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• Ape Cave Itineraries
• Visitor Centers Itineraries
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• Ranger Led Programs

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Field Trip Destinations

• South
• Ape Cave Area
• Lahar Viewpoint
• Lava Canyon
• Stratigraphy Viewpoint
• Trail Of Two Forests
• West
• Coldwater Lake Rec Area
• Coldwater Ridge Vis Ctr
• Hummocks Trail
• Johnston Ridge
• Mount St. Helens Vis Ctr

Finding Your Way

• Field Trip Essentials
• Fee Waiver
• Maps & Directions
• Rules & Regulations

Online Library

• Sources and Links
• Eruption History
• Pre Eruption Activity
• Eruption: May 18, 1980
• Post Eruption Activity
• Life Returns...

Destinations   Destinations - South Side >> Ape Cave   Ape Cave   Walking in Ape Cave. Forest Service photograph. Open Year Round (Access difficult from November to mid-May) Northwest Forests Pass required for each vehicle. ($5) No food or pets allowed in the cave   Take a step back in time when you enter this two thousand year old lava tube. Grab your lights and don your coat as you enter Ape Cave's dark, 42-degree (F) climate. The main entrance places you in the tube's middle, where you must choose between the lower ( three-fourths mile) or upper (one and one-half mile) paths. Examine the structures that formed during this rare basalt flow of long ago and search for the creatures that now call it home.     Education Programs Available Three large Interpretive Panels. Ranger-led Interpretive Activities available from late June to early-September. Lantern rentals and book sales available only from late June to early-September at Ape's Headquarters. ** One flashlight per student required (bring propane lanterns if available) ** Lower Cave (Three-fourth of a mile one way) requires 1 hour. Upper Cave (One and one-half miles one way) requires 2 and one-half to 3 hours. One-fourth mile trail to cave entrance is wheelchair accessible, but the itself cave is not.   Services Available There is no water at this location. This is Pack-It-In/Pack-It-Out site. Two pit toilets (wheelchair accessible). Do not throw trash in toilets! A Northwest Forest Pass is required for each vehicle at this location. This location has a self-service fee collection station ($5.00 pass/vehicle is required). There are no food services, no trash cans and no picnic tables at this location. The nearest picnic tables are at Trail of Two Forests (three tables), approximately one mile. This is Pack-It-In/Pack-It-Out site. No public pay telephone at this location. The nearest public pay telephone is in Cougar, Washington, approximately 8 miles. Please be aware that cellular telephones do not function properly in most of the Monument and surrounding Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Parking for 60 cars and three buses.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, status as a parent (in education and training programs and activities), because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or retaliation. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs or activities.) If you require this information in alternative format (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), contact the USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (Voice or TDD). If you require information about this program, activity, or facility in a language other than English, contact the USDA agency responsible for the program or activity, or any USDA office. To file a complaint alleging discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. , Washington , D.C. 20250-9410 , or call Toll free, (866) 632-9992 (Voice). TDD users can contact USDA through local relay or the Federal relay at (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (relay voice users). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.