Ape Canyon

A narrow and extremely-committing majestic gorge descending from the Plains of Abraham on the northeast side of Mt. St. Helens. Ape Canyon was scoured out by lahars (volcanic mud flows) during the volcanic eruption in 1980, which reduced the mountain from 9677ft to 8363ft, leaving behind a mile-wide crater at its summit. Today, Ape Canyon is seldom descended; it has a relatively high pay-to-play. Ape Canyon has a watershed of about 1.8mi^2 which also encompasses the fragmentary Ape Glacier on the side of Mt. St Helens. The highest point is a formation on the crater rim known as the Dog's Head at about 7700ft elevation. The upper part of the canyon is usually dry, with water appearing somewhere around R5. Water increases slowly as one descends, coming from small tributaries and springs along the canyon walls. Water was definitely felt colder near the top of the canyon. Further down the canyon, there are more waterfalls and pools, but the water felt warmer. There are a couple very short swims.

It's best to set up a shuttle for Ape Canyon; otherwise, you're looking at a long uphill slog on the way out. (See "Exit" below.) From the Ape Canyon trailhead, backtrack southwest on FR 83 for ~0.6mi and turn left on the first dirt road just past the Lahar Viewpoint parking area. Follow this FR 8322 for 0.5mi, then bear left at a junction. Follow the road for down ~4mi to the Smith Creek trailhead. High clearance is nice for this road, but a 2WD vehicle can be driven with care. There are a number of campsites near the lower trailhead. Return to the Ape Canyon trailhead, and follow the trail upward (~4.2mi, 1600' gain) to an obvious viewpoint looking down on Ape Canyon to the north. Continue a few hundred feet further along the trail and locate a safe route down the scree to the head of the canyon. The descent is loose; beware knocking rocks down on one another. (If it looks too steep, you may need to continue about 0.25mi further west along the trail to find a safe place to drop into the wash. Walk/scramble back downstream to the start of the canyon.) R1 is right there at the obvious start to the canyon.

The beta that follows was updated in 2023: 2024 update: There was a lot of rockfall over the winter and many of the upper and middle canyon rappels have changed. The most accurate beta to know is, you are going to dig out and build pinch type anchors for the majority of the canyon. We only found four of the, perhaps, 20+ webbing anchors left in 2023, and two of those had to be replaced due to damage. Three bolts were installed in 2023, two were damaged, but useable, in 2024. The upper canyon feels like an anomaly in the Pacific Northwest and has more in common with canyons found in the Colorado Plateau. This section of the canyon is dry, dusty, with high walls, and loses a lot of elevation in a hurry. There are some daunting views looking down-canyon. Be aware: there's lots of loose rock underfoot: either washed in from above, or fallen from the canyon walls. Watch your footing and take it carefully. Be aware: this beta may not be exact and there's a lot of downclimbing (or possible rappels depending on your team's level of comfort) that are not described here. Partner assists may be helpful in places. After R6, water appears and the nature of the canyon changes. In August 2023, flow was low; just a trickling stream to keep you company. Continue down-canyon until the walls close in and you reach the next big drop at R7. This rappel is fully in the flow, so you may wish to suit up before rappelling this one. Below this point, the rappels come fast and furious. In 2012, a series of snow bridges were encountered somewhere in here spanning the entire canyon (i.e. old avalanche snow). No snow bridges were found in Aug 2023. The beginning of the lower canyon is marked by an obvious, narrow tributary (with a little more water) entering DCL. The character of the canyon changes again, becoming narrower with more frequent short drops. There's a lot more exposed bedrock, more pools, and a couple short swims. A short distance downstream, the walls of the canyon fall away. Continue ahead through the creek 100 yards to find a lovely rock platform DCL. Looking back up, you can see the top of Ape Canyon far above. It's an impressive sight.