vTrail Willow Trail

Willow SpringsTrail 207A

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Ranger's Report

Weather

Road Condition

Distance:

1.7 mile (5.2 total)

Hiking Time:

1 hour

Trailhead Elevation:

3600 ft

Elevation Gain:

800 ft

Season:

June - October

Difficulty:

Moderate

Rating:

Best - Very Good - Good - Fair

Use:

Moderate

Users:

Hikers

Region:

Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Maps:

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

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 and follow it for 16.4 miles to Windy Ridge Viewpoint trailhead at the end of the road. Follow Truman Trail #207. In 1.7 mile Truman Trail passes a junction with Abraham Trail #216D, then in another 0.3 mile a junction with Windy Trail #216E, that goes to the left. Continue on Truman Trail for another 1.5 mile to the junction with Willow Springs Trail #207A. Turn left (south) onto Willow Trail.

Trailhead:

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

Trail:

July 2, 2002

The trail starts off the junction with Truman Trail #207. It turns left (south) off Truman Trail. First 0.2 mile it passes through a beautiful meadow leading to a creek. Look for stone cairns to follow the trail and cross the creek. The trail climbs up the hill and in 0.5 mile reaches a Y junction. Both of the forks lead to Loowit Trail #216. Take left fork. The trail gradually climbs up the slope, leading to Loowit Falls and in about 1 mile reaches Loowit Trail #216. This junction is marked only with rock cairn, that is quite hard to spot on the way out. Be careful not to miss it. Turning right (west) onto Loowit Trail and following it for about 0.5 mile will bring you to the junction with Loowit Falls Viewpoint Trail #216F.

This trail provides exceptional views of the Mount St. Helens, Spirit Lake, Mount Margaret, Harry's Ridge, Spillover, Johnston Ridge, Coldwater Peak , Mount Adams . We also were treated with this sight of the "rainbow cloud" right above Mount St. Helens.

A nice loop can be done using this trail: Windy Trail#216E - Loowit Trail #216 - Willow Springs Trail - Truman Trail #207.