Climbing Mount Saint Helens via the Ptarmigan Trail & Monitor Ridge in Washington
Distance (One Way): 4.4 miles / 7.1 km
Following the May 18, 1980, eruption that changed Mount Saint Helens forever, climbing to the summit has become an iconic bucket-list peak not only for those who live in the Pacific Northwest but for outdoor enthusiasts across the country!
This is because Mount Saint Helens is widely considered to be the easiest volcanic Cascade Summit to climb in the state of Washington, as no technical skills are required if the Ptarmigan Trail and Monitor Ridge are used to ascend the mountain during the summer months.
For these reasons, Mount Saint Helens is a very popular summer adventure, which is why climbing permits to manage crowds were implemented when the mountain first reopened to the public in 1987, just seven years after the big eruption.
To learn more about what this means for climbing Mount Saint Helens today, I highly recommend reading the next few sections below.
How to Get Permits to Climb Mount Saint Helens?
From April 1 - October 31, all those wishing to climb Mount Saint Helens must reserve a permit through Recreation.gov.
That said, the real question is: How difficult is it to reserve a Mount Saint Helens climbing permit?
What I can say from my experience is that Mount Saint Helens climbing permits are not nearly as challenging to obtain as others around the country, such as the Enchantments Traverse to the north or even the Havasupai Trail out of state.
However, when they are first released for the season, weekends throughout the summer typically book up fast, with weekdays being much easier to come by. With that in mind, I recommend reserving your permits as soon as you know your dates—especially during the mid-summer months—as even weekdays will sell out in advance, though they are not nearly as competitive.
Book Here: Mount St. Helens Permits
Is Technical Gear Required to Climb Mount Saint Helens?
For a mid-summer, snow-free climb up the Ptarmigan Trail and Monitor Ridge—the route shown in this post—the answer is no.
However, this answer quickly changes if you decide to take a different route—or if you’re climbing in spring, early summer (June), late fall, or obviously winter.
That is to say, climbing Mount Saint Helens via the Ptarmigan Trail and Monitor Ridge is not a glaciated climb, so long as you stay on route—which can be more difficult to do when the trail is snowed over.
To know for sure, a mid-July - late-September climb is usually a safe bet, but if you’re climbing outside of this window, be sure to check recent posts on climbing forums and even AllTrails to see what people are saying.
Is a Guide Necessary to Climb Mount Saint Helens?
If you’re familiar with Pacific Northwest trails and expect snow-free conditions, I don’t believe a guide is necessary.
I obviously can’t speak to everyone’s ability for a snowier ascent, but in my opinion, the most challenging part of climbing Mount Saint Helens is navigating the lowermost sections of Monitor Ridge.
Getting on the correct trail right after the sign reminding you that permits are required is the most confusing part of the hike, but once you can positively confirm you’ve found the correct route within the first few hundred feet, the rest of the climb up Mount Saint Helens should be much more straightforward. It’s just a steep hike!
Climbers Bivouac Trailhead Parking
Parking for Ptarmigan Trail is located at the Climbers Bivouac Trailhead on the south side of Mt. Saint Helens.
That said, the last 2.6 miles (4.2 km) on Forest Road 830 are unpaved, which tends to be the bumpiest part of the drive, though low-clearance vehicles can usually still make it when the road is snow-free.
Before arriving, come prepared with either a valid Recreation Pass or cash to pay the entrance fee for the Volcanic National Monument at the trailhead. All vehicles are required to display some form of payment, and those that don’t risk receiving a fine upon returning to the trailhead.
Google Maps Directions: Climbers Bivouac Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Washington
Black Bears can be found throughout Washington, but hiking with or without bear spray is truly up to your own discretion and comfort level when adventuring in Black Bear territory.
Furthermore, here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Washington.
Climbing Mount Saint Helens via the Ptarmigan & Monitor Ridge Trail
For a 5:36 a.m. sunrise, I set off from the Climbers Bivouac Trailhead at 2:10 a.m. in an effort to catch it from the summit, and I would say I timed it perfectly—arriving at the top within 10 minutes of the sun breaking over the horizon.
That said, a roughly 3-hour-and-15-minute ascent from the trailhead to the summit is a fairly quick pace, as I didn’t take any breaks, and I even got off route on the lower elevations of Monitor Ridge.
For this reason, I believe an extra hour may be necessary for most groups if you want to ensure you don’t miss sunrise from the summit!
Before setting off, don’t forget to sign the registry at the trailhead.
There will be a second sign at the base of Monitor Ridge to let hikers know how high they can legally ascend Mount St. Helens without a climbing permit.
