Mount St. Helens, located in central Washington, is one of my favorite all time climbs. You can easily do it in a day, it is a good workout but not too hard so even inexperienced mountain climbers can do it. If you choose to go in the winter using the Worm Flows winter route, you will probably only need spikes or crampons and if you plan on glissading of the summit, then you need to pack your ice axe.
Mount St. Helens is a popular climb for both beginner and experienced mountaineers. Although strenuous, Mount St. Helens is considered a non-technical climb and is suitable for people in good physical condition who are comfortable scrambling on steep, rugged terrain.
Once you decide you want to summit this mountain – two things are really important.
Permits – Climbing permits are required year round on Mount St. Helens. A Climbing Permit allows an individual or group (max size limit of 12) to be in or upon the area defined as the Mount St. Helens Closure Area #2 (PDF) during the 24 hour period designated by the permit. Permits are now being released on monthly basis. For more information, click here: https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4675309
Important Dates
April 1, 2021 – May 14, 2021 – Daily limit of 300 climbers
May 15, 2021 – October 31, 2021 – Daily limit of 110 climbers
November 1, 2021 – March 31, 2021 – No limit on number of climbers. Permits are free of charge and self-issued at the trailhead
How Does the Quota Work for this Permit?
Climbing permits are required year round on Mount St. Helens. In an effort to reduce crowding and protect natural features, from April 1 to October 31 the number of climbers per day is subject to a quota.
- April 1 to May 14 – 300 climbers per day
- May 15 to October 31 – 110 climbers per day
Group size is limited to 12 individuals.
From November 1 to March 31 there is no limit on the number of climbers per day. During this time, permits are free of charge and self-issued at the trailheads.
Weather – always make sure to check weather forecast before your climb as the mountain weather can change very quickly
We have started our climb before 5am as we were camping nearby the previous night. We hiked the first 2 miles in the forest in the dark using our headlamps. Once we made it out of the forest, we stopped and watch beautiful sunrise over the valley. The climb up to the summit took about 5 hours. Snow was fairly slushy on the lower mountain, but sturdy and bit iced over near the top. The weather was very sunny, bit windy in the morning, but wind died down later in the day.
The summit was fairly busy, mostly skiers and snowboarders. One thing that is good to remember, is that there is a large cornice hanging off the summit, so it is advised not to approach the rim too close. After about 30 mins on the summit, we put on snow pants and grabbed our ice axes and proceeded to glissade down. We were able to glissade almost all the way down to the tree line. Made it to the parking lot around 2pm, our hike took bit over 10 hours.
