June Lake and Ape Caves

In late July, my son came to visit. When he's in town we always make sure and visit a local trail.  Lucky for me, he loves hiking as much as his mom. 

First glimpse of MSH

The PNW's hotter-than-normal summer continued it's streak, with highs in the 90s predicted on our chosen hiking day.  When musing over where to go, my son had a brainstorm.  He suggested "Why don't we go to Ape Cave?"  Visiting an underground cave on a toasty summer's day?  Pure genius! 

Huckleberries are ripe!

Ape Cave is an old lava tube located near Mt St Helens' south side.  It was formed 1900 years ago when MSH erupted a very runny type of lava.  As it spewed across the landscape, the lava flow's crust hardened, but the still-liquid lava underneath drained away via a buried streambed.  Then superheated gases blew through the tube, remelting the walls into smooth, solid surfaces.

The cave is broken into two sections, upper and lower.  The lower section is 0.8 miles long, and a relatively easy walk, while the upper section, at 1.4 miles long, is much more rugged.  Ape Cave's unusual name came courtesy of a group called the Mt St Helens Apes, Boy Scout cavers who adopted their nickname from a supposed nearby Sasquatch sighting. 

Fireweed

But Ape Cave was a relatively short hike for the long drive to reach it, so to get more bang for our hiking buck, I researched other nearby trails.  The June Lake trail wasn't very far away, at nearly 6 miles round-trip wasn't too long, and looked interesting enough.  So our plans were made - we'd leave early in the morning and hike June Lake first before the day heated up, and then tackle Ape Cave in the afternoon.

Reflections on June Lake

Sunny skies and cool early morning temps greeted my son and I as we stepped onto the June Lake Trail.  It was a very pleasant 1.3 mile jaunt to the lake, following a relatively wide, flat path lined with ripe huckleberries.  Mt St Helens made an early appearance, looming above the treetops.

My son flanked by tall trees

June Lake itself was a tiny pond rimmed with brushy vegetation.  A small waterfall gurgled from a nearby cliff and several dead, gray tree trunks reflected in it's still waters.  The morning light wasn't great for photographs, so my son and I didn't linger. 

Killer views of the mountain

From the lake, our trail switchbacked steeply uphill past a lovely forest full of large hemlock trees.  It wasn't long before we came upon the Loowit Trail, the famous "round the mountain" path circling Mt St Helens.  From here, our plan was to follow the Loowit 1.3 miles to Chocolate Falls, and then choose one of the many ski trails for our return trip.

Small snowmelt stream

Although we began in an dense forest, it wasn't long before the trees thinned out and we came upon an old lava field known as the Worm Flows.

Vantage point

This was where the going got rough.  The Worm Flows were comprised of giant basalt boulders.  A tiny path snaked around the huge rocks, but often times it petered out, leaving my son and I to find our way around and over the rugged landscape.  Wooden poles placed at intervals occasionally helped with navigation.

Rough trail

Progress slowed abruptly.  It took much more time and effort to wind our way through the rough, rocky plain.  In some places we climbed hand over hand to clear the large boulders.  A much more strenuous trek than we'd anticipated.  By mid-morning this rocky plain was beginning to heat up, and it's lack of shade didn't help matters either.

Wandering through the lava rock

After a half hour, my son was getting tired of clambering through the lava fields.  I, too was weary of the rough trail, and looked ahead to see if I could spot Chocolate Falls.  For a mere 1.3 miles, traversing this section of the trail seemed to take forever.

Tall wooden poles marked the way

But, finally we spotted a thin stream of water dropping over a basalt cliff.  Surrounded by desolate, gray rocks, it wasn't the prettiest waterfall, but I was happy to see it nonetheless.  My son and I took a snack break on a nearby ledge and enjoyed the view we'd worked hard to reach.

Chocolate Falls

Now to decide on our return route.  I'd initially thought about taking the Pika ski trail back to June Lake, but it appeared to traverse the same lava field we'd just came through.  Neither one of us were too enthused about hiking the Worm Flows again, so I suggested following the main ski trail downhill along Swift Creek, and then take another trail that paralleled the main road back to our car.

