Look into the Volcano
Ready to scale Mount St. Helens? Try the Monitor Ridge Route. This non-technical route gains 4,500 feet in five miles to the crater rim (8,365 feet). Although strenuous, Monitor Ridge is suitable for people in good physical condition who are comfortable scrambling on steep, rugged terrain - i.e. blocky lava flows, loose pumice, and ash. Most climbers complete the round trip in 7 to 12 hours. Take great care, as portions of the already precipitous rim may be unstable at any time of the year, and it's nearly 2,000 feet to the crater floor. Don't think about climbing inside, either: Entry into the crater is strictly prohibited (this is an active volcano, after all).

Tread a Land Reborn
Visitors to the monument's rugged and spectacular Mount Margaret Backcountry can observe firsthand the landscape's rebirth and renewal. During the 1980 eruption, the lateral blast — a hot stone-filled wind — shattered trees and swirled around peaks and basins as it toppled thousands of acres of pristine forest. Now hikers may once again explore the 200-some trails that lead to sapphire lakes, pinnacle-studded ridges, and flowered mountain slopes. Ape Canyon Trail (10 miles roundtrip) passes along the edge of a large mudflow and offers magnificent views of Mount Adams. Lava Canyon Trail (6 miles roundtrip) showcases Muddy River as it carves away at the rugged landscape, plummeting 1,400 feet down Lava Canyon's ancient rock.

More on hiking in Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

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