Recommendations for remote camp spots around Mt St Helens?

bitburger · 04-19-2008, 02:50 PM

Our SMB is to arrive shortly and we are excited to plan out some of our first trips.

Does anyone have recommendations for the Forest Service roads around Mt St Helens? Don't worry about snow conditions. If it is still too snowy, we will just delay by a month or two and head somewhere else first.

We are looking at this for one of our summer trips and I'd like any pointers that this group would have.

We are new to 4wd so I'd rather not have the roughest road.
Think gentler easier beginner 4wd:-)

In the perfect world, you would have gps or gpx track files with a lovely, lonely and somewhat remote camp spot that you have used in the past but in fairness, any recommendation would be better than where I am now.

Thanks.

-Mark

BC · 04-22-2008, 01:11 PM

there are some places off the main road to Ape Canyon, on the Southeast side of the mtn which is a cool place and not as frequented as the west side. Dont have exact coordinates, but if you head that way you will see some of the offshoot roads, nothing too nasty, up into the trees before you get to Ape Canyon. There are also some more exposed areas on the rocks near the end of the road, and have 4-wheeled in there, but not sure how the Forest Service would take to camping in there.

bitburger · 05-07-2008, 12:23 PM

Thanks for the advice.

I checked with the Park Services and they said camping is only allowed in the established camp grounds. They indicated that the opportunities for traveling along the forest service roads are restricted and most roads are gated, even as compared with previous years.

It may call for extended reconnoitering

Perhaps I'll look at Mt Rainer if this falls through.

BC · 05-07-2008, 03:02 PM

of course they said that, no surprise. The side roads I've seen up there arent the main FS roads and dont have gates. They also dont go very far, just little offshoots into the trees and appeared to be some well known and oft-used sites just off the main road. I'll have to explore next time I'm up there, maybe they've gotten more restrictive too.