There’s some confusion between the given parameters of this hike and the hike description. The hike described here goes from the Bear Meadow area on FR 99 and runs north to the lookout. According to Romano & Theisen in their “Day Hiking Mount St. Helens” (Mountaineers Books), this is a hike of 4.8 m RT with a gain of 1400 ft. There’s another hike that proceeds north from the Strawberry Mountain trailhead at the end of FR 2516. (These are described separately in the book as “Strawberry Mountain” and “Strawberry Mountain Lookout Site.”) Directions to 2516 are provided by WTA’s entry for this hike in the driving directions from Randle. This trailhead also gives you the option of a much shorter hike to the lookout site, about 1.6 m RT with an elevation gain of 600 ft. To hike the lookout from the FR 2516 trailhead, walk up the old road to the lookout, to the left of the parking area and heading south. You don’t have to go far—just a tenth of a mile or so. Look for a trail on your right angling sharply upwards at an acute angle. This steep trail brings you to a junction in the saddle described by WTA. To your left is the trail coming up from Bear Meadow. Head right, up a mercifully short climb to the lookout site and your fabulous 360 views.
You can head back to the trailhead and call it a day, but why stop now? You’ve only hiked a mile and a half! Proceed north up the trailhead marked for Strawberry Mountain. You can continue along this very long ridge for up to seven miles before you run into private property. Romano & Theisen describe a hike of 8.8 m RT, elevation gain 1700 ft, bringing you astounding views in almost every direction for most of the hike. I went about 3 miles up and turned around, but I’ll be back for more! The wildflowers all along the ridge are gorgeous right now.
A note concerning FR 2516: this is a very rough road, but my Prius sedan managed for most of the way. There are deep trenches and holes, but they don’t span the width of the road, so you can slowly and carefully maneuver around them. It took me about 30 minutes to drive five miles in, where I parked and walked the last mile. This last mile had a short section with a raised center ridge, which might have been too much for my sedan. Anyone with a bit more clearance could easily drive the distance.
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