Elevation
8,333 ft / 2,540 m
Region
Most climbed route
Highlights
- Mount Saint Helens is an active stratovolcano most famous for its catastrophic eruption on May 18, 1980 which was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the U.S. 57 people were killed; 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles of railways, and 185 miles of highway were destroyed.
- A massive debris avalanche caused by the 1980 eruption reduced the elevation of the mountain's summit from 9,677 ft to 8,365 ft and replaced it with a 1 mile wide horseshoe-shaped crater.
- The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was created to preserve the volcano and study its aftermath.
- Every Mother's Day hundreds of skiers flock to the mountain to ski in celebration of moms.
Routes
26 climbs • 6 hr 33 min
22 climbs • 52.3 mi • 11,243 ft gain • 42 hr 14 min
2 climbs • 9.9 mi • 4,457 ft gain • 7 hr 35 min
Latest climbs

"Attempt, didn't summit. Went with JC on what probably was the last cold snap of the year. The days after today temps were supposed to be in the 50's F, but we only had our passes for today, so we went!
Started at midnight from Seattle, on the trail by about 3:45am on Worm Flows. Conditions weren't great. Raining at the bottom. Temps in the high 30's. Temps at the top were forecast at a HIGH of 7 degrees F with wind chill. Winds up there were easily 20-25mph constant. At various times it was snowing, raining, and almost always cloudy (we were in the clouds).
We essentially experienced a whiteout from above the weather station up, so we turned around at the last rock outcropping as we no longer had a visual point of reference and couldn't see the top let alone the edge of the volcano.
Still made for an epic experience and I am glad to have done it. MSH is still my favorite mountain.
" — zachmitch • Jun 17, 2024

"If using the ptarmigan route in winter Definitely follow the valley up to the left. Once you’re in the Boulder field not the ridge after weather station continue up to rejoin with the worm trail." — WanderingHutch • Jan 1, 2024

"Midnight start from Seattle to beat the heat. AK and I arrived at the TH ~3:30am and were on the trail before 4, headlamps through the oddly quiet forest. The only animals I saw were bats eating bugs in front of my headlamp - close enough to feel the wind from their wings. :)
Early dawn was spent climbing boulders, fun - but the most tedious part imo. Sunup came as we took Monitor Ridge and with the sun came a lot of wind by the time we were at the weather station. Ash in my eyes was a bit of a problem, but mainly bc I left my sunglasses in the car. The final steep scree/ashy section went quickly, and we were on the crater rim.
Up there it was immediately apparent that this was the most unique looking mountain I've ever come across. Heavy steam rose from the crater's center mound, rock falls into the crater were frequent and spectacular, and we heard an odd rumble that we couldn't explain. Lasting for 30 seconds - a minute at a time. Was it the glacier moving? Was it the volcano brewing? No clue! But it was incredible. Highly recommend this climb." — zachmitch • Aug 4, 2023

"Bluebird day called me to Helens! Great day for a climb. Inadvertently found some thin snow and dropped one leg into a hot spot. Careful out there on those volcanos. 5 hours total time up with 5,700 vert feet won’t be any FKT but pretty decent for the minimal training so far this year." — oregon-mt-goat • Mar 18, 2023

"December 16, 2022. Fourth summit. Started at 7:45am. Snowshoes up and down. Did not feel the need for crampons. Back down at 2:20pm. Wind gusts were forecasted at 38 mph. It was windy on the way up and it calmed down a bit on the descent. Only a few other people on the mountain. " — runningvegan • Dec 16, 2022

"February 6, 2022. Started at Marble Mountain Sno Park at 7:30am. 3:50 to the summit. 2:10 back down. Started out with snowshoes, but I did not need them. Switched to crampons when I hit the rocks and the real climbing began. Kept the crampons on the rest of the day. Could have switched to microspikes after descending the steep stuff, but I did not want to bother with stopping. Beautiful bluebird day!" — runningvegan • Feb 6, 2022

"Climbed MSH today (May 30, 2021). My first summit of MSH and my 100th summit overall (which I did not plan). Started at 3:30am, summited at 8am, back at the TH at 11:33pm.
Did Worm Flows climbing route from Marble Mountain Sno Park. I stayed the night in Cougar, WA and there was plenty of parking when I got to the TH at 3am. Patchy snow started about 1.3 miles in, but I only needed boots. Put on crampons and got out my ice ax just below the weather/met station. Snow was solid all the way up. A large cornice was along the rim and I did not feel safe traversing over to the true summit which had a pile of snow on top. I was the first to reach the summit (I think that’s a first for a major mountain). Snow was still very firm on the way down and I opted not to glissade. It softened up around 9:30am, but I was already back at the weather station taking off my crampons. Perfect weather! Could not have asked for a better day." — runningvegan • May 30, 2021

"Started at 4:45a from Marble Mountain Sno-Park. Blue skies and exquisite snow conditions. Firm snow for cramponing on the Worm Flows in the early morning. Made it to the summit in a little less than 4h. Crater rim was corniced, but the established boot pack appeared very safe. Breezy and cold on the summit, but was able to sit comfortably for ~40 mins with all my layers on, waiting for the snow to soften up.
Started descending from the crater rim a little before 10a. Flew down the mountain, catching several excellent glissades and plunge-stepping the rest down to Chocolate Falls. 7h RT. Excellent day on the volcano." — klotito • May 26, 2021

"My fellow PNW Peakbaggers.
If visiting MSH tomorrow, here is a lazy trip report from today and my advice for tomorrow:
Conditions today - www.mountain-forecast.com was accurate. Full sun and high temps, plus fairly high sustained winds today - 20mph plus occational gusts. Snow starts at the TH - this is the dirty stuff - boots, spikes, crampons, snowshoes, and skins all worked today - equal mix and lot of skiers. I hiked in crampons all day. Snow was firm all the way, esp above 5000 feet. Minimal post-holing. The temp rose and softened the snow, esp below 6500. Great corn snow for skiing. Glissading was amazing - we dropped over 3500 feet in about 45 minutes. The runs are not contiguous, but super fun today! The snow below 4500 feet was getting slushy, and post-holing from over the boot to knees, and occasionally the waist. Please look at this forecast and plan accordingly. Nothing will freeze over and I expect the climb from the trailhead to be soft, especially approaching Chocolate falls to about 6000 feet - snowshoes or skinning may be a better option than spikes or crampons. Be prepared for massive sun exposure and reflection off of the snow. Happy climbing." — markhadland • Apr 16, 2021

"Finally reached the true summit after stopping at the false summit on the crater rim earlier this year. A physically difficult but not unpleasant scramble up the Class 2 Monitor Ridge Route to the crater rim, and a sketchy, somewhat hazardous traverse westward along the crest to the peak. Overall rating 10/10, one of the best and most awe-inspiring classic climbs in Washington." — MountainQuest • Sep 2, 2020