We started our overnight from Ape Canyon trailhead around 10am heading towards Pumice Butte. Nice and cool in the woods for the first few miles. Views of St Helens and Adams from the north side of the butte, where we set up camp. After hanging out for a bit we set out for Loowit Falls.

Passing through the Plains of Abraham you're treated to great views of the aforementioned mountains and a beautiful Mars-like environment. I would say after this was the highlight of the trip - upon hiking over Windy Pass it really opens up. Incredible views of Rainier, Spirit Lake, and Mount Margaret backcountry. The area is bursting with purple lupine and we were blessed with the presence of a very large herd of goats. After checking out the waterfall we headed back to camp while taking in the golden hour washing over the landscape.

In the morning we watched a family of goats playing before we ate breakfast and packed out. Overall this makes for a lovely overnight with great options for side trips.

Beta: No snow on the trail. A bit of water nearby camp on the N side of Pumice Butte, but I doubt it will be there much longer. If my memory is correct about 2.5 miles down the Loowit Trail (all flat) before you reach Windy Pass there is a running creek of clear water, and we definitely passed several strongly flowing water sources after Windy Pass. Navigating up and over Alpine Butte - it can be hard to find the initial trail, but there is one that doesn't involve going straight up and over. This part of the trail a little slippery and narrow in places. No mosquitos for us but a few pesky biting flies in the woods.

We started Ape Canyon around 10 Am a little later than hoped for since we changed plans due to mosquitoes but the trail is shaded so it wasn’t overly hot. The trail was about half hikers and half mountain bikers so it could be crazy on the weekend to attempt to hike with the bikers. We camped the night before at Merrill Lake thanks DNR for taking care of us procrastinators! There is an abundance of dispersed and free camping up by the mountain in case there are no spaces left in the other camps around Cougar. The trail is consistently beautiful starting at the lahar with big views of St. Helens, then winding through old growth and climbing into views of the other volcanoes of the range and the dark divide. Motivators today included hide and seek, imaginary destination teleportation, snake and toad catching, and Sasquatch investigating. We got about 4 miles or so up the mountain but turned around after we got some views of Adams and Rainier as the kids were flagging. The 2 year old hiked a little over a mile and rode in the backpack and my five year old did the 4 or so miles mostly with a few complaints when we went too long without seeing more toads or garter snakes. This isn’t a great trail for young kids just due to the difficulty level and limited spots for stopping and snacking. The trail is narrow in spots and getting to the side for bikers can be a challenge. All the bikers we encountered were courteous and respectful, but sharing the trail could be a real challenge on a crowded day. Make sure to pack plenty of water as there are limited water sources. 
After our long hike up the hill with spirits sagging towards the end we decided to eat some cookies by the lava canyon waterfalls. The suspension bridge is out so there is a limited hike at the canyon but the views on the ADA accessible stretch and first bridge are incredible and my son found more snakes so he called it Mount Snake Helens which is a pretty great pun for a five year old. The trail has some high consequence areas for kids so the signage indicating to watch children closely seems like great advice. There are some slippery stretches on the rock that could lead to falls. Overall a great day in the mountains and we got boots on three different trails Butte Camp, Ape Canyon, and Lava Canyon.

We cleared the first mile of the trail the weekend prior so the first mile was on cruise control.  After that we ran into lots of heavy duff, small branches, encroaching vine maple, and a few downed trees, but nothing difficult to get by.   We kicked and tossed lots of the small branches off the trail on our way up and down, but there's still plenty left if anyone has the mind or energy to do that same.  

There were 2 small snow snowfields to cross after the junction with the Loowit, and 1 larger snow field just below Pumice Butte.  All were easy to cross.

We arrived at Pumice Butte just before 8am to find a group of 13 mountain goats (including 3 babies) lounging at the base. We cut across the wash above the spring as to not disturb them. Once on the other side of the Spring we sat and watched them for a while before walking across the pumice plain to the junction with the Abraham trail.  As we were walking North a lone mountain biker came from behind us and passed by.  We turned around at the junction saving Windy Pass for another day.  On our return to the Spring we passed a solo Loowit hiker who was tackling the trail CCW. 

Back at the spring, we hung out a while longer taking in the views and topped off our water before heading out. Other than a pair of mountain bikers heading up in the forested area of trail we did not pass anyone else the rest of the day.

On the way up the road to the TH we'd passed an abandoned snowcat (snow grooming machine, not an animal :)) by the time we returned it had been removed and the FS was in the process of removing the remaining snow (which was minimal) from the road. Presumably road 83 will be fully open tomorrow.

Minimal flowers yet, there was some heather in bloom, a little bit of prairie lupine.

May 25, 2023. GATE CLOSED - UNABLE TO HIKE, NO ACCESS TO TRAILHEAD DUE TO GATE CLOSURE/ROAD CLOSED.

Drove all the way from Longview, WA and the GATE/ROAD IS CLOSED near the Marble Mountain Snow Park Overflow parking SO YOU CANNOT HIKE Ape Canyon. Very disappointed. 

Weather was perfect with high overcast. The views of Mt St Helens are incredible. We were surprised when the trail came out of the forest and we were standing above the mouth of the canyon. We continued to the intersection of the Loowit Trail which provides several different views into the canyon. Be careful as there are some loose areas on this trail. Bring water as the springs offer little to none at this point in the summer.