Once on the hike, the Ptarmigan Trail and the Monitor Ridge Trail ascend roughly 1,030 ft. (314 m) over the first 2.1 miles (3.4 km) to the treeline and the start of the permit zone for all climbers hiking higher than 4,800 ft. (1,463 m).
Whether your plan is to summit at sunrise or not, do not forget to pack a good headlamp.
Hiking only 4.4 miles (7.1 km) to the summit of Mount Saint Helens might not seem like a terribly long day compared to other Washington adventures, but it takes longer than most anticipate, because Monitor Ridge is such a soft and tedious trail to ascend.
In my opinion, the lowest elevations of the Ptarmigan Trail take the longest to hike mentally, as there are no views through the dense Western Hemlock–Douglas Fir forests that dominate this part of the Pacific Northwest, until the trail starts to get close to the Monitor Ridge junction.
Some hikers may prefer to bring trekking poles for the near-constant ascent up Mount Saint Helens, especially on the upper elevations of Monitor Ridge where the trail gets much softer.
It’s always interesting to see how high the trail markers are on the trees, which helps to give an idea of how much snow this area of Washington receives in an average winter.
With about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) left before the end of the Ptarmigan Trail, Monitor Ridge becomes visible for the first time through the trees.
That said, treeline is still about 360 ft. (110 m), or 0.4 miles (0.6 km), up the trail from this point, which is where the real Mount Saint Helens climb begins!
It’s always cool to see the different Lupine species across the Mountain West!
This switchback is a nice sign that the end of the Ptarmigan Trail is not far ahead!
Ptarmigan-Monitor Ridge-Loowit Junction
At roughly 1.9 miles (3.1 km), the Ptarmigan Trail comes to an end, where the Loowit Trail meets the most popular climbing route up Mount St. Helens.
From here, the rest of the hike to the summit of Mount St. Helens follows the Monitor Ridge Trail, which reaches treeline and the permit zone just 0.2 miles (0.3 km) up the trail from this junction.
That said, go straight at this split to continue to the summit of Mount St. Helens.
This is where the treeline begins to open up, just prior to the 4,800-ft. (1,463 m) mark and the permit zone.
Mount Saint Helens Permit Zone
At almost exactly 4,800 ft. (1,463 m), the Monitor Ridge Trail reaches treeline and the Mount Saint Helens permit zone.
That said, the lowermost sections of Monitor Ridge immediately following this sign are the most confusing part of the entire hike—especially in the dark.
This is because the trails up Monitor Ridge ribbon out in all different directions up the mountain, likely because climbers are just trying to follow the easiest path when the trail is snowed over.
However, when the conditions are snow-free, go left, then right immediately after turning, to find where the best and most straightforward route up Mount Saint Helens continues.
This is the right turn immediately following the sign.
If you don’t find yourself on an obvious trail heading straight up the mountain after the sign, it’s best to retrace your steps to get back on track.
There’s no reason this section should be more difficult than what can be seen in these photos—especially considering that the loose volcanic rock off-trail can make it easy to kick rocks down on hikers below.
The trail markers on the ridge to the left, and the faint blue arrow straight ahead in the distance, are a nice sign that you’re on the correct route!
This hard left turn is exactly what I missed when climbing up in the dark, which was largely my fault, as I forgot to replace my headlamp batteries after I already knew they were going bad from my sunrise hike up The Cables on Half Dome just a month earlier.
On that note, I want to say it again: do not forget to pack a good headlamp! It’s one of those gear items that really is worth investing in.
After the left turn, the rest of the hike up to the crest of Monitor Ridge should be much more straightforward.
When the Monitor Ridge Trail reaches the crest of the ridge, go right to continue up Mount Saint Helens.
From this point on, the climb should become much more obvious—especially in the dark!
The trail markers leading up the right-hand side of the trail are a nice sign that you’re following the correct route.
That said, the first 0.5 miles (0.8 km) up Monitor Ridge, following this turn, should stay to the left of the high ridge on the right. This is where the easiest trail will be found, instead of trying to reach every marker placed along the ridge.
If you look closely, volcanic fumes can be seen rising from within the caldera.
This prominent rock on the right side of the trail was one of the few things that stood out to me as I ascended these lower elevations during the night.
This is a good example of where the easiest trail can be found to the left of the ridge.
However, this does not apply when the trail is snowed over. In fact, most off-season climbs do not follow Monitor Ridge as shown here. Instead, climbers typically start cutting straight across the Dryer Glacier toward the summit once the summit ridge becomes visible in the distance about halfway up.
