Guided Adventures
Registrations open on November 15!
Join a Mount St. Helens Institute team of professional guides, certified volunteer mountain stewards and scientists on an epic adventure! Our guides, scientists and volunteers are trained to provide the safest, most informative and enjoyable adventures possible, regardless of your experience level. All of our guided adventures include interpretation of the natural and human history of the landscape and expert technical instruction on outdoor equipment, attire or techniques. Explore our guided adventures and choose the one that's perfect for you!
For any questions, email explore@mshinstitute.org or call (360) 207-1675.
If your adventure date is sold out, join our waitlist! In 2024, 48% of people our waitlist were offered a spot!!
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Experience the Winter wonderland of Mount St. Helens and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest! No Winter trekking experience or specialized equipment required! You'll learn about Winter hiking and snowshoeing as you trek through snowy forest trails alongside canyons and streams to a tranquil mountain lake and waterfall. MSHI can provide snowshoes, trekking poles and traction devices at no extra charge!
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A bucket list journey to the rim of an active volcano! This non-technical climb to the crater rim requires no mountaineering or climbing experience. Test your body and mind as you leave the forest behind and hike up the snowy or dusty volcanic slopes to the rim where you stand in awe of the crater, Crater Glacier, lava domes, Pumice Plain and vast expanse of the Blast Zone in the midst of it's ecological change.
Also offering Summit Climbs with a Geologist!
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Hike along verdant ponds among the huge hummocks deposited by the 1980 eruption before ascending Johnston Ridge to the Observatory for lunch. On trail, you'll learn about the impact of the 1980 eruption on this once forested and inhabited landscape and witness the ecological change taking place. You'll amble through spectacular wildflower displays and catch a glimpse of elk or mountain goats in the vast Pumice Plain below.
Also offering Eruption Hikes with a Geologist!
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A staff favorite! Trek across the Pumice Plain then up to a special viewpoint at the base of the crater overlooking the spectacular Crater Glacier! Stand safely in the path of the youngest and fastest growing glacier in North America.
NEW for 2024, a Glacier Overlook Hike with a Geologist!
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NEW 8/9 DATE ADDED! Join our guides, geologists and camp host at our special field camp near the mountain for excellent meals, fireside discussions and an incredible day of hiking into the crater of the volcano. Our only multiday guided adventure!
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Come explore the magical kingdom of fungi! Learn how to identify common characteristics of wild edible and inedible mushrooms.
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Registration is OPEN! Join a professional photographer and explore the amazing vistas and the tiny wonders of Mount St. Helens. We will offer expert photography instruction and help build your skills to create more compelling and powerful images. Explore the sweeping landscapes of mountains and meadows and the incredible worlds of plants and animals in between. All levels of photographers are welcome, whether smartphone, digital camera, or film.
Mount St. Helens Institute operates under a special use permit from the US Forest Service and is honored to work on the Traditional Cultural Property, ancestral and present day lands of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. Mount St. Helens Institute is an equal opportunity provider.
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Date Sold Out? Join the Waitlist