Outdoors
Mountain Biking
Don’t pass up the chance to turn a crank on the shoulder of an active volcano! The Ape Canyon ride, which begins on the south side of Mount St. Helens, is one of the Northwest’s premier mountain biking treks, with varied landscapes and incredible vistas. World-class single-track also awaits at Siouxon Creek, Lewis River, South Coldwater, and Old Man Pass/Falls Creek.
Tour de Blast – Road Biking
Tour de Blast is the essential event for road bikers, attracting crowds in excess of 1,000 each year. The 82-mile route from Toutle to Johnston Ridge takes riders into the very heart of the blast zone. If you can’t make the annual June event, you can still enjoy the experience and the views by following the ride route from Toutle Lake School to Johnston Ridge Observatory. Total elevation gain is 6,240′
STP Bicycle Classic
This 200-mile bicycle ride is the largest multi-day bicycle event in the Northwest, with up to 10,000 participants riding from Seattle to Portland in one or two days. The route takes you through the scenic valleys, forests, and farmlands of western Washington and Oregon.
Castle Rock Bike Skills Park
This is an awesome dirt track located in Castle Rock, WA. Jump lines, drops, skinnies, log-overs, and the Pacific Northwest’s largest pump track.
Longview, WA
Bob’s Sporting Goods
Offering:
Full-time Pro Shop employees
Archery Lessons, Seminars
Archery League
11-lane air conditioned range
Full service repair shop
Offering Hoyt, Mathews, Mission Bows
Parts and Accessories
Tel: 360.425.3870
Castle Rock, WA 98611
Castle Rock MX, promoting Northwest, family friendly racing at Riverdale Raceway.
Climbing information – Permits
At 8,328 feet high (as measured by USGS in 2009), Mount St. Helens offers climbers a breathtaking view from the crater rim. Although it is not a technical climb, it is strenuous and hazardous due to ice, large boulders, loose pumice, fast-changing weather and volcanism. Climbers should be in very good physical condition, well equipped, informed about volcanic hazards, and have plenty of water and food.
The Mount St. Helens Institute has partnered with the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument to help protect the volcano’s fragile features and to ensure climbers have a safe, low-impact experience on the volcano.
Before climbing Mount St. Helens, please read climbing rules, road and trail conditions, and other important information from the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. (please use the URL in the website field to get your permit and view rules and regulations)
Climbing permits are required year-round on Mount St. Helens. A Climbing Permit allows an individual or group (max size limit of 12) to be in or upon the area defined as the Mount St. Helens Closure Area #2 (PDF) during the 24 hour period designated by the permit. (please use the URL in the website field to get your permit and view rules and regulations)
To reduce crowding and protect natural features, the number of climbers per day on Mount St. Helens is subject to a quota from April 1 to October 31.
During the quota season, permits must be purchased online in advance. A permit may be printed up to 14 days before your reservation date. Once your permit has been printed, you cannot make changes. Outside the quota season, permits are free of charge and self-issued at the trailhead.
April 1 – May 14: 500 climbers/day. Must be purchased online in advance.
May 15 – October 31: 100 climbers/day. Must be purchased online in advance.
November 1 – March 31: Unlimited climbers. Permit is free and self-issue at the trailhead.
Climbing permits during the quota season cost $15 per person per day. A $6 reservation fee is charged per transaction.
Permits are one per Group, rather than one per individual.
The Permit Holder (the purchaser) of the climbing permit can make a reservation for up to 12 total climbing Group Members. The Permit Holder must be included in the climbing group.
The Permit Holder must provide the names of all Group Members at the time of purchase. While climbing Group Members’ names can be adjusted after the purchase, the Permit Holder name cannot be changed nor refunded without cancelling the entire permit. All climbers in the Group must carry a government-issued photo ID that matches their name on the list of members on the purchased permit.
Every year millions of visitors use Recreation.gov to plan, reserve and share their experiences in national forests, national parks, and other public federal lands. Recreation.gov hosts more than 3,000 campgrounds nationwide, including 18 on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
Permits
Woodland, WA 98674
Each year, thousands of visitors step back in time to discover the 1880’s Victorian Farmhouse and country gardens that comprise the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens.
To showcase the site, the Gardens and historic buildings have been lovingly maintained by the Hulda Klager Lilac Society, a nonprofit volunteer organization. The Society fully funds the care and upkeep of the historical site from the proceeds of Lilac Days, dues and donations. With the help of our volunteers and members, the Society continues to carry on the work of growing and showing the beautiful lilacs including those hybridized by Hulda Klager many decades ago.
