Trip
Day Hike - Ape Caves
This adventurous family hike will take us on a rugged 1.5 mile walk and rock scramble through the upper Ape Cave lava tube, followed by about a mile hike through the forest.
Contacts
- Sun, Sep 9, 2018
- Olympia Youth & Family Activities
- Day Hiking
- Families
- Easy
- Moderate
- Mileage: 2.6 mi
- Elevation Gain: 360 ft
- FULL (9 capacity)
- FULL (2 capacity)
- Cancellation & Refund Policy
We will meet at the Ape Caves trail-head parking lot at 10:30 a.m. Participants are encouraged to arrange to meet in Olympia to carpool/caravan (plan to leave Olympia by around 8:00 am).
The plan for this hike is to through the Upper Cave, which is the more challenging section of the Ape Cave lava tube. It is a rugged 1.5 miles through the lave tube that requires scrambling up, over, and around abrasive rocks, as well as climbing an 8 foot lava fall.
This is a family hike for older children (minimum of 8 years old) with a supervising parent or other adult. Participants must be in good physical condition and able to scramble over wet rocks, as well as spend several hours in dark and sometimes small spaces. If you have questions or concerns about you or your child's ability to complete this hike, please contact to the leader to discuss prior to signing up.
Ape Caves & Volcano Viewpoint
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Green Trails Mount St Helens NVM No. 332S
Green Trails Mt St Helens No. 364 - See full route/place details.
Required Equipment
In addition to the 10 essentials (per family), all participants must have a headlamp with extra batteries and a back-up light source, sturdy hiking boots, gloves, and warm clothes (the temperature inside the caves is around 42 degrees year round, and expect to get wet and dirty).