THE CAVES OF MOUNT SAINT HELENS. (This page was started Oct. 2021. Around 200 named caves now, so this list will grow over next months.) CAVES OF MOUNT SAINT HELENS GUIDEBOOK (2023) See ABC books to order. NOTE – LINKS only worked if your sign in to website library first.
“A Caves”
APE CAVE: 631-01. Length 13200 feet Story Speleograph 381, history page 7. MAP Ape Cave book for sale in Grotto Store.
ARCH CAVE: 631-02. This neat little cave has nice red lava on black lava passage. Somewhat of a vertical drop into cave.
One of the Utterstrom’s Caves, Arch Cave has two entrances with southern exposure and two “pits,” or drops. One of its passages underlies Surprise Cave. Forest Service records note that “Opportunity for bat study is offered at this site.
Discovered by Bill Reese and Cascade Grotto member Jan Utterstrom, first described by Bill Halliday following a June 1963 visit.
ASH CAST CAVE: 631-89. A very cool complex cave with neat tree mold features.
“B Caves”
BARNEY’S CAVE : #631-003 Length 350 feet A short mostly walking cave with some nice flow features. A.K.A. Snake Tongue and Daddy’s Long Cave. Trip Report Speleograph 369 page 5. MAP
BAT CAVE: #631-006 Length 2340 feet. Closed for bats in winter. A very nice cave with levels and passages. Trip report Speleograph 359 Page 4. Trip Report Speleograph 381 page 8. MAP
BEAVER CAVE: Length 1355 feet. Minor vertical into large passage with very large ledges. Trip report Speleograph 359 Page 4.Grebstad, Paul 1967. Mt. St. Helens trip trip; March 3rd, 4th, 5th.. The Speleograph 3(2&3):3.. MAP
BEAVER BAY CAVE: Beaver Bay Cave is a lava tube segment that was abruptly truncated by mass wasting of a canyon headwall. Entry to the cave is complicated by talus resulting from ceiling collapse and hydraulic undermining of the tube floor. About 500 feet, map length, it is mostly low passages and rough crawlways.
Found and named by Clyde Senger in March, 1977. MAP
BECKEY’S CAVE: 631-77. Name By Jim Nieland after forest service worker. 120 feet of tight crawl. Trip report Speleograph 362 page 4.
BILL’S SHORTCUT CAVE: AKA Cougar: A lower segment of Joe’s Cave that is separated by a tight unpassable squeeze. The entrance is located in a upended lava dome, and has a nice side passage branching westward that leads into a fairly spacious room. Upslope the cave becomes more crawly as it nears Joe’s Cave. 617 feet of passage. MAP
BLADE CAVE: Small cave on St. Helens that has interesting Blade formation. West of the Utterstom’s caves.
BLUE RIBBON CAVE: #631-008A, B. About 500 feet of crawl and a little bit of walking passage ending at a fairly large room. Lies north of Lake Cave across the road. MAP
BLUE SHELL CAVE: AKA Stuffed In Cave About 310 feet of crawl located just down slope from Beaver Cave through an extremely tight entrance. May be an upper section of Beaver Cave that was plugged by resurgent lava.
BREAKDOWN CAVE: Very large sink but short on passage. Closed winter for bats, but usually retains ice well into the summer months. The sink is quite impressive, but no large passage has been discovered, albeit a small lead into a deep breakdown maze on its upper edge. The lower section of cave has been pushed several rooms beyond its original end. Breakdown Cave is the key to locating the Utterstrom’s System. The massive entrance sink, being 110′ by 50′ by 25′ deep is easy to spot and close to an old logging spur. The entrance, in the south end of the sink, is a small breakdown chamber. Look for ice in the west side of this room. The cave continues 75 feet to a breakdown choke with several dead end crawls and usually a little ice even in August. Breakdown is present throughout. A very tight drop down entrance lies on the north side of the sink as well, and leads into about 45 feet of breakdown with potential down through very small moveable rock. Discovered by Bill Reese and Cascade Grotto member Jan Utterstrom, first described by Bill Halliday following a June 1963 visit.
