TThe Worm Flows Climbing Route is the primary route used by climbers during the winter and early spring to reach Mount St Helens Summit. Worm Flows is the most direct route to the summit of Mount St. Helens during the winter season. Ice axe, crampons, and avalanche awareness are recommended on this route. Skis with climbing skins or snowshoes with cleats are also highly recommended.
From the Marble Mountain Sno-Park use the Swift Ski Trail, #244 to reach timberline. Cross to the west side of Swift Creek, just above Chocolate Falls (elev. 3,700'). Follow ridges and open slopes to the crater rim. Wooden route marking posts guide climbers from timberline to approximately 4,800' elevation. The round trip is approximately 12 miles, with total time round trip being approximately 7 to 10 hours. To reduce your exposure to avalanche potential, stay away from snow loaded slopes and gully bottoms. Stay off the cornices at the crater rim.
Climbers should be prepared for winter climbing conditions. Sign in at the register and sign out on your return.
A dangerous cornice, an overhanging mass of snow formed by wind, grows through the winter on the leeward side of the wind exposed edge of the summit and crater. As it grows, the cornice can hang quite a distance over the edge, making it fragile and extremely dangerous to walk upon to get a view into the crater. Stay back at least 30 ft (9 m) from the visible edge. There may not be any flagging stakes or markers indicating the danger zone, so use extreme caution. The high summit drift may prevent you from having any view over the rim to the North. Always check current conditions before your climb.
Recreation Passes honored: Digital Day Pass, Northwest Forest Pass, and Interagency Recreation Passes. Get a Recreation Pass.
- Day use only. Open sunrise to sunset.
- Overnight camping not permitted.
- Campfires not permitted.
- Portable propane barbeque or fire pit permitted.
- Pets must be on 6 ft leash max or shorter at all times.
- Gasoline motors on boats are prohibited. Must be removed from the boat to launch.
- Selective Gear Rules apply. See Washington State Fish and Wildlife Sports Fishing Rules Booklet.
- Gear is limited to artificial flies with barbless single hooks or lures with barbless single hooks and bait is prohibited. Up to 3 hooks may be used. Only knotless nets may be used to land fish.
- Inlet and outlet streams closed to fishing
- Trout min size 18 inches. Daily limit 1.
Getting There
Latitude / Longitude
Latitude: 46.290513
Longitude: -122.266096
Directions
From Castle Rock, drive State Route 504 east 43 miles. Stay right where State Route 504 forks towards the Johnston Ridge Observatory. Continue for 1 mile, turn left at Coldwater Lake.
Parking
2 large parking lots with multi-use vehicle parking available. No hookups. Please do not block road access for emergency vehicles. No overnight parking/camping.
⚠️ Important Alert: Certain trails and areas on Forest Road 99 are closed Monday through Friday until October 31. Click here for more information about the trail closures and the Spirit Lake Tunnel Outlet Construction, and what trails are not accessible during the construction. The 5.7-mile Truman Trail #207 immerses you in the area devastated by the 1980 eruption. Looking north, you see log-filled Spirit Lake topped by Mount Margaret. To the south you look upward at Mount St. Helens’ crater and lava dome.The trail begins at Windy Ridge Interpretive Site and starts by following a road built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to access the Spirit Lake pumping station after the 1980 eruption. (Shortly after the 1980 eruption the water level in Spirit Lake rose alarmingly, threatening to overtop the debris dam and to send a deluge down the Toutle Valley. To help alleviate this danger, barge-mounted pumps were installed to remove water from the lake. Pumping continued until a 1.7-mile-long tunnel could be completed, allowing Spirit Lake to drain into South Coldwater Creek.Flanked by ever-growing patches of lupine, Indian paintbrush, and other wildflowers, the trail crosses several streams that originate in the crater. Wooden marking posts aid you in staying on trail as you travel across the pumice plain and climb the debris avalanche to the junction with Boundary Trail #1 (area is unavailable).
Willow Springs Trail #207A, from its junction with Truman Trail #207, offers a loop opportunity. This 0.8-mile trail provides a link to the Loowit Trail #216. You can make a loop of these trails by connecting with the Loowit Trail #216 and the Windy Trail #216E. Special Conditions: Off trail travel prohibited. No pets or stock. Day-use only. Bicycles are prohibited west of the junction with Abraham Trail #216D.
Located just five miles from Mount St. Helens, Windy Ridge Interpretive Site provides a close-up view of the volcano's crater, and a breathtaking panorama of a landscape radically changed during the 1980 eruption and landslide. Below you lies Spirit Lake, with its floating log mat of huge trees swept into it during the eruption. Beyond, view a plain of pumice and ash and denuded hills, still barren but greening with vegetation. Climb a 368-step sand ladder for a higher view. Read interpretive signs to learn about the events and people of the eruption. During summer, join an interpretive program presented at the site's amphitheater. The site is accessible and memorable for all.