Take in Loowit Falls and the View of a Volcano

The weather and my schedule gave me a break last week. My last adventure in the Enchantments as October began, ended in rain. Within 72 hours, it amounted to 2 plus feet of snow in the elevations above 6,000 feet. My favorite trails are now pretty much out of service for most people.

As the sun came out last week, snow in the lower elevations melted to a minimum. It was then, that I remembered a 1.75 mile section of trail that I had never hiked at the base of our neighborhood volcano.

Mt. Adams shows up behind the rocky slopes of Mount St. Helens.

It was in 2004, as a guest of the U.S. Geological Survey that I stood on the precipice of 200 foot tall Loowit Falls, one of two creeks that drain the crater of Mount St. Helens. While the non-permitted and credentialed individual is not allowed at the top of the falls, the purchase of a monument pass at Johnston Ridge Observatory allows an individual to hike to within 75 meters of the base of the falls.

The top of Loowit Falls taken on September 8th, 2004 when I was a guest of U.S.G.S. Scientists. Two weeks later, Mount St. Helens began its latest eruption.

The weather at lower elevations was perfect on the day of my hike, but the east winds of the Upper Toutle Lake Valley were in full force. The most defined canyons of the Cascades become funnels for air movement sometimes pushing 30 to 90mph, winds depending on the pressure gradient from east of the Cascades to the west. Occasionally, a beautiful day will have its challenges when the telltale haze shows on the north side of Mount St. Helens. On my most recent hike, the 30 to 40 MPH winds literally took my breath away in exposed locations and at one point made it very difficult to safely round the Devil’s Elbow.

East winds blow volcanic dust into the air in the Upper Toutle Lake Valley making my hiking conditions less than perfect.

From Johnston Ridge, hike east on the Boundary Trail #1, a little over 2 miles and around the Devil’s Elbow to the junction with the Truman Trail. Head down into the valley below using a natural route through a set of 1980 debris piles known as Hummocks that filled the drainage just west of Spirit Lake. It is now another 3 miles to the junction of the Willow Springs Trail #216F. Turn south (toward the volcano) for less than a mile, you will junction with the Loowit Trail #216 and turn east for a mile. All the trail junctions are well marked. A ¼ mile spur trail to the base of Loowit Falls will take you as close as the geology will allow to the base of the falls. Please be careful, as the banks of the canyon are extremely unstable.

Loowit Falls drops just about 200 feet from the crater of Mount St. Helens to the North Fork Toutle River Valley.

In all, the hike is 7 miles out and back (14 miles total). There are no alternate routes back to Johnston Ridge. Much of the route is gentle and flat as you cross the alien pumice plain at the base of Mount. St. Helens. While crossing the plain, I observed four elk and had a close encounter with a Mountain Bluebird.

Three bull elk dot the pumice plain landscape.

Here in this future rain forest, a Mountain Bluebird has found perfect, albeit temporary habitat.

You will have until November 9th to get this hike in as Johnston Ridge is slated to close that day. If weather allows, you could conceivably complete this hike from the Hummocks, but that adds another 8 miles and camping is not allowed anywhere along the route.

The headwaters of the North Fork Toutle River begins in the barren pumice plain just north of Mount St. Helens.

For those that can’t get to the base of the falls this autumn, start planning ahead for next summer. Just be warned, there is always a lot of water in the valley early in the hiking season.

The May 18th 1980 landslide scraped the upper ridge, denuding it of vegetation. Heavy rains continue to change the landscape.

If the wildlife, waterfall and harsh landscape doesn’t intrigue you, consider the magnetism a volcano has on people all over the world. The only person I encountered on the modestly traveled route was from Australia. He greeted me “there is another life form out here”. I asked him where he was going and he responded “as far up the volcano as I can get”.

Large Boulders slid several miles north of Mount St. Helens during the eruption and landslide of May 18th, 1980. Spirit Lake contributes contrasting colors.

Loowit Falls is the closest you can get to the crater of Mount. St. Helens. In fact, I found it fascinating that just a few hundred feet above you at the top of the falls is the crater of one of the most active volcanoes in recent years. I sat on one of the many dacite boulders along the top of Loowit Creek to eat lunch and took in the view of a volcano; the landscape that it created and will change again in the future.