At this split, I recommend staying to the left, but there will be a point where it is easiest to hike the upper paralleling trail.
This is roughly where I recommend heading to the upper trail.
However, in either case, both routes up Monitor Ridge will meet again shortly ahead.
Near the top of the ridge on the right, both of the paralleling routes come together.
From this point, the Monitor Ridge Trail begins a stretch of six straight back-to-back scrambles starting here, with the first being the longest and most significant.
This is the view looking south down Monitor Ridge.
At the top of the long, steep initial scramble, the summit of Mount Saint Helens can be seen for the first time above the Dryer Glacier!
That said, I recommend counting the next five scrambling sections, as shown here.
By this, I mean that the Monitor Ridge Trail will climb a steeper section, like the one below and ahead, followed by a short break five more times before the trail finally reaches the uppermost elevations and the portion of the hike that simply winds its way over the soft volcanic slopes of Mount Saint Helens.
At the bottom of the third scramble, the EarthScope Observatory Station becomes visible for the first time on the hike up Monitor Ridge, which, for most hikers, is nothing more than a mental checkpoint on the way up and down.
There was some wildfire smoke on this ascent during the third week of July, which is why Mt. Hood can barely be seen in the distance on the left side of the photo below.
The EarthScope Observatory Station on Monitor Ridge is used to measure all things related to volcanic and seismic activity, which helps researchers to understand what’s going on at Mount Saint Helens and the greater Cascade Range.
After the Observatory Station, there are only two more short sections left to scramble before reaching the final slopes up Mount Saint Helens.
The rocky section straight ahead is the last of the six sections to scramble.
At the top of the sixth scramble, the rest of the hike up Monitor Ridge can finally be seen for the first time, with the true summit as the leftmost peak in the photo below.
It is these final sections that tend to be the softest and typically most physically challenging to hike, as hiking on any soft-soil landscape, such as a sand dune, always takes more energy than it would if the ground were firmer.
This is again why some hikers may prefer to carry trekking poles—especially for the steepest sections just below the crater rim.
Coming from the person who traveled all the way from Hawaiʻi to climb Mount Saint Helens on no sleep, I was honestly surprised by the number of locals that didn’t seem to care or understand that starting in the dark is crucial for a great day on Mount Saint Helens in the summer.
I’m not saying it’s completely necessary to be standing on the summit at sunrise, like I did, but getting high up Monitor Ridge before the sun comes up should be the goal, at the very least.
Mount Saint Helens is not a very high summit, meaning the hot summer sun and lack of shade at these relatively mild elevations will make climbing it more difficult than it would be otherwise—even just a few hours after sunrise.
Regarding my thoughts above, I highly recommend climbing Mount Saint Helens in a hooded sun shirt, especially since the slowest-moving sections up Monitor Ridge are all above treeline.
I can’t imagine this glacial ice will be up here forever, but it certainly is cool to walk down to, if you’re curious.
Just below the crater rim, the Monitor Ridge Trail begins the toughest, steepest part of the entire climb, as this is where the ground is truly the softest.
However, I have to imagine this final steep push would be significantly easier if there was firm snow over the trail to ascend.
This is where I decided to walk down and check out the glacier.
This is the top of Monitor Ridge, but it is not the summit of Mount Saint Helens.
Rather, the true summit is located 0.4 miles (0.6 km) to the west (left) of this point on the crater rim.
There’s a few short but steep hills to hike along the rim of the crater in order to reach the true summit.
The section straight ahead is the final summit push to the top of Mount Saint Helens!
The true summit is the farthest peak on the left.
Mount Saint Helens
According to the USGS, Mount Saint Helens stands at approximately 8,363 ft. (2,549 m), down from 9,677 ft. (2,950 m) at its peak prior to the May 18, 1980, eruption.
That said, Mount Saint Helens towers above the surrounding landscape, with views of Mt. Hood to the south, Mt. Adams to the east, and Mt. Rainier to the north—not to mention the newest glacier in the world, located within the crater!
Crater Glacier
This is Crater Glacier within the caldera, and yes, it’s considered to be the newest glacier in the world, as it obviously didn’t exist prior to the 1980 eruption.
Over this relatively short period of time, the natural basin and large amounts of shade within the caldera of Mount Saint Helens prompted a glacier to grow quickly—defying the trend of rapid melting seen on the glaciers that cascade down the outer slopes of the mountain, such as the Dryer and Swift Glaciers on both sides of Monitor Ridge on the hike up.
