Mt. St. Helen's Conditions

[posielski]

I am looking to climb Mt. St. Helen's on August 10. Would you recommend I take the Monitor Ridge route or the Worm Flows route? I climbed it earlier this year in July and I did the Worm Flows route. Are there still people using it or is everyone going up Monitor Ridge? Also what can I expect in terms of snow and general conditions?

[Seamstress]

Monitor Ridge. As the Worm Flow Route melts out, more rocks are showing, and the "headwall" is less pleasant. People have been primarily using Monitor Ridge since mid July. If you want more peace, then do Butte Camp.

 

There is still a lot of snow up there. You may still encounter drifts in the woods. The melt out is beginning to accelerate, but I would anticipate that you will still prefer waterproof shoes. You will be able to glissade in places, but be careful about going into the rocks. Folks have been going off route to the West and staying out much later than they anticipated, so don't blindly follow tracks assuming that all is good. I like these conditions since you don't have to do the "endless sand dune".