Coldwater Peak Feels Wild Within Sight of the Highway

This wasn’t going to be my first time up Coldwater Peak, but a friend at work showed interest in climbing the peak and dogged me throughout the summer for a hike to the venerable site of a now absent fire lookout. When our mutual schedules finally came together on a date, our group swelled from two to seven people including my two boys.

My youngest son Jared hikes up the last switchbacks on Coldwater Peak.

The hike to Coldwater Peak could actually start in two locations. The easiest begins at Johnston Ridge Observatory at the end of Highway 504, 52 miles east of Castle Rock. The second is the South Coldwater trail #230 at mile post 45 along Highway 504. I recommend the Boundary Trail #1 trail from Johnston Ridge over the South Coldwater route. The trail is in much better condition, especially as you enter the more remote areas of South Coldwater Ridge.

Two years ago, when I tried to reach Coldwater Peak from the western route, the trail had washed out in a glacial cirque. In addition, the trail can be difficult to find in a few places. One account I read this summer indicated that confusion led one hiker to go cross country by line of sight. Admittedly, it is tempting as pre-eruption logging roads carve up the landscape and appear to lead the unsuspecting hiker right to the base of the peak. By congressional legislation, the area is reserved for scientific use and by definition, any off-trail travel is against the law and subject to citation.

Mt. Margaret highlights the rugged country around St. Helens Lake.

This hike does require a monument pass (covered by annual and lifetime federal passes) which is purchased at Johnston Ridge. Rangers understand that hikers are often on the trail long before the tourist public, therefore it is considered an “honor system”. Simply explain that your hike started early and then go purchase or present your passes that support the facilities.

The easiest route leaves Johnston Ridge and winds around the Devil’s Elbow. A piece of trail that challenges phobias hikers might have with heights. After turning the corner onto a deposit of hummocks left by the collapse and landslide of Mt. St. Helens in 1980, the hiker climbs to a gentle plateau where the first significant views of Spirit Lake begin.

Kyle takes a break above St. Helens Lake and Mt. Rainier can be seen in the background.

It is from here to the top of a ridge overlooking St. Helens Lake that I consider the most difficult stretch of the hike. There is little to no shade and constant exposure to the sun as you climb near 1,000 vertical feet over a mile. Preparing for sun exposure in the rain forest climate is an important preparation component for any hiker. Once reaching the top of this crest, the trail finds a delicate route along the slender ridgeline and at one point, actually crosses through a natural void in the geology.

The trail finds a natural route through the volcanic dike. The view through the “Arch” includes a look at Mt. Adams, 35 miles to the east.

As our group spread out, some nearly took a wrong turn at the junction of the South Coldwater #230 trail. They couldn’t initially find the needed trail and saw the word “Coldwater” on the sign. They assumed that was the way to go. Due to a large area of compacted soils and wildlife trails that quickly disappear, it is difficult to find Boundary Trail. At the junction, continue straight, veer to the right slightly and the typical worn tread will come into view about 20 yards ahead.

From this point, it is only about another mile to the summit of Coldwater Peak; Half of that distance is gentle topography. At the spur junction. A smaller, less visible trail departs left and switchbacks up the side of the peak. It delivers you to a USGS communications station at an elevation of 5,727 feet and the former site of one of Southwest Washington‘s 33 fire lookouts.

Huckleberry Bushes present a rusty red that contrast the blues of St. Helens Lake. The silver logs in the lake were deposited by the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens.

In all, the out and back hike is slightly more than 13 miles and call me a fool when I asked my group what was the most difficult portion, to a person they all chose the last half mile.

On this day, the weather was perfect. 65 to 75 with a few fluttering clouds here and there. It was the sound in the air that made the trip predictably enjoyable. It was mid-September and the beginning of the elk rut combined with a availability of huckleberries to make the return hike just as enjoyable as the accent. Several bull elk produced annual calls that made you feel like you were in an extra wild place despite being in almost constant view of a state highway.