Ape cave and Mitchell Peak

[Jim.od3]

In the "Fun stuff to do when it's not windy dept." . . . Or stuff to do with the family when they get sick of every vacation revolving around windsurfing.

Went to Cougar, WA over Labor Day weekend. Stayed at the Lone Fir Resort, which is an ok place to stay as a "base camp" and has a good restaurant. First day we hiked through the Ape Cave, taking the upper route which is longer and more difficult. I'm sure many people on this forum are familiar with the Ape Cave so I won't go into detail other than to say it was a pretty cool hike - about 2hrs and 1.5 miles lava tube, underground the whole way. Pitch black, scrambling over big volcanic rocks. Amazing natural formation.

Yesterday I tried to find the trailhead to hike/bike to the top of Mitchell Peak which is about 3,800 ft. Unfortunately the road to the trailhead is blocked off. Possibly just temporary due to fire danger. Apparently it's on private property and I saw some other web posts saying the trailhead was no longer accessible.

-Jim

[Mulekick84]

We love to hang out on Mt. St. Helen's, too. The Lava Falls hike is a cool and quick waterfall hike in the same area. You may also like the Lewis River hike/bike ride. We start at the lower falls area about 1 mile North of Curly Creek road. We go up there to beat the heatwaves in the gorge. There are a few primitive campsites and hardly anyone around except a few riders on the weekend. The ride is 10 miles up to the upper falls area. Very challenging sections, but also some great flowy riding through old growth forest. There are also several primitive campsites along the trail.

Another cool trip is to drive up to Windy Ridge and ride the Plains of Abraham. Truly breathtaking views (and breathtaking climbs, lol)