BOBSLED CAVE: MAP
“C CAVES”
CHARCOAL SPRINGS EROSIONAL CAVE: Vertical drop through tree mold into a nice cave under lava flow. 420 feet of passage. MAP
CHERRY PIT: Fissure cave, part of the House Rock caves east of MSH.
CHRISTMAS CANYON : Complex erosional cave. Length 2637 feet of crawly passages. Stream-eroded cave in pyroclastics. Reported lengths vary. Early maps show less passage. This is an erosional cave lying beneath the basalt cap rock at the head of Christmas Canyon. During periods of heavy runoff a stream flows through the cave and emerges at the entrance as a waterfall spilling over a 12′ embankment. Storm runoff has been observed infiltrating the lava flow edge several hundred feet east of the entrance, near which water can be heard beneath the lava flow surface. From the sound of running water in tree casts, and through cracks, it seems most likely that this is the recharge area for the cave. No water has been observed in the cave except during intense rain storms, or rain on snow events. Newer maps estimate the cave at over 2300 feet. See story in Speleograph 380 Page 13 of new Rock fall. See Video below. . MAP
COMPLEX CITY: A log jam of neat tree molds. MAP & TEXT
CLIFF CAVE #631-060
COLUMN CAVE: #631-010: Length 85 feet. It is a short little cave by Dollar-and-a-Dime cave with nice column, and two entrances. Probably a sealed upper passage of the Lava Fall passage in Dollar and a Dime Cave.
COUGAR CAVE: AKA Bill’s Short Cut Cave (associated with Joe’s Cave but downslope)
COUGAR CREEK RESURGENCE CAVE : Located about 1/2 mile north of Beaver Bay Campground south of Mt St Helens, the Cougar Creek dries up now and then, leaving an enterable cave about 50 ft long.
Two large springs, one Dry Creek, and the other at Cougar Creek drain the Cave Basalt. Water has been dye traced from upper Cougar Creek in less than 3 days.
CRATER ROOT CAVE: Has Big tree root in entrance and has mostly crawly passages in every direction. 304 feet of passage. Many other small caves in the area. Trip Report Speleograph 369 page 5. MAP
CRYSTAL ICE EROSIONAL CAVE: MAP
“D CAVES”
DALI CAVE: MAP
DAMN CAVE: Small caves near Rock Pile cave. Names by Chuck O’Donnell’s kids in 2005.
DEATH DROP CAVE: Video link. MAP
DEER SKULL CAVE: Small cave which had a deer skull at entrance when found.
DEUX ENTRES’ CAVE: 1576 ft. Located next to Trios Entres’ Cave, this walkable cave is most likely the main feeder tube in the area. The cave is very sinuous, and averages 20 feet wide and 4 feet tall. The upper end of the cave is plugged by a large orange lava intrusion. Speleograph 427
DO DROP IN: Cave near Powerline cave. MAP
DOGWOOD CAVE: #631-012. Very nice easy walking cave with some nice features. 613 feet of passage. an aneex lies just to the NW of the entrance and has about 120 feet of crawl passage. MAP
DOLLAR-AND-A-DIME CAVE . #631-11 A, B: Length 2881 feet. A large walking cave with some nice mineral formations, lava fall and a very large chamber. A nice arch is located just before the room, as well as a very smooth lava ledge just a few hundred few before it on a sweeping corner. . MAP
DOUBLE ARCHES: 172 feet of passage. Near upper end of Ape cave. MAP
DOUBLETREE MOLD CAVE: A well decorated tree mold. MAP
DRAGON TONGUE CAVE: Cave named after lava intrusion lava tongue. MAP
DUCK CAVE: 299 feet of crawly cave. Cave is near Flow cave. MAP
DUCK WALK CAVE. 631-13. Has not been re-found to tag it. Area of Powerline cave.
DUNGEONS & DRAPES: Located upslope from Limbo Cave, this multi-leveled cave is entered through a small moss covered hole. There are several tight squeezes to gain access to the upslope portion of the cave where a 5 tube junction room goes every direction. The drape passage is located just upslope from this room. The Dungeon entrance is right by the main entrance, and is a tight drain hole to the sub level, which has about 500 feet of passage. Very little to no break down through the cave, but it is mostly hands and knees and crawling. MAP Speleograph 428
“E CAVES”
ELK CREEK PIT. 631-14 This is a pit cave 25 feet deep located along the north fire line of a Clearcut. The Cave formed by cracking in rocks associated with landslide movement. When the cave was first entered (September, 1991) a bat was seen flying in and out of darkness near the entrance.
