Name: Mount St. Helens back open to climbers, just in time for 40th anniversary of eruption
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Mount St. Helens back open to climbers, just in time for 40th anniversary of eruption

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NEW!1,926sharesClimbers can return to Mount St. Helens just in the nick of time, three days before the 40th anniversary of the volcano’s historic eruption, though hikers and day trippers might want to wait for better conditions.The Gifford-Pinchot National Forest announced Friday that most trailheads and day use areas in the forest would reopen to the public Friday, seven weeks after to help stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.The reopenings include the Worm Flows climbing route up the south face of Mount St. Helens, as well as some trailheads around the mountain.Most prominent areas of Mount St. Helens are still closed, including the Johnstone Observatory and Washington State Route 504 (also known as Spirit Lake Highway) east of Coldwater Lake. All campgrounds remain closed, as well as the Ape Cave Interpretive Site.All climbing permits for May 15 and later will be valid to summit the mountain, however, most climbing permits for this year are already sold out, forest officials said. The sale of additional permits will be suspended through May.There are some opportunities for day hikers, though opportunities are few, and conditions aren’t looking great for the weekend, including the anniversary of the 1980 eruption on Monday, May 18.READ MORE: Most hiking trails around the volcano are still closed due to snow, though a couple of trailheads are open. The best one for day hikers is the just before the road closure on the Spirit Lake Highway, a flat 2.4-mile loop hike on the north side of the mountain.Hikers can also use the climber’s trailhead at the Marble Mountain sno-park, forest officials said, though much of the trail is open only to those with a climbing permit.The anniversary may seem like a fitting time to visit the mountain, but weather may not allow for a particularly rewarding experience. Clouds, rain and snow are all expected for the mountain through Monday, which will likely block the volcano from view.“It’s not looking like a great weekend for mountain viewing and that includes, unfortunately, the anniversary of the eruption of the mountain itself,” said Tracy Calizon, spokeswoman for the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest.Instead, people should consider partaking in set up by Mount St. Helens Institute, she said, including a on Saturday. The Portland Art Museum has also set up a virtual tour of its including paintings and photographs of the mountain.READ MORE: People hoping for a good view of the famous volcano should wait until later in the spring, Calizon said, when the weather’s nicer, snow has melted and more trailheads have reopened.“We tend to open pretty slowly in the spring and the summer in a normal year,” Calizon said. “This time of year it’s only just beginning to become available.”--Jamie Hale; ; 503-294-4077; Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive and for the latest news and top stories.Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

NEW!1,926sharesClimbers can return to Mount St. Helens just in the nick of time, three days before the 40th anniversary of the volcano’s historic eruption, though hikers and day trippers might want to wait for better conditions.The Gifford-Pinchot National Forest announced Friday that most trailheads and day use areas in the forest would reopen to the public Friday, seven weeks after to help stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.The reopenings include the Worm Flows climbing route up the south face of Mount St. Helens, as well as some trailheads around the mountain.Most prominent...

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Mount St. Helens back open to climbers, just in time for 40th anniversary of eruption

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