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Photo: Greg Willis / CC BY-SA 2.0 · source

Caves

Ape Cave Lava Tube

Cougar, WA · Mount St. Helens$$5 per vehicle per day; timed reservation $2 online

About

Outside Cougar, Washington, the lower section of the Ape Cave lava tube is an easy, pitch-black walk of three-quarters of a mile each way, down a stairwell. The upper section runs 1.5 miles over rock piles and up an eight-foot wall, and after you climb out it's another 1.5 miles back to the lot above ground. Each car needs a timed two-hour reservation, and the cave is closed from November 1 to May 17. Bring two lights per person; a phone isn't bright enough, and Ape Headquarters rents flashlights and lanterns.

Highlights

Third-longest lava tube in North AmericaEasy three-quarter-mile lower caveUpper cave, eight-foot wall climbConstant 42 degreesBring two lights per personOpen May 18 to October 31

Getting there

Forest Road 8303, Cougar, WA

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