LAVA CANYON HIKE

This is a varied and intriguing area and is also great for families with children.  We start with an one hour interpretive tour of Ape Cave and a 0.25 walk around the Trail of Two Forests where we view the effects of a lava flow through a stand of trees.  You can even crawl through a 50' tree mold tube if you wish. We provide a helmet, light, and knee pads.

We then drive to the Lava Canyon Trailhead, stopping along the way for views of St. Helen's east side and the Muddy River Lahar area.  We then head down a boardwalk to the basalt banks of the Muddy River and cross over a metal bridge.  The basalt  flow occurred about 3,500 years ago and was then cut by the Muddy River into steep waterfall slots and freestanding towers. As the years passed it was buried by debris.  The Lahar, a massive flow of water, mud, and rock caused by the sudden melting of the Shoestring Glacier during the 1980 eruption, scoured the Canyon clean.

We cross back over the slot via an bouncy 100' suspension bridge.  

Here we turn right and descend down a narrow exposed trail in the cliff wall. As we carefully descend, we will stop to observe the River boiling and crashing in steps down the slotted canyon.  Soon we come to a 40' ladder bolted to the cliff.  We climb down and walk a short distance to the trail up to "The Ship" which also involves climbing up a ladder.  We climb  to the top of this 100' freestanding lava tower and walk to the end where we have a view straight up the Canyon and the waterfalls. In this awesome setting we'll have lunch and marvel at the scene.  We'll then retrace our route having the opportunity to view the waterfalls head-on.  We continue on past the suspension bridge (unless you just have to go across it again) and walk up the boardwalk back to the trailhead.

If hiking with children, we do not do the section beyond the last suspension bridge.