Ape Gave

Oh Ape Cave. I've been here so many times, but I still want to go back every couple years. There's nothing wrong with that, I say. I think it's the challenge, which makes me think that doing something more challenging might be a good thing. Maybe it's time to try climbing a small mountain (maybe nearby Mt. St. Helens) or . . . I can't think of anything else that's challenging that I'd be willing to do. I'll think about it.

Today was wet. Very wet. I'm no cave-ologist, but it seems that the wetter it is outside, the wetter it is inside. It would make sense, that water has to soak into something. It wasn't wet throughout the cave, though, mostly just near the entrances and other close to the surface areas. The parking lot was about 2/3 full when we got there and overflowing when we left, but it never seemed packed in the cave. It seemed busier than other times I've been there (keep in mind that it's essentially the same temperature in the cave year round, so you could certainly do it in the middle of winter if you can get your car through the snow.), but it never was annoyingly busy. This was especially true in the upper half of the cave. Crowds seem to naturally spread out throughout the cave, and given that this one is one of the longer ones out there, it's not hard for this to happen.

The lower cave is mandatory for one of my visits. There's nothing special about it, but I have a feeling I'd feel like I just didn't do it justice if I didn't do the whole thing. It's a relatively simple walk out and back. It is made more difficult by small amounts of rock scrambling and a very uneven floor, but once you do the upper cave, you won't think the lower was a challenge at all. I call them the upper and lower cave, but really it's just up from the middle entrance and down from the middle entrance as it's all one big cave with a hole in the middle. The upper cave is certainly more challenging. It requires climbing over large rock falls, squeezing through tight spaces, crouching low to get through, watching your head in a few spots and the ever-ominous "6 foot rock wall". I do believe, however, that the rock wall had a new foot hole added to it this time that wasn't there before. Over time, it's seemed like the wall was getting smoother and smoother from so many people climbing up it trying to grab on to whatever they could (and likely breaking off some of what they grabbed). While I prefer that things remain natural, I don't think this seemingly new addition is out of line. It was getting nearly impossible and certainly . . . as I said . . . ominous. There was a line at the wall this time of backed up people trying to figure out how they'd get up, but it is nothing but entertaining watching them try. I was a little nervous as always, but glad I didn't let it conquer me as once I got to the top, I saw 10-12 year old girls that had made the same climb. If they can do it, I can do it, right? I'm certainly not THAT old yet!

If you have no problem hiking more difficult above ground trails, you should certainly visit the lower cave at least once. If you like a bit more of a challenge, give the upper cave a try. It's certainly worth the wet, cold trip.

Here are the specifics:
Fee: Northwest Forest Pass required (National Parks pass accepted. I believe the current fee for a one day pass is $5)

Pets: Prohibited

Facilities: Restrooms at trailhead, picnicking, viewpoints nearby
Attractions: Cave, trail, native plants, views, Mt. St. Helens nearby (volcanic monument)
Round Trip Hike: 3 miles in cave (includes out and back for lower cave and through upper cave), 1 1/2 mile return trail
Hiking Difficulty (out of 5): 5

Camping: No

Season: Year round (I believe), check road conditions

Coordinates: 46.108086, -122.211877

Governmental Agency Land: US Forest Service - Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Nearest town: Cougar, Washington (11 miles)

Nearest 10,000+ city: Vancouver, Washington (58 miles)

County: Skamania, Washington

My rating (out of 6): 5 for beauty, 3 for crowds, 5 for play availability, 5 for surroundings - 5 average

More Information: Ape Caves

My Current Location: Portland International Airport - Portland, OR

Cave Marker:Cave upper entrance/exit:
Meat ball:

Mount Walker

After having about two days' worth of energy drained out of us in just one day from walking our crazy dog amongst other dogs out to Cape Flattery, we decided that a day of relative rest would be welcomed. For me, this means sitting in the car for hours. After going to Dungeness and eating at The 3 Crabs, we headed out to our only other main destination of the day - the Mount Walker Viewpoint.

Nothing is ever quick and easy when I'm involved. This may be obvious from the length of some of these posts, it may be obvious because you know me, or it may be news to you. In this case, I didn't realize quite how far the viewpoint was from Dungeness (where we ate lunch) nor did I realize that there would be few options for gas between the two points or anywhere close to Mt. Walker for that matter. We had more than a quarter tank, so I figured it wouldn't be a big deal. After 4 1/2 miles uphill (on a steep incline) with the four wheel drive and air conditioning on, the quarter tank quickly disappeared. Luckily this time it worked out fine (unlike the last July 4th weekend trip that included a couple hours on the side of I-5 just north of the Washington/Oregon border). Point of the story, make sure you have plenty of gas whenever you venture into the forest so that you can focus on things like the view at the top rather than whether or not you'll be able to make it to the next gas station.

The viewpoint from Mt. Walker would have been much more impressive had it not been for everything else we saw up to this point. It was still well worth the drive. The view is nearly 360 degrees between two separate viewpoints on the north and south sides of the mountain. Do the north side first and save the best for last. The north side looks toward the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Peninsula. The south side has views of Mt. Rainier, the Puget Sound and even a pretty clear view of all of downtown Seattle. I don't have pictures to show this due to the clouds and (probably) smog, but it was there. I have a feeling the number of days with perfect conditions for seeing great views are very limited. This is the Pacific Northwest afterall. Even days that are beautiful typically have some haze.

The drive up is steep, gravel, washboarded and narrow. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone that doesn't feel comfortable driving in these conditions, although I would think any car with the right driver would be just fine. Just make sure you have gas. You could also park at the bottom and hike your way up (there is a trail off the road). I, for one, don't like walking when the car can take me there. I'd rather save my energy for walking when it will get me somewhere the car won't.

Here are the specifics:
Fee: None
Pets: Pets are welcome.
Facilities: Vault toilets and picnic tables available.
Camping: No
Season: Year round, but pick a sunny day for best views
Coordinates: 47.788435,-122.903398 (Unverified)
Governmental Agency Land: Olympic National Forest
Nearest town: Quilcene, Washington (9.6 miles)
Nearest 10,000+ city: Silverdale, Washington (49.7 miles)
County: Jefferson, Washington
My rating (out of 6): 4
More Information: Olympic National Forest

My Current Location: Home, Portland, Oregon

View to the south (Mt. Rainier & Seattle)


View to the north (Strait of Juan de Fuca, Olympic Peninsula)

A Note About Research

This is really more of a note for me than anything, but in writing my "Mt. Walker" entry, I stumbled across this page - Points of Interest in Olympic National Forest. I did quite a bit of research for our relatively short three night trip to the Olympic Peninsula. I didn't find this page then, I find it now. I am now wondering if there is a similar page for all national forests, but from what I've seen in the past, there is little consistency between websites for the national forests. I'll keep looking, though.

The only reason that this caught my eye was the entry of "High Steel Bridge". To some, this may sound benign, but I love architecture both old and new. Maybe next time.

Here are the specifics:

None!

My Current Location: Home, Portland, Oregon