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Current Conditions
Mount St. Helens Climbing Route
Mount St. Helens is OPEN during the government shutdown
For current information, please visit the link below.
Last update: November 6, 2025
Bivouac: The signs say "closed" but as of Tuesday 11/4, the gate is still open. The road is very rough, but snow free. There is no snow at the Bivouac.
Marble Mountain Sno-park.: As of 11/4, the gate to the snow park is closed, but the overflow lot is open. There is no snow.
Climbing: The bivouac is the easiest and most direct route to the summit. The winter route is very challenging under current conditions (more complex navigation, steep ice, higher avi risk). Warm temperatures and rain have melted most snow below 6000'. Above that altitude, expect wind scoured rocks and ridges with snow drifts and lots of ice. Not conditions for skiing or glissading.
Summit Forecast:
- Thursday 11/6: Stormy. High winds (55 mph), heavy rain and heavy snow (more than a foot of snow possible on the upper slopes)), cold (30 F), dense fog and whiteout conditions.
- Friday 11/7: The storm tapers off, but it will be windy (30+ mph), very cold (20 F), with rain and snow showers and fog. It will be very icy with snow drifts up high.
- Saturday 11/8: Mostly sunny with winds to 25 mph, summit temps around 40 F, and no precip. It will be very icy with snow drifts up high.
- Sunday 11/9: Unseasonably warm (in the 40's on the summit), lots of sunshine, winds of 15-20 mph. Expect ice and snow on the upper mountain.
- Monday 11/10 into next week: Back to more seasonal conditions with colder temps, rain, snow, whiteouts, and wind. No snow in forecasts for the Bivouac.
ROUTE INFORMATION, NOVEMBER 5: Warm wet storms Tuesday night through the week is forecast to melt most of the snow up to 6000 or 7000' while adding a foot or two to the summit.
Monitor Ridge, 4500-7000' Between 4500-7000, there is new snow 2-4" deep. Underneath, the old snow is from non-existent to several feet deep. Everything is covered with frozen rain and rime. There are a few fragile snow bridges, but the most challenging stretches were some steep slopes with 5" of wet new snow sitting on hard frozen old snow.
Monitor Ridge, 7000'+: Wind scoured with patchy snow and thick ice everywhere.
Rim: The cornice is big and fragile.
EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION AT THE RIM. The cornice is present and dangerous. Stay back - stay alive.
CLIMBING INFORMATION
Want more info about climbing Mount St. Helens? Visit our climbing page.
MSHI GUIDED CLIMBS
Want support during your climb? Check out our guided adventures for more information about summit climbs with the Mount St. Helens Institute. 2026 dates open in mid-November.
NORTH SIDE/504 CORRIDOR CURRENT CONDITIONS
Visit USGS' live feed to see current conditions from the north side. You may need to change the feed to "newest first" to see the most recent image.
Check out facebook.com/mshslc/ for recent photos from the Science and Learning Center.
November 4: Ice at 7900'
November 4: Icy climbing route, looking up Monitor Ridge from 7400'
November 4: Rim and cornice at Mount St. Helens
November 4: Uphill view from the GPS
October 27: Snow in the woods from Climber's Bivouac
October 27: Treeline looking up to Monitor Ridge
Oct 20: Snowy climbing route. Photo: MSHI Volunteer Ted S.
October 20: Snowy sand on the upper climbing route. Photo: MSHI Volunteer Ted S.
Air Quality at Mount St. Helens
The sensor that captures the data below is at the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater and is operated in partnership with Washington Department of Natural Resources. Conditions may be different at other locations throughout the Mount St. Helens area and at different elevations.
Roads
ROADS: At this time in the season, road conditions change daily. FS-83 and Marble Mountain Sno-Park parking areas may be wet, slushy, or snow-covered.
South side, November 5: Roads should be clear and passable until the next storm that has snow at lower elevations. The road to Climber's Bivouac has major potholes and gulleys that may make passage impossible without high clearance.
West side, October 30: Highway 504 is clear to the Science and Learning Center and down to the Hummocks trailhead.
East side: Windy Ridge, no recent reports.
November 4: Large potholes on the road to Climber's Bivouac
November 4: Large gulley in the road to Climber's Bivouac, over 12" deep
November 4: Wet but snow free parking lot at Climber's Bivouac
Climbing Route
CLIMBING ROUTE: Monitor Ridge Route, aka Summer Route from Climber's Bivouac. As of 10/14: summer route is still open. Forest is muddy. Expect snow above the treeline. Traction devices (microspikes or crampons) are required for safety. The boulders are beginning to be covered with ice and are difficult to traverse. Expect 12-16" of snow above 6000'.
CORNICE WARNING: Stay on the rim and do not step down onto the scree shelf just below rim.
