Trip Date: October 3-6, 2019
Report Updated: September 2022

Loowit Trail Circuit:  June Lake to Toutle River to Windy Pass to June Lake

June Lake
Coldspring Canyon
South Fork Toutle River Gorge
Studebaker Ridge
Pumice Plain
Windy Pass
Plains of Abraham
North Pumice Butte (4666′)
Muddy River Gorge
Shoestring Canyon
Worm Flows

Trip Report Summary

Region: Southern Washington Cascades

Sub-Region: Mt. St. Helens Massif

Area: Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Starting & Ending Point: June Lake Trailhead on Road 83 (Elev. 2730 feet)

Way Points: June Creek & June Lake & Swift Creek Canyon & Coldspring Canyon & Crescent Ridge & South Fork Toutle River Gorge & Castle Ridge & Studebaker Creek Valley & Studebaker Ridge & Floating Island Lava Flow & Pumice Plain & Loowit Falls Creek & Forsyth Creek & Windy Pass & Plains of Abraham & Pumice Butte Spring & Muddy River Gorge & Shoestring Canyon & Worm Flows & June Lake & June Creek (trail hike & rock scramble)

High Point: Southwestern flank of mountain between Monitor Ridge & Coldspring Canyon (Elev. 4900 feet)

Campsites: June Lake & South Fork Toutle River Gorge & Pumice Butte Spring

Summit: North Pumice Butte (off-trail hike via South Ridge)

Approximate Stats (excluding summit sidetrip): 35 miles traveled; 6700 feet gained & lost.

Approximate Stats (including summit sidetrip): 36 miles traveled; 7100 feet gained & lost.

Related Posts

Mount St Helens via Monitor Ridge (Post-Eruption) – April 25, 1998

Mount St. Helens via Monitor Ridge (Post-Eruption) – July 25, 1988

Mount St Helens via Nelson Glacier (Pre-Eruption) – April 11, 1975

Trip Overview

When early-season snowstorms foiled our plans for a golden larch trip, Eileen and I chose the Loowit Trail Circuit as an alternative.  This 32-mile trail around Mt. St. Helens is often completed as a two-day hike, and is occasionally done as a one-day trail run, but we took three full days (plus a very short “Day Zero”) in order to give us plenty of time for enjoying the scenery.  Doug joined us for all three days, whereas Steve and Deb joined us for the second two days.

Being able to travel through a relatively recent (in geologic terms) volcanic blast zone gives hikers a rare and up-close opportunity to witness several natural forces at work: the sudden and awesome energy released by an eruption; the relentless and incredible power of subsequent water erosion; and the slow but inexorable return of plant and animal life.

Upon finishing, we all agreed that the Loowit Trail Circuit provides a truly unique and superb backpacking experience.  In fact, for a hike of this type and distance (that is, an unsupported, multi-day hike in the range of 25 to 50 miles), I would rank it equal to the highly regarded international treks that I’ve done.  And, as of right now, no permits are required.

The Route

In the course of its 360-degree circuit around Mt. St. Helens, the Loowit Trail passes through a remarkable variety of geologic and vegetative conditions.  The southern sector is characterized by large fields of volcanic talus interspersed with bands of pine and fir trees.

Within the circuit’s western-southwestern sector, abundant precipitation supports lush fields of tall grass and low moss.

Both the western and southeastern sectors feature numerous deep canyons that were incised by glacial meltwater runoff.

The northern sector is a vast lunarscape of plains and shallow ravines, vegetated with moss, low grasses, and tiny trees, and populated by herds of elk and mountain goats.

Trail Conditions

Much of the Loowit Trail consists of a smooth, sandy, single-track surface that offers pleasant hiking.  The porous nature of the soil keeps water ponding to a minimum, and muddy areas are rare.

Where the route crosses talus fields, trail conditions become highly variable, with both sandy segments and rocky segments.  In some places, the trail disappears completely, making it necessary to hop across volcanic boulders.  Throughout the circuit, the route is marked by wooden poles.

