Windy Ridge Trail, Truman Trail-Pumice Plains, Loowit Trail & Plains of Abraham Loop - Mount St. Helens, WA

Wow, wow, wow! Actually, I wowed a lot more in this hike. Amazing hike with stunning views of Mount St. Helens and Spirit Lake ...and bursting wildflowers. Mount St. Helens is visible even closer/bigger than seen from the observatory/Boundary Trail as this hike lets you experience trekking on Pumice Plain in the blast zone. Spirit lake is so blue with eerie remnants of the past with dead trees still floating. Mt. Adams looms big and beautiful just to east. Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood and others peaks in the vicinity are also seen in this hike. This is very different from typical evergreen Cascade hikes; and yet, it offers its own unique beauty, geological terrain and dramatic history of mother nature since the 1980 eruption.

Ditch the crowd in the observatory! It seems the Johnston observatory and Boundary Trail are often crowded with visitors whereas Windy Ridge is much less so....and views en route from FR 99 are gorgeous. There are also quite a few off-shoot trails and vista points along FR 99. FR 99 (paved) is generally in good shape, but winding and bumpy at times, so pay attention.

Windy Ridge overlook....as the name speaks for itself, Windy Ridge was a little breezy, but not too bad. in fact, thanks to the breeze, the temperature was comfortable and no bug! I started my hike trekking up to Windy Ridge viewpoint upon the hill just behind the restroom. Take in the breathtaking pano view of Spirit Lake and Mount St. Helens. Mt. Rainier and Mt. Hood are also seen in clear skies. And, look east for Mt. Adams.

Windy Ridge Trail....the trailhead is located at the closed gate on the other side across the parking lot from the restroom. Windy Ridge Trail is a well-maintained wide dirt road which leads you to a trail junction for Abraham Trail and Windy Trail/Truman Trail in 1.75 miles. After a mile or so from the trailhead, the view opens up and Mt. Adams and Mount St. Helens come into sight....and wildflowers are blooming all over!

At the trail junction, you have a few options for hiking in Pumice Plain....follow Abraham Trail to hike up toward Plains of Abraham and loop around Windy Pass to Loowit Trail (or continue to Loowit Falls), or take Windy Trail/Loowit Trail to loop around Windy Pass via Abraham Trail counter-clockwise, or hike all the way to Loowit Falls via Windy Trail/Loowit Trail, or trek Truman Trail back and forth in Pumice Plain.

I deiced to explore Truman Trail first, and then Windy Trail/Loowit Trail, and in the end try Abraham Trail on the way back to Windy Ridge instead of doing Plains of Abraham - Windy Pass loop. Last month I hiked Boundary Trail from the observatory to Truman Trail, and this time I wanted to explore the east side of Truman Trail. Truman Trail traverses on the north side of Pumice Plain and eventually connects to Boundary Trail which leads to the observatory. I hiked about a 3/4 mile in and out on Truman Trail to see the north face of the lava dome. It is interesting to see sandy ash and pumice rocks/boulders along the trail. You can notice how nature and landscape have been reviving since the catastrophic eruption 36 years ago. Wildflowers are not abundant on the east side of Truman Trail, however.

Loowit Trail....back to the junction after Truman Trail, following Windy Trail to Loowit Trail was a little tricky at the beginning because the trail is partially washed out. Proceed to westerly from the trail sign, but not to south, to find the trail. Soon after crossing the dry creek, the trail appears obvious and easy to follow Windy Trail to Loowit Trail. The trail goes up and down on Pumice Plain. There is a narrow stream crossing and in 3/4 mile you come to Loowit Trail. I trekked another 1/4 mile or so toward Loowit Falls before I turned around. Enjoy Pumice Plain trekking up and down with wildflowers decorating along the trail and the view of the lave dome. (it's huge!) Spirit Lake is also seen down below to south and spectacular. Mt. Adams also greets in the eastern skyline behind Abraham Trail ridge line.

Back to the trail junction again from Loowit Trail, I took a short journey up to Abraham Trail to explore part of Plains of Abraham loop trail. The trail runs along a long ridge (south end of Windy Ridge) and climbs steep at first, but no worries....it's short. There are log steps connected by wire rope installed on the steep grade. I also noticed traces of bike track along Abraham Trail which indicated the trail is shared with mountain bike riders. Then, I realized the log steps with wire rope are designed for both hikers and mountain bikes. I didn't see any bike riders, however. (Perhaps, it was not weekend?) The vistas from all along the ridge are stunning left and right....Mount St. Helens/Pumice Plain, Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood and the valley down below to east, plus bursting wildflowers. I didn't hike all the way down to Windy Pass as I ran out of time, but the hike along the ridge was great enough for the fantastic views and good workout!

