregon.

Mount St. Helens, managed by the USFS, charges on a per-person fee basis. Entry to the Coldwater or Johnson Ridge sites offer passes to those from 16 and older (free for kids).

Mount Saint Helens surrounding area has more than 200 miles of trails, allowing access to a fascinating landscape marked by gorgeous summer wildflowers, young forests, new lakes, huge mounds of ash and rock and a growing volcanic crater.

 

The surrounding Saint Helens national park has lots of routes available to visitors with disabilities: wheelchair users, the elderly people.

 

US President Jimmy Carter, who visited the areas affected by the Saint Helens eruption, said: "They say all this to someone resembles the surface of the Moon, but, in my opinion, compared to this, the moon looks golf park course".

 

83-year-old resident of Saint Helens nearby area Harry Truman became a local legend, refusing to be evacuated in anticipation of the eruption of 1980, despite all the efforts of the authorities to convince him of the necessity of this step.

 

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Guided Tours

• Mount St. Helens Institute
• Washington Trail Association
• Mount St. Helens Visitor Centers

• https://www.wta.org/
• http://www.nwhiker.com/GPNFHike43.html