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.
Routes
/-122.194263430764,46.1911244512521,11,0.00,0.00/320x240@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoicGVha2VyeSIsImEiOiJjampra3Z0bnAxeTVnM3FteHlybHY3b2p1In0.7a5dEa5-995VUv8ceHHNmw)
26 summits • 6 hr 33 min
/-122.194263430764,46.1911244512521,11,0.00,0.00/320x240@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoicGVha2VyeSIsImEiOiJjampra3Z0bnAxeTVnM3FteHlybHY3b2p1In0.7a5dEa5-995VUv8ceHHNmw)
22 summits • 52.3 mi • 11,243 ft gain • 42 hr 14 min
/-122.194263430764,46.1911244512521,11,0.00,0.00/320x240@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoicGVha2VyeSIsImEiOiJjampra3Z0bnAxeTVnM3FteHlybHY3b2p1In0.7a5dEa5-995VUv8ceHHNmw)
1 summit • 10.3 mi • 5,543 ft gain
/-122.194263430764,46.1911244512521,11,0.00,0.00/320x240@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoicGVha2VyeSIsImEiOiJjampra3Z0bnAxeTVnM3FteHlybHY3b2p1In0.7a5dEa5-995VUv8ceHHNmw)
1 summit • 11.7 mi • 5,768 ft gain • 10 hr 18 min
/-122.194263430764,46.1911244512521,11,0.00,0.00/320x240@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoicGVha2VyeSIsImEiOiJjampra3Z0bnAxeTVnM3FteHlybHY3b2p1In0.7a5dEa5-995VUv8ceHHNmw)
1 summit • 8.9 mi • 4,437 ft gain • 7 hr 8 min
Latest summits

"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

"We started at 1:30 A.M. and hiked by a full moon and headlamp. We made it to the weather station at 5:30 A.M. and had to wait for the wind to die down. We were able to continue at 6:30 A.M., being the first to summit that morning." — andrealanejacobs • Jun 18, 2019

"Conditions were perfect! We hit the trail a little after 5:30 am and summited at ~ 10:30 am using trekking poles and micro-spikes, leaving time for an early lunch break and several rest and snack/hydration stops. No need for crampons or ice axe. Where possible we hiked on the snow in the foot steps of those that preceded us next to the rocky ridge. After taking some photos and having a snack at the summit we enjoyed a long series of glissades and sliding on our decent, putting on our waterproof pant shell and using a large garbage bag. It took us about 2.5 hours to return to the Trailhead parking lot. Great day! I really enjoyed the Winter route even though it is longer than the summer route and more elevation. The snow is easier to hike on than the ash which tends to move you backward on every step." — joeerickson • May 22, 2019

"First Coast Mtn ascent, first Cascade volcano, and first volcano ski for Rick. Bluebird +14C at trailhead at 8am. 1700m over 7 hrs to true summit (everyone else only went to south summit). Nice 4km ski descent with 2km of walking back to parking lot where guy was playing guitar and serving up local brew! A day in Hood River chillin and off to ski Mt Hood tonight..." — alexjoseph • May 9, 2019

"Started out at Climber's Bivouac and climbed up the Ptarmigan/Monitor Ridge Route. Excellent and demanding non-technical climb with Clara Erickson; harder than I thought it would be given the moving ash/sand during the final mile to the summit. Beautiful hike with a variety of conditions: lower portion through forest with some older growth Douglas firs during the Ptarmigan trail transitioning to the rugged and rocky scramble portion on the ridge and finally the sandy / ash portion. Wear short gators! It keeps the sand and ash out of your shoes /boots." — joeerickson • Aug 24, 2018

"Summit with the crazy Mother's Day crowd. Snow from about 20 minutes from Marble Mountan Sno-Park. Didn't need snow shoes or crampons. 4000 vertical feet of glissading. But some of the really in-cut glissade chutes are so melted out that rocks are starting to show. Watch out." — mathiasricken • May 13, 2018