Lilac Days 2021
April to May
History of Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens
Woodland is perhaps best known as the home of Hulda Klager (1863–1960), who was a prolific breeder of lilacs. The “Lilac Lady” Hulda Klager née Thiel, was long the pride of Woodland. She immigrated from Germany to Wisconsin in 1865, when she was just two years old, and came West when her family bought a farm in Woodland. Later she married and settled down on the family farm. When a friend gave her a book about Luther Burbank, she began creating flowers, hybridizing new varieties of roses, dahlias, even apples, and lilacs in particular. By 1920 she had created such a magnificent array of new hand-pollinated lilacs that she opened her garden on Lilac Week every spring for visitors. The floodwaters of 1948 rolled over her garden, destroying every shrub and hand-pollinated lilac. The loss grieved those who visited her garden or who had purchased her lilacs. From all over the Northwest, people sent starts of her lilacs from their own gardens. By 1950, at the age of eighty-seven, Klager, who loved flowers and who had been honored by the state of Washington as well as such organizations as the nationally famous arboretum at Cambridge, Massachusetts, again opened her home for Lilac Week. After her death in 1960, the Woodland Federated Garden Club, shocked that the garden might be bulldozed for industry, succeeded in raising money to buy it and have it declared a state and national historic site.
Cougar, WA 98616
Kalama Horse Camp, located on the southwest flank of Mt. St. Helens, is outside the blast zone of the 1980 eruption. The camp and its nearby trails are close enough to the mountain for you to observe how the most recent eruption changed the area. You’ll also plenty of evidence of previous volcanic activity. The campground loop trail allows easy access to the main trail head. The trail head parking area, found at the east end of the campground provides parking for day use. There are over 50 miles of trails and closed roads are available from the campground.
Lewis & Clark Bowmen
Offering:
Archery Lessons – Youth and Adult, Individual/Group
Archery Shoots – Competitions
Archery Range Situated in the Woods – 3-D Range
(Range accessible to members only or during shoots)
Hunting Preparation Shoots – Fall/Winter Archery
Inexpensive Club Memberships
Woodland, WA 98674
Located 30 minutes north of Portland, Oregon, and just a few minutes (5 miles)east of I-5 at exit 21 (Woodland, WA.), the Lewis River Golf Course is tucked between the North Fork of the beautiful Lewis River and the evergreen foothills of the Cascade mountains. The golf course environment contains numerous species of shrubs and trees, framing the beautiful Pacific Northwest valley and the scenic Cascade foothills. The tree-lined fairways require accuracy to score well, and the greens, with challenging contours, are some of the finest you’ll putt on in the northwest. Also home to North Fork Bar & Grill.
The Longview Squirrel Fest is the first of its kind on the West Coast and in the Mount St. Helens region! We’re nuts over this one-day festival in honor or our furry friends. Launching the first Longview Squirrel Fest was a dream of a local group, The idea came from the Sandbaggers who helped build and maintains the Nutty Narrows Bridge on the Civic Circle in Longview, they wanted a fun event that would be nutty enough for everyone from age 2 to 102.
The Civic Circle is transformed into an all day venue of fun, games, and music for the whole family to enjoy.
Kids 5 k Run
Go Nutty Squirrel Fest Parade
Craft Vendors
Food Vendors
Kids Games & Activities
Karaoke
Beer & Wine Garden
Main Stage – Musical Entertainment
Every August
Longview, WA
At Mint Valley you will find one of the finest public golf courses in the state of Washington. The well-bunkered greens, water hazards, and tall trees will test every skill level. This par 71 championship course plays 6,432 yards from the back tees and 5,230 yards from the forward tees. The greens are always fast and in excellent condition. The course also features practice putting and chipping greens as well as a covered driving range. The course is easy to walk, but if you prefer to ride just call ahead and reserve a cart.
Mint Valley also has a six-hole, par 3 course with holes ranging in distance from 50 to 90 yards. This is a great place to fine tune your short game and introduce the game to beginning players.
Mint Valley Golf Course…it’s beautiful, friendly and affordable. Come out and play!
Kalama, WA 98625
Marina & Recreational Area
The Port of Kalama offers stellar riverfront recreational facilities, including walking and biking paths, playgrounds, covered picnic shelters and the tallest totem pole in the Pacific Northwest! The Port operates a 222-slip marina, and its public beaches are a southwest Washington destination for swimming, windsurfing, fishing and just relaxing.
Toutle, WA 98649
Riverdale Raceway has both MX tracks and a drag strip.