ELK HUNTERS PIT: Almost the highest cave on Mt Saint Helens. Required a vertical drop of about 25 feet into small cave.
ENSATINA CAVE: 631-79, Length 150 ft. Cave is near Hunters cave. It Consists of surface tubes and lava tongues with a number of small entrances. The tube is mostly six feet wide and about three feet high. (Nieland file)
” F CAVES”
FLOW CAVE: Very Nice red flow features and railroad track. #631-015 A, B 825 feet of passage. Some walking passage to the north, some stooping passage to the south, and some crawling passage mostly through the lowest section. Cave retains a neat side passage as well.
FORTRESS CAVE: Neat little cave by a large crater near the lowest entrance to Ole’s Cave. Also associated with a smaller cave just to the east of it, which is possibly a truncated section of the same tube. 119 feet of passage.
FOX CAVE: Located down slope from Bat Cave, it is named after the TV Channel FOX News. Two large trees lean to the right at its entrance, and it associated with another cave 70 feet upslope called Network Channel Cave. (Part of the Broadband System)
This mostly crawling cave is fairly linear, but has many pillars to give the impression it is more complex than it actually is. Down slope contains 493 feet of passage, and upslope contains the remaining 927 feet. There are a few formations in the cave, and one standing chamber (upslope) Speleograph 429.
“G – Caves”
Gharial Cave: Near Powerline cave.
Ginger Trap Cave: Map.
Goat Head Soup Cave – Tree mold near Scott’s cave.
Green cave: At the South end of Green Mt. This is a very long crawly cave.
Green Frog Cave:
Gremlin Cave: 631-16 Map
Guided by the Light: Map and text.
“H – CAVES”
Helium Cave:
Hercules Alley Cave: Next to Pillars of Hercules.
Homeckey Cave: Bat cave area.
Horseshoe Cave: Near Thermal area.
Hunters Cave: Used by Hunters.
“I CAVES”
Indecision Cave: 2023 Guidebook page 82. Tight slot entrance to a short walking and very long crawl cave. MAP
Inhalation Cave: 2023 Guidebook page 117
“J CAVES”
Jenny Craig Cave: Map
Jerry’s Cave: Named after Jerry Zimmberman who discovered the cave.
Jillsons Cave:
Joan’s Cave: West of the Uterstom’s caves.
Joe’s cave: Named after the late Joe Hays. Link to Cougar cave by sight only. Map.
“K CAVE”
Kim’s cave: 631-57. Named by Jim Nieland after Kim Luper who discovered the cave. Cave is also know as “Mine field,” “Two Rocks,” and “Luper’s Cave.” Guidebook 2023 page 128.
“L Caves”
Lady of Fire: Cave discovered by Kim in 2015, but entrance was too small till open up in 2023 and caves is about 4500 feet of walking passage, almost the highest cave on Mt. Saint Helens.
Lake Cave: 631-51. Map upper. Map Lower. Stream passage map.
Lape Cave: MAP.
Lava Blob: MAP
Lava Springs Cave: Upper Utterstom’s Cave.
Limbo Cave: MAP.
Little Red River Cave: 631-23. Map 1960. Side passage map.
Little People’s Annex:
Little People’s Cave: MAP 1969. Map 1977.
Little Princess Cave: MAP.
Log Crawl Tree Mold: 631-52
Lone Manger Cave:
Lost Cave: 631-55. Now called Spiral cave.
“M CAVES”
Malkovich Cave:
Man Cave: Small cave named by Dennis Glasby for man like features.
Managerie Cave: See video below.
Mess of Molds: Map.
Migraine Cave:
Minefield – see Kim’s Cave.
MineVaple: 631-76. 1984 Map.
Minor Cave:
Mitten Tree Mold:
Mosquitoes Cave # 1 and 2. Caves at this time (2023) have not been relocated. Files.