Funny thing, the trail we ultimately decided to follow was the very one I'd used back in 2014 to climb Mt St Helens on my skis.  It was interesting to see it in the summer without snow.  We traveled downhill through pleasant, shady woods, spotting a few wildflowers and wild strawberries along the way.

Foxglove

It was near noon when we arrived back at my car.  After a quick lunch, I drove the short distance to Ape Cave, arriving at a parking lot swarming with people.  The disadvantage of waiting until afternoon, apparently lots of folks had the same idea.

My son and I followed a short, paved path to the cave's main entrance.  Rock and timber fencing encircled a huge hole in the ground and a metal staircase led to the underworld below.  A crowd of people were gathered by the stairs, and we waited several minutes for a few large groups to make their way up.  Then we joined the conga-line heading down into the cave.

Wild strawberries

Unlike many underground caverns, Ape Cave doesn't offer guided tours.  Visitors are on their own to wander around as far as the lava tube will take them.  Although the visitor center does offer lantern rentals, it's up to you to provide your own illumination.  Without it, you won't get very far - it's pitch black inside.

Ape Cave Main entrance

My son and I switched on our headlamps, and I dug out a back-up flashlight (always like to be prepared).  We followed the large crowd of people past the lower cave's mouth and into the darkness.  Although this was my very first time at Ape Caves, my son had visited many years ago with his Boy Scout troop, and luckily still remembered a lot from that trip.  He was really an invaluable guide.

The farther we traveled into the cave, the thinner the crowds became.  The floor was uneven so you really had to watch your step.  Parts of the cave had very high ceilings, so there was no danger of hitting your head.  Best of all, it was a lovely, chilly 42 degrees F underground, which after trekking around in 90-plus degree heat, felt wonderful.

The lower cave was a busy place

Distance always seems a lot farther when you're walking around in a dark place.  After leapfrogging with a nice family from England, my son and I finally reached the end of the lower cave.  Time to turn around and retrace our steps.  The return trip was much quicker, and when I started to see lots of small children and people in flip-flops, I knew the entrance was close.

 My son suggested trying the upper cave next.  He said it was "a little bit more rugged" and longer but thought I'd be fine.  So instead of climbing the stairs back out, we ducked behind them and headed in the opposite direction.

Near the lower cave's end

The upper cave started out okay, but conditions quickly deteriorated, until we found ourselves scrambling over a field of large basalt boulders - very similar to our morning hike, but with the added challenge of being in the dark.  (I later read that old earthquakes over the years had loosened these boulders from the cave's ceiling.)  It was tough going, as we had to try and determine the best path through the rocks.  Our hands became sore from scrambling over the rough basalt, and more than once I hit my knees while climbing.

Then we came to our first real obstacle - an 8 foot high wall of slick, solidified lava.  There was only one real foothold.  I looked at my son and said "I don't think I can scale this."  At this point we were about halfway through the upper cave, and he pointed out that if I couldn't climb this lava fall, we'd have to turn around and scramble back through the boulder field again.  Not keen on worming back through that rocky maze, it was the incentive I needed.  Summoning all my strength, agility, and courage, I plastered myself flat against that wall and slowly pulled myself up.  It wasn't pretty, but I got there.

Upper Cave exit

Beyond that obstacle, there was one other lava fall (thankfully not as tall), and many more large boulders to navigate.  I began to think we'd never reach the end.  But my son noticed sunlight streaming down from an opening in the ceiling, and quarter mile later, the metal ladder for the upper cave's exit came into view.  I've never been so happy to see a ladder in my life!

The trek through Ape Cave turned out to be more of an adventure than I'd expected.  It was fun to experience a different kind of hike, especially exploring this chilly cave on a hot summer's day.  But I think the upper cave will be a "one and done" for me.

Still, it was wonderful to spend time with my son (who I don't see very often these days) and create some more good memories.