This was my first time to hike the northeast side of Mount St. Helens and now it has become one of my favorite hikes. Although it's a long drive from Seattle (well over 3 hrs!), this hike is certainly worth the trip for what you experience. Go soon for wildflowers as they are in full swing now. Make sure to bring sunscreen, sunglasses, hat and enough water for this hike as it could get pretty hot and dry under sunny skies in summer!

Boundary Trail - Mount St. Helens, WA

I decided to return to Mount St. Helens again since last week's Boundary trail (west) hike via Hummocks Trail which I really enjoyed. This time I wanted to hike the east side of Boundary Trail from Johnston Ridge Observatory. Also, this week happened to be the 36th anniversary since May 18, 1980 eruption.
After spending a short time visiting Johnston Ridge Observatory, I started out my hike from the trailhead right by the observatory building. The trail is paved part of the way to the vista point upon the hill and eventually splits into two directions....one (paved) loops down to the main parking lot and the other (dirt) continues along the ridge towards Boundary Trail (east) which interconnects to Truman Trail.

As you hike along the route, enjoy the breathtaking views of Mount St. Helens on one side and the rocky peaks and mountain valley on the other. The views are quite dramatic and show such a contrast....moon like terrains devastated by the eruption vs. rocky mountain peaks with deep green forest. Wildflowers are just beginning to bloom in colors of spring adding to the scenery.

There was a sign which said "Boundary Trail is closed at 1.5 miles/Devil's Elbow due to slides", but the slides area is restored and safe to pass Devil's Elbow although it is very exposed and sheer drop, so use caution when you traverse Devil's Elbow.

Take in the stunning views at the vista point of Devil's Elbow....Mount St. Helens directly facing to north, Pumice plain, Spirit Lake and Mt. Adams. From this point on, the trail slightly descends and soon meets with Truman Trail. There the options are either to continue Boundary trail towards Mount Margaret/St. Helens Lake or take Truman Trail towards Mount St. Helens pumice plain/Loowit Falls. I ended my journey right before Truman Trail and turned around. The trekking distance was about 2.5 miles one way from the observatory.

This is a great hike with fantastic views without much elevation gain. With wildflowers fully blooming soon (hopefully), the hike will be totally exquisite!

 

Hummocks Trail and Boundary West Trail - Mount St. Helens, WA

May 9, 2016

Hike of the week recommended by WTA. I decided to head out to hike Hummocks trail combined with Boundary West. The weather was perfect...sunny and not too warm as there was a light breeze.

This is a wonderful hike for all ages, particularly Hummocks Trail. It offers fantastic views of Mount St. Helens with educational and interesting information about the geology and history of Mount St. Helens since the volcanic eruption in 1980. It is amazing you can actually hike along the area where the landscape and ecology were devastated by the eruption and it's been reforming by nature's own will and cycle ever since. I learned so much of the area's landscape geology through the hike.

From the trailhead, I followed Hummocks Trail and at the trail junction I continued on to Boundary Trail heading east. The trail is in good shape and easy to trek with gentle ups and downs. After about a mile in, it begins to climb steeply in switchbacks....be ready to get your heart rate going!
As you keep gaining elevations, the views of the valley down below and Mount St. Helens get better and better. Seeing a remnant of the past all along the trail, you could only imagine the catastrophic force of the eruption which wiped out the area 36 years ago.

I stopped the hike before reaching Loowit Viewpoint because I was running out of time after 7pm. So, I enjoyed the spectacular views of Mount St. Helens and the valley down below on the way and turned around to head back to the trailhead. I returned to my car a little after 8pm. Interestingly, I saw a cougar crossing the highway soon after I drove out of the trailhead parking lot. It looked like a little over 2 ft long and had a dark brown fur.

Wildflowers are just starting to bloom....paintbrush, lupine, phlox, foxglove and so on. They will get into full swing very soon if weather cooperates. The road to Johnston Ridge Observatory is still closed at Coldwater Lake, but it is scheduled to open this weekend/May 14. I would like to go back to hike and explore again....perhaps, hike around the observatory and Spirit Lake area next time.