Harrys Ridge Hike

View to Mt. Adams over Spirit Lake, Harrys Ridge (bobcat)

Lupine and paintbrush, Boundary Trail (bobcat)

Coldwater Peak and The Dome from Boundary Trail (bobcat)

Pussypaws (Calyptridium umbellatum), Harrys Ridge (bobcat)

Mt. St. Helens from Harrys Viewpoint, Harrys Ridge (bobcat)

The Boundary Trail to Harrys Ridge (not a GPS track) (bobcat) Courtesy: Caltopo

Start point: Johnston Ridge Observatory Trailhead
End point: Harrys Ridge Viewpoint
Hike type: Out and Back
Distance: 8.5 miles round-trip
Elevation gain: 1830 feet
High point: 4,752 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Seasons: Late spring into fall
Family Friendly: No
Backpackable: No
Crowded: Yes

Johnston Ridge and the upper Toutle River valley took the brunt of the May 18th, 1980, eruption of Mount Saint Helens, and if you want to appreciate a significant part of the effects of the greatest landslide in recorded history, then the hike to Harrys Ridge will not disappoint. You’ll begin at the Johnston Ridge Observatory, and the hike will take you along the eastern crest of the ridge and up to a viewpoint that will give a commanding view across the Pumice Plain to the breach, down to completely displaced Spirit Lake, east to Mount Adams, and north to Coldwater Peak, The Dome, and Mount Margaret. Along the way, you’ll see a memorial to those who died, read interpretive signs about the cataclysm, detour to the Devils Elbow Viewpoint, and cross the Spillover, where the landslide flowed over the ridge itself. Johnston Ridge is named after David A. Johnston, the USGS volcanologist who was killed while monitoring the blast, and Harrys Ridge honors Harry R. Truman, the cantankerous 83-year-old owner of the Mt. St. Helens Lodge at Spirit Lake who refused to evacuate the blast zone and was buried, with his lodge and 16 cats, under tons of pyroclastic debris.

Take the paved path to the observatory to get your wristband. (Everyone needs to check in here and pay the fee or present a Northwest Forest Pass.) You can tour the exhibits if you like and then come out to gaze at the breach on the north side of Mount Saint Helens. Between you and the mountain is a debris plain, drained by the Toutle, that is essentially a 150-foot thick layer of pyroclastic material from the middle of the mountain and part of the largest recorded landslide in human history. A memorial wall here names the 57 souls who lost their lives in the blast.

Walk to your left to pick up the paved Eruption Trail, whose interpretive signs detail the cataclysm and some of the aftermath. The trail switchbacks up three times and then winds up this small knoll past explanatory signs. You will see the grasses, willows and alders that are revegetating the landscape almost 40 years later. Wildflowers include paintbrush, lupine, penstemon, fireweed, and pearly everlasting. Reach the top of the rise and check out a compass that details the surrounding peaks. Then the trail drops in two switchbacks and reaches the Boundary-Eruption Trail Junction.

You are now officially entering the Mt. Margaret Backcountry, where you will need to get a permit to camp in a designated site. Head down the ridge, continuing to get great views across the Pumice Plain to the Sasquatch Steps that lead to the breach on Mount Saint Helens. Posts along the trail aid route finding when there is still deep snow. You’ll also get views across the head of the Coldwater Creek valley to Coldwater Peak; look also for the Saint Helens Lake Arch on the rocky ridge running south from the peak. Pass through a thicket of alder and note the mats of little dwarf lupine, a nitrogen-fixing plant that was one of the first to recolonize the devastated area. Drop past a kiosk with a map of the area and switchback down. The trail then undulates up the ridge among huckleberry bushes that turn red in late summer. Pass a clump of undergreen willow and reach the junction with a closed section of the Boundary Trail. Keep left here on the bypass trail which, early in the season, means crossing a snowfield. Drop down to the Boundary-Devils Elbow Bypass Trail East Junction. For the detour to the Devils Elbow Viewpoint, go right, and head up among alders, willows, and young noble firs before dropping to the viewpoint, from which you can get a full-on view of the breach. Also visible are the south shore of Spirit Lake, Mount Adams, and some small ponds in the Pumice Plain. To the west, the Johnston Ridge Observatory can be seen above the devastated Toutle River valley.

Return to the bypass junction, and then continue on to the Boundary-Truman Trail Junction. Keep left here and hike up a white alder/undergreen willow draw among mounds of pyroclastic debris in an area known as the Spillover, where the landslide from the May 18th, 1980, blast cascaded over Johnston Ridge. There are great views to Coldwater Peak from here before you drop into a depression and then make a traverse up the west slope of Harrys Ridge. Cross a footbridge that spans two erosion gullies and, at Harrys Saddle, come to the Boundary-Harrys Ridge Trail Junction.

Go right and switchback to get a great view of The Dome, which sits above Saint Helens Lake (not visible from here). Also look down to Bear Cove on Spirit Lake and the debris mounds along Bear Creek. Next, get a clear vista east across the spine of Indian Heaven to Mount Adams. Keep hiking along the crest of the ridge and begin to get better views of Spirit Lake. The trail wends through clumps of huckleberries and reaches the volcano monitoring equipment at the top of the ridge. Here, you get another all-encompassing view to Mount Saint Helens and more of Spirit Lake. The Harrys Ridge Trail continues another 0.2 miles down the north crest of the ridge, but the views don’t change, so the summit is a good turnaround point.

Fees, Regulations, etc.

$8 day use fee required. Pay inside the Johnston Ridge Observatory. A Northwest Forest Pass (or America the Beautiful Pass) is good for one adult.
No dogs allowed.
Stay on the trail or you can get fined.

Maps

Maps: Hike Finder
Green Trails Maps: Spirit Lake, WA #332
Green Trails Maps: Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument, WA #332S
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument & Administrative Area
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Gifford Pinchot National Forest
National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Mount St. Helens - Mount Adams

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Guidebooks that cover this destination

Washington Wildflower Hikes by Nathan Barnes & Jeremy Barnes
Day Hiking: Mount St. Helens by Craig Romano & Aaron Theisen
Beer Hiking: Pacific Northwest by Rachel Wood & Brandon Fralic
Oregon Favorites: Trails & Tales by William L. Sullivan
100 Hikes: Northwest Oregon by William L. Sullivan
Washington Hiking by Craig Hill
Pacific Northwest Hiking by Craig Hill & Matt Wastradowski
Day Hiking: South Cascades by Dan A. Nelson & Alan L. Bauer
95 Virtual Hikes of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument by Northwest Hiker
The Disabled Hiker's Guide to Western Washington and Oregon by Syren Nagakyrie
Hiking Washington’s History by Judy Bentley

Contributors

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Harrys Ridge Hike

Harrys Ridge Hike

From Oregon Hikers Field Guide

Contents

Description

Fees, Regulations, etc.

Maps

Trip Reports

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Guidebooks that cover this destination

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