Mosquito Crawl: As of now maybe the highest cave on Mount Saint Helens. Short cave was full of mosquitoes on 2nd visit.
Moss Cave: One of the Utterstom’s caves above Breakdown. One chamber room where it gets good light and moss covers a large part of entrance area.
Mud Pond: Cave is now buried and lost.
Mystery Cave: Cave has a flowing stream going through it.
‘N CAVES”
Nieland Cave: Named after the late Jim Nieland who was life Oregon Grotto member and cave management at the Forest service. Cave is near Ole’s upper area.
Network Channel cave:
North Cave: Utterstom’s area. Another name for Arch and Surprise cave. MAP.
“O CAVES”
Octopus Tree Cave: Named after 4 arm tree near entrance.
Oh My Bones Cave: Near Powerline cave. Trip Report.
Ole’s Cave: 1956 MAP.
Outer Limits Cave:
“P CAVES”
Pardon My Intrusion Cave:
Pat’s Cave: 631-66. Not found at this time (2023).
Peeking Cave:
Perseverance Cave: MAP. You have to crawl a long ways before you get to standing passage.
Phantom Log Erosional Cave:
Pillar Cave:
Pillars of Hercules Cave: 631-30. FILES AND PHOTOS. 1991 MAP.
Pirate Cove Cave: 2023 MAP.
Pit Stop Cave:
Plank-Thin Caves:
Popes caves – see Scroll Canyon.
Powerline Cave: AKA Moss Cave: Trip Reports. 1983 MAP.
Prince Albert Cave: 631-31. History report. 2010 MAP. Cave has the best railroad tracks for NW caves.
Pucker Up Cave:
“Q CAVES”
Quadraphonic Cave:
Quarter Cave: AKA Tree Cave. Charlie Larson named the cave Tree cave for the big tree growing out the entrance sink. Years later Jim Nieland found the cave with a quarter in it and named it Quarter cave, which is now the official name. MAP. PHOTOS.
Queens
Question Mark Cave: Small cave SE corner of Green Mt. MAP.
Question-Able Cave: Up hill from Green cave.
Quick Peek Cave:
‘R CAVES”
Railroad Tracks Cave: Small Utterstom’s cave with nice track formation.
Red Pencil Cave: Not far from Powerline and Rock Pile caves. Named after red pencil found in cave by Jim Nieland. Possible this could be the lost Duckwalk cave. MAP.
Red Rock Cave: small cave just downhill from Lake cave.
Red Stain Cave: Files.
Ridge Drop Cave: Guidebook 2023 page 75 for map and description.
Rockpile Cave: Cave is right next to large rock pile. MAP.
Root Canal Cave: North of Hunters cave.
“S CAVES”
Salal cave: Cave is about 1000 feet above Beaver cave, but not has been re-found as of 2023. MAP.
Sand Cave: AKA Knights cave: Cave is now buried by sand and ash from the Mount Saint Helens eruption. MAP.
Sasquatch cave: Upper area cave.
Scorpion Cave: Named after scorpion found at cave entrance. MAP.
Scorpion Cave
Scott’s Cave: Nice braided tube west of Lake cave. It is also link to a very long erosional cave. 2007 MAP. Trip reports and photos.
Scroll Canyon Cave: Cave has a few segments with some nice lava scrolls in it.
Sea Horse Cave: Tight entrance to small cave with a lava formation that looks like a sea horse.
Seashell Fungus Cave: Named after a fungus that looked like a seashell when cave was discovered. Fungus no longer grows in cave.
Short Stop Cave: Upper Hunters cave.
Shotgun Cave System: Discovered by Jim Nieland, named after tree mold that looks like your looking down a barrow of a shotgun. System as a few small caves and tree molds.
Side Window Cave:
Single Barrel Cave:
Slide Cave:
Snake Tongue Cave – see Barney’s cave.
Snow Cave: Small cave below Little Red River.
Snow Pit: Small cave below Little Red River cave.
Snug Cave:
Southside Cave:
Spider Cave: Upper area near Flow and Gremlin caves. MAP 1969. 1984 MAP.
