Artist Point, Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier Roads Open to Hikers
Roads leading into three great recreation areas—Artist Point, Mount Rainier, and the east side of Mount St. Helens—have opened in time for the Fourth of July weekend. Get the details and remember: just because a road may be open, it doesn't mean hiking trails will be clear or snow-free.
Roads leading into three great recreation areas—Artist Point, Mount Rainier, and the east side of Mount St. Helens—have opened in time for the Fourth of July weekend. Get the details and remember: just because a road may be open, it doesn't mean hiking trails will be clear or snow-free.
Artist Point is open
On July 1, WSDOT crews finally cleared the last of the snow from the road to Artist Point. Artist Point is located at the very end of Mount Baker Highway, State Route 542 and boasts 360-degree views of Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker, as well as access to a variety of trails.
If the clouds cooperate, the views from the parking lot are stunning. But right now, there's still tons of snow still up there (trails and restrooms are still buried in snow). You're better off waiting about a month for the really great Mount Baker hiking, and spend the next month enjoying lower-elevation North Cascades hiking.
If you do go, the nearby Heather Meadows Visitor Center (and restrooms) open July 4.
Get more information on the road and conditions
Mount Rainier roads open
The road to Sunrise opened June 27. At 6,400 feet, Sunrise is the highest point that can be reached by vehicle at Mount Rainier National Park. What it means for hikers: there's still patchy and melting snow on trails there.
This time of year, trail conditions vary wildly in the park depending on where you are, and road status can change quickly.
- Check the road status at Mount Rainier before you go. The park is undergoing serious road construction from the Nisqually Entrance to Longmire and Paradise Monday-Friday. There will be delays of up to 30 minutes.
- To find safe, snow-free hikes, check Trip Reports or call/stop in to get advice from a ranger.
- Check the Mount Rainier webcams to get a sense of conditions on different parts of the mountain.
Access the east side of Mount St. Helens
Forest Road 99 is open, allowing access to Mount St. Helens east-side attractions such as Windy Ridge, Meta Lake and the Miner’s Car as well as east side access to the Mount Margaret Backcountry.
A visit to Mount St. Helens may not have been on your hiking radar, but it should be. Hikers always wish they had visited the Monument sooner. And because of snow, the window on the east side is a short one. The road accesses remote and unique locations deep within the blast-zone, where visitors can see the impact and recovery from the 1980 eruption.
- Mount St Helens Hiking
- For more information, visit: www.fs.usda.gov/mountsthelens
- Meta Lake is a short, easy trail great for families and wheelchairs. Photo by raring2hike.
Comments