More notable are the numerous locations where the trail crosses an erosion channel.  These channels range in size from fairly small gullies to enormous canyons, with the largest being Muddy River Gorge and Shoestring Canyon (both on the eastern portion of the circuit) and South Fork Toutle River Gorge and Coldspring Canyon (both on the western portion).  The latter two channels have fixed ropes to assist in descending and re-ascending the steep banks.

Trail Access & Hiking Direction

The Loowit Trail can be readily accessed from any of several side trails and can be reasonably hiked in either direction.  The following access trails are listed in a clockwise direction, starting in the northwestern part of the circuit.

• Truman Trail #207— Willow Springs Trail
• Truman Trail #207 — Windy Ridge Trail #216D
• Ape Canyon Trail #234
• June Lake Trail #216B
• Ptarmigan (Monitor Ridge) Trail #216A
• Butte Camp Trail #238A
• Sheep Canyon Trail #240
• Toutle (Blue Lake) Trail #238
• Castle Ridge Trail #216G

We chose to access the trail from June Lake and to hike in a clockwise direction, because it worked nicely with our three-day schedule and chosen campsites.  This gave us two roughly equal hiking days and a shorter third day.

Water

Water sources are surprisingly scarce along the Loowit Trail.  During our hike in early October, we encountered flowing water at only three general locations: (1) South Fork Toutle River, on the western part of the circuit; (2) Loowit Falls Creek and Forsyth Creek, on the northern part of the circuit; and (3) in the Plains of Abraham, on the eastern part of the circuit.  Our fourth water source was June Lake, which lies about 1/4 mile below the trail on the southeastern part of the circuit.  During the spring or summer, there will undoubtedly be more sources, as well as snowpatches that could be melted for cooking or drinking.

Camping

Considering the length of the Loowit Trail, camping options are fairly limited due to both regulatory and practical reasons.  Camping is prohibited within the entire northern third of the circuit, between South Fork Toutle River and Windy Pass.  Within the remaining two-thirds of the circuit, campsites generally coincide with the aforementioned water sources; namely, in the South Fork Toutle River Gorge, on the Plains of Abraham, and at June Lake.  A few other options are available to hikers who are willing to pack cooking water.  In nearly all locations, the campsites have smooth, sandy pads for multiple tents.

Full Trip Report

Day 0: June Lake Trailhead to June Lake

Eileen and I arrived at the June Lake Trailhead on a gray, damp, Thursday afternoon.  It had been raining most of the day but stopped by the time we hit the trail.  An easy 1.4-mile stroll up the wide trail led to pretty little June Lake (0.6 hours + 450 feet from TH).  We pitched our tent near the shore, across from a Hawaiian-esque cirque wall with a plunging waterfall.  Rainfall started up again just as we were finishing dinner.

Day 1: June Lake to South Fork Toutle River Gorge

Following a night of fairly steady rainfall, the morning brought intermittent showers.  Eileen and I were partially packed when Doug arrived at 8:00am (he had slept at the trailhead).  We all hiked up a short, steep spur trail to its junction with the Loowit Trail, then turned left and began our clockwise circuit.  For several miles, we traversed over alternating zones of forest and talus.  Tiny patches of residual snow gave evidence of a recent snowstorm.

Shortly beyond the Butte Camp Trail junction (5.7 hours + 1900 feet from Camp 1), the Loowit Trail comes to an abrupt ending at the gaping maw of Coldspring Canyon.  Yikes!

No worries, though, because a new detour has been constructed here.  We followed the detour 400 feet down along the canyon’s edge until encountering a fixed rope that runs down a narrow slot to the canyon invert.  This rope was helpful in getting down the upper part of the slot and was nearly essential for “batmanning” down the a 10-foot vertical bank at the bottom.

After using another fixed rope to ascend the opposite bank, we hiked up alongside the canyon, regaining the 400 feet lost in our detour.  The Loowit Trail continues traversing northward past the Sheep Canyon Trail junction and over Crescent Ridge.  Just beyond the ridge crest, we reached the South Fork Toutle River Gorge—a massive slice in the western flank of Mt. St. Helens.

