Ape Canyon, Lava Canyon — Friday, Jul. 7, 2023

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.