Things to do in Cowlitz County

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.
 

Climbing information – Permits

Everyone must have a climbing permit to be above 4,800 feet elevation on Mount St. Helens.
The permit system helps to protect the volcano’s physical and biological features and processes, reduces crowding, and provides climbers with information on climbing conditions, Leave No Trace principles, and safety. The permit system has been in effect since 1987.

1.  Mount St. Helens climbing permits are administered by Mount St. Helens Institute (MSHI) through an online vendor.
The MSHI online vendor is a secure website that accepts all major credit and debit cards. Climbers will be emailed a permit purchase confirmation receipt at the time of purchase.
2.  The total permit fee of $22 includes a service charge which goes towards MSHI’s Mountain Stewards Volunteer Program to help maintain and protect the climbing routes. Climbing permits are not refundable. If climbing is suspended by the Forest Service, permit sales will also be suspended.
3.  From April 1 to October 31 climbing permits are available online by advance purchase only.
Do not wait until the day of your climb to purchase your permit.
Unsold permits may be purchased online until 24-hours before the date of the climb.
4.  Once you complete your permit purchase through the online vendor, all sales are final.
Refunds are not possible. You cannot change climbing dates once your purchase is complete. Please plan accordingly before completing your purchase.

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 2018
April 21 – Mothers Day – May 13th

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.

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

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