Spiral Cave: AKA Lost Cave.
Spillway: near upper Ole’s cave as a neat little spillway in the cave. MAP By Sanders.
Spinal Trap Cave: Name from elk spine in cave.
Spooky Cave System:
Squirrely Cave:
Stan Cave: Named after Stan Senger. Sanders Map.
Star Fish Tree Molds System: Sanders MAP.
Steaming Cave: Condensation was pouring out the cave when discovered. Sanders MAP.
Straw Cave:
String Cave: west of Powerline cave.
Surprise Cave: One of the Utterstom’s caves. Has some nice flow features in the cave. MAPPED as North Cave.
Swiss Cave: West Cave area.
“T CAVES”
Tadpole Cave, AKA What Cave.
Taffy Cave – see Dogwood.
Thin Roof Cave:
Three Pillars Cave, AKA Three Column Cave:
Through-the-Roof Cave:
Tide Pool Cave System: A bunch of neat tree molds.
Tired Dog Cave: Named after Bill Holmes tired dog.
Tongue and Groove Cave:
Tree Cave: There are two Tree caves, one was renamed Quarter cave and the other is near Hunters cave area.
Trois Entree’s Cave: Three entrances lead to a complex crawly cave with very tight passages.
Twilight Zone Cave:
Twin Streams Cave: 2023 guidebook page 63.
Two Column Cave:
Two Level Smooth Cave – see Ash Cast.
Two Rock Cave – see Kim’s Cave.
“U CAVES”
The Utterstom’s Caves – a system of caves. Breakdown, Moss, Railroad Track, Surprise, Arch and Lava Springs.
“W Caves”
Walk in Tree Mold: A very large tree mold you can walk into for a short distance.
West Cave System: A series of small caves.
Western U Cave: Dennis Glasby named this cave as the rocks on the outside reminded him of western movies.
What Cave, AKA Tadpole Cave:
Wide Angle Cave:
Wram Springs Erosional Cave:
Tag Cave Numbers for 631 district.
01 Ape
02 Arch
03 Barney’s
04 Beaver Bay
05 Beaver
06 Bat
07 Breakdown
08 Blue Ribbon
09 Christmas Canyon
10 Column
11 Dollar-and-a-Dime
12 Dogwood
13 Duckwalk
14 Elk Creek Pit
15 Flow
16 Gremlin
17 Helium
18 House Rock
19 Hunters
20 Lava Springs
21 Little People’s
22Little People’s Annex
23 Little Red River
24 Low
25 Manhole
26 Marty’s
27 Mosquitoes
28 Moss
29 Ole’s
30 Pillars of Hercules
31 Prince Albert
32 Railroad Track
33 Rockpile
34 Sand
35 Short Stop
36 Silver Pit
37 Snow Pit
38 Spider
39 Scotts
40 Surprise
41 Thermal
42 Trail
43 Tree Pit
44 Trenchend – lost cave
45 Trenchside – lost cave
46 Two Column
47 West
48 Wiggins
49 Wolff’s Pit
50 Wram Spring’s
51 Lake
52 Log Crawl
53 Unnamed
54 Unnamed
55 Lost, aka Spiral
57 Kim’s
58 Margin
59 24
60 Cliff
61 String
62 Vine Maple
63 Joan’s
65 Stan’s
66 Pat’s
67 Mosquito 2
68 Salal
69 Indecision
70 Short Stop, Upper Hunters.
71 Joe’s
72 Taffy – not used same as Dogwood.
73 Cougar
74 Big Creek
75 Cougar Creek
76 Mine Vaple
77 Becky’s
78 Rubble
79 Ensantina
80 Green
81 Red Pencil
82 Red Stain
83 Quarter
84 Fortress
85 Crater Root
86 Double Arch
87 Double Arches
88 Double Tree Mold
90 Elk Hunters Pit
91 Errin’s
92 Charcoal Springs
93 Boob Tube
94 Duck
95 Bobsled
96 Mumbling
97 Mystery
98 Perseverance
99 Scroll Canyon
100 Sasquatch
101 Spider Den
102 Truffel
103 Wild Guess
104 Wild Guess 2
105 Crystal Ice