MX – Riverdale Raceway has six outdoor motocross tracks that run year-round. On the west end there is a modern main track, a vintage track, an arena style track, a sand track, and a 50’s track. On the east end across from the drag strip is a big track that is vintage, beginner, and junior friendly.
All levels of riders from kids on 50cc bikes to experienced riders will find our tracks both fun and challenging! We run an open practice without classes so you can get as much ride time as you want.
Since we are a year-round track, we are open every weekend except for extreme weather conditions or if there is an event which uses the whole property. We will post any changes on our Facebook page or website news. We also send out emails. If you would like to receive emails, see our sign-up link.
Practice starts at 9 am and ends at 4 pm. The cost is $30 per rider. Camping is free if you ride, and there is no cost to spectators during practice. Gate fee for races is usually $10 per person. We are CASH ONLY.
If you would like to practice during the week, please call Dan at 360-749-1170.
Kelso, WA 98626
Here at Rocking Horse Ranch, LLC we offer Horse training, Riding lesson’s, Farrier service. & Training clinic’s
Training offered
Colt starting, ranch versatility, tune-ups, correcting bad habits, ground work, trail obstacles, confidence building and working ranch horse.
Lesson’s we offer
Roping
Riding
Beginning horsemanship
Intermediate horsemanship
Advance horsemanship
We specialize in training horses from ground work to the finished bridle horse, roping, ranch versatility, working ranch horse, extensive trail riding, packing and horsemanship, lesson’s from beginning to advanced.
Mike Gunnels AQHA professional horseman
Spirit Peaks Drift Raceway is a very large industrial lot with a pretty consistent surface. Cones provide a variety of a long straight away bearing into a downward slope left corner with barriers to scrub. The layout consists of about 7 wide corners for some prime tandem opportunities. The venue is quickly growing in popularity and we are very excited to return with the whole team for some more fun!
Kelso, WA 98626
The Three Rivers Golf Course, an 18-hole course established in 1983 next to the Cowlitz River, is owned by the Kelso-Longview Elks BPOE 1482. The course is built on a base of material deposited in the Cowlitz River by the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens and removed by dredging. This porous combination of ash, dust, sand and silt drains well in wet weather, and golfers commute here from up and down the I-5 corridor when other Northwest courses are too soggy to play. The poa annua (annual bluegrass) greens putt well all year, and the winter rye fairways hold up well.
Four sets of tee boxes accommodate golfers with more or less length to their game. This Robert Muir Graves design plays almost 6,700 yards from the longest (blue) tees, with a men’s Course Rating of 71.7 and Slope of 128. Course length from the shortest (red) tee boxes is 5,393 yards, with a ladies’ Course Rating of 70.4 and Slope of 119.
Longview, WA 98632
July 22 23 & 24 at 7:00 pm
The History of the Rodeo
The Thunder Mountain Pro Rodeo originated as a PRCA rodeo in 1975 under the direction of rodeo committee members Ron McCoy, Mel Boultinghouse, Cal Christensen, Vern Eaton, Wayne Gossett, Bill Merz, George Moore, Les Nelson, and Jan Searing. The rodeo was originally called The Cowlitz County Fair & Rodeo, but after Mount Saint Helens spewed its fire and thunder upon this area in 1980, committeeman George Moore suggested in 1981 that the rodeo’s name be changed to The Thunder Mountain Pro Rodeo.
Since 1981, the rodeo has been known by this memorable name, which though was derived from a volcanic eruption, it also aptly denotes the thundering hooves and energy, which this rodeo brings to town.
When the rodeo began in 1975 we used a borrowed, portable arena that was erected just before the Cowlitz County Fair opened, and had to dismantle it after the fair ended. In 1979, we established a permanent arena. Although this arena was a vast improvement over a portable arena, we now have a state of the art arena, which we are proud to state was entirely constructed by committee members. Cowlitz County Fair Grounds 1970’s Our present committee is comprised of 12 committee members, whereas we had 8 committee members when the rodeo originated.
Christensen Brothers was our original stock contractor. Gold Buckle Rodeo Company is our present stock contractor. We began with $300.00 per added event, and now we add $3,000.00 per event, including barrel racing. Since this rodeo’s origination we have consistently drawn top cowboy and cowgirl contestants to the competition. The Thunder Mountain Pro Rodeo committee believes that the keys to success in having a great rodeo consist of having excellent stock, quality contestants, talented bullfighters, funny clowns, and exciting half-time entertainment. Each year we strive to make the rodeo the most successful rodeo competition we can bring to the Lower Columbia region. We hope that you have the opportunity to experience the Thunder Mountain Pro Rodeo!
Please visit our website for more information.