NAVIGATION: Navigation is essential as well-worn paths above the treeline are covered with snow. Come prepared to navigate your path.
Cornice
CORNICE WARNING: The rim cornice has melted out, but the rim edge is fragile and sloughs regularly. STAY BACK - STAY ALIVE.
Avalanche Conditions
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: NWAC Avalanche foreasting has concluded for the '24/'25 season. It is your responsibility to decide when, where and how to travel. Make sure you have the experience and skills to evaluate avalanche danger, and match your terrain choices to the conditions. Give the highest priority to observations of recent avalanches and other signs of instability, such as shooting cracks, rollerballs, significant snowfall/wind loading and rapid or prolonged warming.
During avalanche season, regularly check the Northwest Avalanche Center for up to date information.
BE PREPARED
BE PREPARED: Know the types and uses of traction devices, ice ax, and self-arrest techniques. Know the forecast at all elevations before your climb, have cold/wet weather layers and redundant navigational aides (map, compass and GPS) for low-visibility conditions. Have GPS basemaps and tracks in your navigation device before you go and look for pole cairns that mark the route above treeline.
PERMITTING: Washington Sno-Park Permit required as of Dec 1. Refer to the recreation and permitting site for current permit dates, prices and limitations. Information about Washington State sno-park passes can be found here.
CLIMBING ROUTE: Refer to the recreation and permitting site for current permit dates, prices and limitations. Climbing information from the Mount St. Helens Institute is found here.
LEAVE NO TRACE: Climbers are required to utilize blue bags to pack out all human or pet waste, including toilet paper.
CAMPING: There is dispersed camping and pit toilets available at the trailhead, but no running water, and bathroom services may be limited so please bring your own toilet paper, soap, water, or hand sanitizer. Please plan accordingly.
MOUNT ST. HELENS NATIONAL VOLCANIC MONUMENT CONDITIONS
Plan your visit to Mount St. Helens using our information page at www.mshinstitute.org/visit.
NORTH SIDE (504 CORRIDOR): 504 access open through Coldwater Lake and Hummocks Trail. South Coldwater trailhead open to bikes and foot traffic. Science and Learning Center open for visitors 4 days a week, Friday through Monday, 10 am - 4 pm through September 29; open 2 days per week, Saturday and Sunday, 10 am - 4 pm beginning October 4. Johnston Ridge Observatory is closed. The Science and Learning Center is closed during the government shutdown.
EAST SIDE (WINDY RIDGE): Unmarked detour around Huffaker Bridge work; see USFS alert for details. The Truman Trail, 99 Extension Road, and Harry's Ridge Trail are closed M-F (open Saturday and Sunday) due to Spirit Lake Outflow Tunnel construction; see USFS alert for details.
SOUTH SIDE (CLIMBING ROUTE, APE CAVE): FR 25 has been restored as a through route as of September 19, 2025. Forest Road 25 will close for winter. Ape Cave is closed for the winter as of October 31.
ALL AREAS: Fires are permitted in most areas. Use precautions to prevent wildfires. Fires are not permitted in zone 3 of the Monument, including recreational areas along the 504 corridor, Windy Ridge, the pumice plain, and the Mount Margaret Wilderness. Propane cooking stoves, lanterns, and heaters with off switches permitted in all areas.
ADDITIONAL FORECASTING AND CONDITION GUIDES
U.S. FOREST SERVICE
See the U.S. Forest Service Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument website for more information.
FIRE
Incident Information System has the most up to date info on all fires (prescribed or wild) around the country, or Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. Visit Washington Smoke Information, Washington's Air Monitoring Network and AirNow for the latest in Air Quality and forecasting.
WEATHER
Weather.gov point forecasts- Marble Mountain SnoPark (2,700ft) and mid-slope (6,200ft). Mountain-Forecast.com provides forecasts at three different elevations: summit 8,328ft, mid-slope 6,500ft and just above the trailhead 3,200ft.
AVALANCHE
Visit the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center for the most up-to-date avalanche forecast information during winter months.
SNOWPACK
Visit these SNOTEL sites for recent snow pack readings on the south side of Mount St. Helens- June Lake (3,400ft) and Swift Creek (4,400ft).
This conditions report is provided in conjunction with the US Forest Service, and is intended for personal and recreational purposes only. Safe backcountry travel requires preparation and planning, and this information may be used for planning purposes but does not provide all the information necessary for backcountry travel. Advanced mountaineering education is strongly encouraged for winter climbing.
The user acknowledges that it is impossible to accurately predict natural events in every instance, and the accuracy or reliability of the information provided here is not guaranteed in any way. This report describes general conditions and local variations will always occur. This report expires 24 hours after the posted time unless noted otherwise.