Sheep Canyon Trail #240 in the SW corner of Mt St Helen's National Monument was a big surprise. I expected a sun-baked, blasted war zone trail, but the whole thing from Blue Lake to the end is 95% in beautiful forest. The driving instructions in the hiking books are obsolete. From the 90 Road, go up the 83 for 3 miles, then left on the 81 for 5 miles, just like the books say, then right at the T intersection on the 8123 at the big sign for "Blue Lake 2 Miles." The 8123 now ends in 1 1/2 miles at a washout at the Blue Lake trailhead. You can no longer drive to the Sheep Canyon trailhead, and I'm told the road is closed for good. Find the trail to the right of the kiosk, and start up through the rugged, rocky, dead-tree-filled valley floor. In just a few hundred yards find the intersection with Toutle Trail #238 and follow it to Blue Lake. Here is the only water crossing - a very easy 10 or 12 foot walk across logs nicely placed, only a foot or so above the narrow, shallow outlet of Blue Lake. It's almost as good as a small bridge. Enter forest, and follow this trail for 3 miles (from the car) to the start of Sheep Canyon Trail #240. A little trail confusion here. The trail sign says to go downhill, left to Sheep Canyon Trail, but that takes you to a big bridge and good views of Sheep Canyon and the start of trail 216, which in 3 miles will eventually get you to the other end of the Sheep Canyon Trail, but not to the start, which is only a hundred yards away. You want to continue straight at the sign and in a hundred yards or so you'll see a big, major sign for the start of the Sheep Canyon Trail. Do not cross that big bridge, the Sheep Canyon trail goes up the right side of Sheep Canyon. It's a very nice trail through the woods, and eventually opens up into small firs and open terrain as you gain elevation. At the end of the Sheep Canyon Trail, you can go right on Butte Camp Trail 238A for a quarter mile of so for a great view of St Helen's, the best of the trip. Or Go left on Toutle Trail 238 for a loop trip back to the big bridge at the bottom of Sheep Canyon. I did not do the loop. Except for that initial start from the parking lot in devastated terrain, all of this trail is in beautiful forest and in excellent condition. Did not see any other people above Blue Lake. No snow of any kind. No mud. No water on trail. No encroaching vegetation. A couple of step-over downed logs. Only a few bugs. Very pleasant, but surprisingly few good views. Total distance 9 miles. Easy enough. Highly recommended.

The road is still out and looks like it will be permanently. We decided at the last minute to hike this trail, since it sounded good on the info we got from the ranger station. We found the last six miles of the road permanently closed, and reading other reports now it looks like its been closed for 10 years. They just haven't updated the material they sell at the ranger stations. Since we still wanted to go somewhere, we hiked the butte camp trail from this Blue Lake trailhead where the road stops. See the report for that hike.

We did a Sheep Canyon lollipop loop starting on the Toutle trail at Blue Lake, going clockwise onto the Loowit and back down the Toutle trail.

Trail was in decent shape, with a few obstacles to get by.  A nice variety of flowers are in bloom. We could see some goats on the flanks of the mountain and a frog down at Blue Lake, which we checked out on the return.

Road washed out and blocked at Blue Lake trail head. Took the 2.5 mile hike to intercep the Sheep Canyon trailhead. Water at intersection last water to tap. Hiked 3.0 up the the trail, found no water in usual places so hiked back down to creek at intersection. Made the mistake of hiking the road back to Blue Lake trail head, 6 miles compared to the trail route.

Road between Blue Lake trailhead (Toutle Trail #238) and Sheep Canyon Trailhead is washed out & closed. It's an additional 6-mile round trip hiking to Sheep Canyon Trail #240 along Toutle Trail...if you hike the road instead, it's much farther. Flowers are blooming along the Loowit Trail, loop hike of #238, #216 and #240 approximately 13 miles and took me 5 hours with several short breaks. Bugs weren't bad at all, didn't wear a drop of repellant and was never bitten. Most of trails maintained, although portions of Loowit trail were much like dirt path tunnels through the brush. Some blow-down, most easily negotiated.