Mount St. Helens - Monitor Ridge
South Cascades
As of late September 2025, Monitor Ridge on Mount St. Helens presents a challenging but rewarding climb. Roads to the trailhead are passable but can be rough, even for lower clearance vehicles. The trail is well-defined through the forest but becomes a long, rocky boulder field requiring careful navigation; gloves are recommended for hand protection. The final ascent through ash and scree is steep and can be demoralizing, with some reports noting backward sliding. Water is critical, with hikers consuming 3-5.5 liters, and no water sources are available on the trail. Recent reports indicate unexpectedly warm conditions in late September. The summit offers spectacular views of surrounding volcanoes.
generated from 27 reports
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Summary:beautiful and challenging as usual. Total time 9 hours including several breaks and extended time at the summit.Weather: with not a cloud in the sky and little wind, it was surprisingly warm f...
What a beautiful day!! We started our climb at 5:10am and I think there was only 1 group before us. The first hour or so in the dark which was pretty cool through the forest. once we made it to the bo...
A perfect day on Loowit! We did a guided climb with the Mt. St. Helens Institute and couldn’t be happier with the experience.We had absolutely beautiful weather - not too hot, not too cold, just right...
Start early to avoid cooking on rocks (4:30-5am). Forest section is easy in the dark.Once at posts marking trail, it gets hard going up the rocks. In the dark, it's easy to miss the posts leading to t...
Rose: Wow what a beautiful hike. Standing on the rim and looking into the crater and the views along the way are worth the climb and the rough forest road.Rose: Our 6 and 8 year old kids made it to th...
I climbed to the summit of Mount St Helens via the Monitor Ridge trail (summer route), from Climber's Bivouac and the Ptarmgian Trail.Camped at Climber's Bivouac the night before. By nightfall the cam...
Sunrise hike of Mt. St. Helens via Monitor Ridge on 8.26.25ROAD:2.5 miles of forest road at the end to contend with. Lots of potholes, ruts and rocks. I just rode it sloooow over the rougher spots wit...
An important weather note/outlook from Mount St. Helens Institute:SUMMARY:Based on NAA snow depth maps, roads and parking at the Bivouac and Marble will have deep snow and no plowing. Even if you cou...
Reminder: Do not walk out onto the cornice!!As per MSHI Climbing Steward Andy Goodwin:Woods: Patches of icy snow starting at the Bivouac (30% of trail covered). Open spots at the high end (switch back...
AS OF 10/31/2024: THE GATE TO CLIMBERS BIVOUAC MAY BE CLOSED due to the winter storm rolling in this week through to next week. Call Mount St. Helens at the front desk for current conditions and updat...
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