We had thought that the 400-foot detour around Coldspring Canyon was time-consuming, but it pales in comparison to the 1500-foot descent required at the South Fork Toutle River Gorge.  We turned west and began hiking down Crescent Ridge, gradually dropping into mature evergreen forest and then into young mixed forest.

Closely above the gorge invert, we encountered Steve and Deb hiking up the trail.  They had just arrived via the Blue Lake / Toutle Trail, and together we descended the final 50 feet using a fixed rope.  We all reached the South Fork Toutle River at 6:00pm (9.6 hours + 2700 feet from Camp 1).  The sandy river shore offered us a comfortable camp for the night, although a steady rain started up shortly after we pitched our tents.

Day 2: South Fork Toutle River Gorge to Pumice Butte Spring

Once again, the overnight rains let up by morning and gave us only intermittent showers throughout the day.  We broke camp, crossed the river, and scrambled up the opposite bank.

The Loowit Trail switchbacks out of the river gorge and then angles upward along the brink, gaining 1000 feet from the crossing point.  This route provides an amazing view across the gorge, which serves as a textbook example of severe stream erosion and natural vegetative restoration.

Turning northeastward, the Loowit Trail traverses across Castle Ridge, Studebaker Creek Valley, and Studebaker Ridge.  A significant change in both topography and vegetation signaled that we were now inside the “Eruption Impact Zone.”  We took an early lunch break on Studebaker Ridge (2.8 hours + 1300 feet from Camp 2).

Working farther around to the northern flank of Mt. St. Helens, we crossed Pumice Plain.  The weather cleared just in time to give us a view up into The Breach, with the snowy crater beyond.  Spirit Lake appeared down to the northeast.

Continuing eastward, we crossed several healthy streams, including Loowit Falls Creek and Forsyth Creek.  These provided the first water source since leaving South Fork Toutle River.  The Loowit Trail then turned southeastward and began climbing toward Windy Pass.

We crossed over Windy Pass in the late afternoon (7.9 hours + 2700 feet from Camp 2).  The past two days had been completely calm, and there was only a slight breeze at this notoriously windy spot.  Better yet, the sky was clearing up nicely.

After a brief stop, we descended onto the Plains of Abraham.  Topographic and vegetative conditions were, once again, noticeably different from other parts of the circuit.  The terrain here is generally smoother, flatter, and more arid.  Pumice Butte, our goal for the day, was clearly visible across the expansive plain.

We arrived at the base of Pumice Butte a few minutes before 6:00pm (8.8 hours + 2700 feet from Camp 2) and set up camp near a welcome groundwater spring.  In the clearing sky, Mt. Adams dominated our view to the east. (Note: In September 2022, hikers found that the groundwater spring was not flowing; therefore, future hikers should be aware that this could be a dry camp in late season.)

Day 3: Pumice Butte Spring to June Lake Trailhead + North Pumice Butte

Following a clear and calm night, we awoke to frost on our tents.  Alpenglow lit up Mt. St. Helens closely to our west.

After breakfast, we all hiked up 4666-foot North Pumice Butte for better views.  This local summit overlooks the Plains of Abraham, allowing one to fully appreciate the remarkable expanse of outwash deposits originating from the eastern flank of Mt. St. Helens.

By late morning, we had returned to camp, packed up, and were hiking southward on the Loowit Trail.  This trail segment crosses numerous canyons, including the huge defiles of Muddy River Gorge and Shoestring Canyon.

Once beyond the big canyons, the trail angles southwestward across the famous Worm Flows—a large boulderfield formed into a series of ribs and gullies.  The warm afternoon sun coaxed us into taking a long break here.

In mid-afternoon, we reached the June Lake Trail junction.  This completed the 32-mile circuit for Doug, Eileen, and me.  Steve and Deb had originally planned to continue hiking back around to Blue Lake, thereby closing their own circuit, but the threat of rain tomorrow prompted them to end their trip here.  We all hiked down to June Lake and out to the trailhead, arriving at 4:00pm (5.0 hours + 850 feet from Camp 3).

Route Maps & Profile

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Photo Gallery

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