Great Hikes for Kids: Mount St. Helens (Loowit). Washington

Hummocks

• Pass needed at the trailhead: Monument Pass

• Easy

• 2.7 mile loop

• Elevation gain: 250 feet

• 2.5 hours

This is a fascinating hike past hummocks formed by the 1980 eruption when avalanche debris surged down the north side of Mount St. Helens. The once desolate landscape is now crowded with life—wild flowers, frogs, elk, beaver, and birds all signaling renewal. https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/hummocks

Johnson Ridge Eruption Trail 

• Pass needed at the Trailhead: Monument Pass

• Easy

• .6 mile round trip out and back

• Elevation gain: 25 feet

• 30-45 minutes

This short paved hike is accessible to all and offers spectacular views and interpretive kiosks to explain and give context to what you’re looking at. Panoramic views across the pumice plains to the Mount St. Helens (Loowit) crater will make you shiver. https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/eruption-trail#trip-report-listing-header

Trail of Two Forests 

• Pass needed at trailhead: Northwest Forest Pass

• Easy

• .5 mile loop

• Elevation gain: 50 feet 

• 30-45 minutes

On this interpretive stroll you’ll learn the geological history of the region through two distinct forests, one of which was consumed by lava 2,000 years ago, leaving remarkable tree lava-casts behind. You can even climb down into a few of them and explore it from the inside out. https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/trail-of-two-forests