vTrail Abraham Trail

Abraham Trail 216D

Submit Update

Ranger's Report

Weather

Road Condition

Distance:

2.2 miles one way (3.7 total)

Hiking Time:

1 hour

Trailhead Elevation:

4200 ft

Elevation Gain:

300 ft

Season:

Mid June - September

Difficulty:

Moderate

Rating:

Best - Very Good - Good - Fair

Use:

Moderate

Users:

Hikers

Region:

Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Maps:

USGS Mount St Helens quad
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument Map
Gifford Pinchot National Forest Map

Permits:

Northwest Forest Pass is required

Driving Directions:

From Seattle take I-5 South to Exit #68 to Highway 12 East. Follow the highway for 47 miles to Randle. Turn right (south) onto Highway 131 South, in 0.7 mile at Y junction take right fork onto Road 25. Follow Road 25 for 18.9 miles and turn right (west) onto FR 99, follow it for 16.4 miles to Windy Ridge Viewpoint trailhead at the end of the road. Follow Truman Trail #207 for 1.7 mile to a junction with Abraham Trail #216D. Turn left onto Abraham Trail.

Trailhead:

No water, no restrooms (restrooms are available at Windy Ridge Viewpoint parking lot), no campsites.

Trail:

June 23, 2002

Follow an old road that is now Truman Trail #207 for 1.7 mile to a junction with Abraham Trail #216D. Turn left onto Abraham Trail that starts a gradual climb up the ridge. In about 0.2 mile the trail gets steeper as it climbs up the stairway . Please stay on the trail to minimize erosion, as well as for your own safety - the pumice that covers these slopes is quite unstable. After the stairs, the trail evens up and continues to gradually climb up the ridge, providing exceptional views of the Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams and Smith Creek Valley. It passes through blow-down trees . The trail turns onto the east slope, crosses several gullies, and in 2 miles reaches Abraham Plaines. Before the 1980 eruption, these plains were covered with beautiful meadows; now they are carved with mud and lava flows and covered by the pumice as well as volcanic ash . Life is slowly coming back to these scarred plains. You will see fragile, tiny plants fighting for life here and there; even small fields of flowers covering the foot of several hills . The trail leads through the plains and in 0.2 mile it reaches a junction with Loowit Trail #216, where it ends.