Climb to the crater rim of Mount St. Helens
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
You climb a volcano that blew off its top in 1980, from a summit of 9,677 feet down to a crater rim that now reaches 8,365. The Forest Service calls it strenuous but not technical, so it is open to fit walkers who are happy scrambling on steep, rough ground.
DemandingUnder £100 / $130A few weeksOutdoorsAlone or with othersWashingtonPermits are needed all year; daily numbers are capped from April to October
How to start
- Read the climbing permit page on Recreation.gov and note when the next month's permits are released.
- Book a permit for your group, and plan to sign the climbers' register at the trailhead before and after.
- Train on long, steep days with scrambling, and pack the Ten Essentials rather than relying on a phone.
Where to go
We opened this link on 27 October 2026 and found it to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. The hard part of a day out is the timing: the right season, tickets and getting there. The plan watches the calendar for you.
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