An Afternoon Exploring the Gifford Pinchot Near Mt. St. Helens, Washington – 9.4.2023

One of my favorite regions in Washington state is the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Once the snow melts in late spring, I make several trips to the area throughout the summer and fall. 

Growing up, we would spend many days camping in the area. Besides summer visits, my dad and his buddies set up a 6-week hunting camp in various locations yearly. I would visit hunting camp on the weekends (plus a few missed school days). 

These times in the woods were when I learned a lot about the outdoors. Such memories make this area special to me.

My recent opportunities to explore this region have been day trips between my 24-hours shifts at the fire department where I work. My work schedule prevents me from making an early start, meaning I arrive late in the morning at the areas I visit.

After fueling up in Randle, Washington, I set off to the forest lands south of Highway 12 along Forest Road 25. Along the way, passing places with memories of past trips: Huffaker Mountain, Woods Creek, and Kraus Ridge, to name a few.

Without a specific destination, I drove across the Cispus River and up Ryan Lake Road (Forest Road 26).

After leaving FR25 and the Cispus River Valley, Ryan Lake Road starts its climb. Paved most of the way, the forest road has gravel and sunken sections. Once the road rounds the end of a ridge, it follows the Quartz Creek drainage, passing through clear cuts at various stages of growth. 

Quartz Creek Waterfalls

When Ryan Lake Road crossed Quartz Creek, I stopped to look for photo compositions. I realized there was a small waterfall upstream.

After bushwhacking a short distance, I was at the base of a small waterfall. It surprised me at the volume of water still flowing on this early September day.

Green River Valley

I quickly drove up the Green River Valley on Forest Road 2612 to the road’s end. Since it was Labor Day Weekend, all the parking for the area’s trailheads was full. There are multiple trails and mines to explore in this area.

Driving further up Ryan Lake Road, I found a great view encompassing much of the Green River Valley, including Goat Mountain.

Meta Lake

After I photographed the Green River Valley, it was a short drive over Norway Pass, where I found a vantage point overlooking Meta Lake.

Meta Lake was inside the blast zone during the 1980 Mt. St. Helens eruption. At Meta Lake, protected by the terrain and buried under 8 feet of snow, small flora and fauna survived the eruption. In the forty-plus years since the blast, the forest is growing back. A few silver snags that survived the initial blast are still standing.

Mt. St. Helens

After Meta Lake, Ryan Lake Road ends at Forest Road 99. FR99 is the road that leads to the Windy Ridge Interpretive Site on the flanks of Mt. St. Helens at 4000 feet in elevation.

Like Ryan Lake Road, FR99 has sections of gravel and some severe dips where the pavement sunk.

On this trip, I skipped the various interpretive sites and scenic views along the route and drove straight to the end of the road to see Mt. St. Helens.

Spirit Lake

After I shot the photo of Mt. St. Helens, it was only steps away from the viewpoint of Spirit Lake. Before the 1980 eruption, Spirit Lake was a pristine forested lake with amazing views of the cone-shaped Mt. St. Helens.

In this photograph, you see a section of Spirit Lake and the pumice plains, where a lahar of mud and melted snow slept down and filled the valley after the initial high heat blast. One can still see trees taken out during the eruption along the banks and floating on the lake’s surface.

Smith Creek Valley

I wanted to explore another area before dark. As I was making my way to the next destination, I had to make one more stop for a photo when I saw this view of Oregon’s Mt. Hood overlooking the Smith Creek Valley.

By this time, I was getting Hungary and made a quick stop to cook up a steak on my camp stove.

Elk Pass

Since I had limited daylight left in the day, I limited my stops along FR99 on my way back to FR25. I wanted to explore the area near Elk Pass.

Heading south on FR25, I turned onto FR2551. When I started using digital mapping, I discovered it’s also known as the Snyder Pasture Road.

FR2251 has deep meaning in my memories. It was an area where my dad would often camp in his later years. He loved this area so much that he requested his ashes spread here. I can’t confirm or deny that it ever happened.

It has been a while since I’ve been in the area. With a limited amount of daylight left, I set off down the road.

I drove to the end of the road. There were other areas to explore; however, I was losing daylight fast. It’s another reason to camp in the area.

It was dark when I got back to FR25. I would have loved to spend the night in the area if I weren’t working the following day. 

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is a perennial favorite of mine. There are still remote and wild areas to see, plus it’s far enough away from the major population areas of Seattle and Portland that its distance deters visitation. It’s a region where I could spend weeks exploring.

You can the original post plus the fine art black and white landscape photographs I created from that day on my photo blog at https://www.stevebisig.com/an-afternoon-exploring-the-gifford-pinchot-near-mt-st-helens-washington-2022/