The Oregon Grotto is excited to host the 2024 western regional. (In conjunction with the Cascade Grotto and Willamette Valley Grotto) Sept. 19th to 22nd at Cougar RV Park.
REGISTRATION BY MAIL IN CHECK $5 OFF PER PERSON.
Photo Gallery – click here.
Cave Maps – click here.
For cave descriptions and videos – click here.
Cave Trip Sign Up Click Here or click on cave name below. If sign up gets full, no worry, we will get you in some caves.
- Lake cave self guide trip all days sign Up. Video Link.
- Ape Cave all days self guide, must buy NW Forest pass and $1 reservation pass at forest service.
- Find your own cave – all days and hours. There are 100’s of caves on the lava flow. If your good at off trail hiking and want a few GPS waypoints and wonder about, you will find them. Lots are little crawlers, but can have cool features. Tree molds all over the edge of the flow can have interesting features too. Or find an erosional cave and explore under the lava flow.
- Scott’s Cave sign Up Sept. 20th. Video Link.
- Ole’s Cave sign Up Sept. 20th. Video Link
- Little Red River sign up Sept. 20th. Video Link.
- Pillars of Hercules sign up Sept. 20th. video link.
- Lady of Fire sign up Sept. 21st. Video link.
- Lape Cave – vertical. Sign up Sept. 21st. video Link.
- Christmas Canyon cave sign up Sept. 21st. Video Link.
- Meeting and Dinner sign up Sept. 21st.
- Kim’s cave and Pillars of Hercules sign up. Sept. 21st.
- Geology Field Trip sign up Sept. 21st. 8am to 4pm.
- Lady of Fire sign up Sept. 22nd Sunday. Video link.
- Bat, Prince Albert and others. Sign up Sept 22nd.
- Pillars of Hercules sign up Sept. 22nd. video link.
- Complex City Tree Molds sign up Sept. 22nd.
- Little Red River Sign up Sunday Sept. 22nd, coming soon.
- Planning still, Ape cave, Beaver cave (vertical minor), Pillars of Hercules trip 4, Flow cave area.
The event will take place in the Gifford Pinchot national forest near Mt St Helen’s, on its southern slopes. Camping will be at Cougar RV Park and and some other wild areas.
The area is only 1 hour away from Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Wa, and only a few minutes away from Cougar, Wa where there are multiple camping options if needed. You can even wild camp in the area.
Food options are only 30 minutes away in Woodland, Wa as well. Saturday Dinner will be at Amboy Grange.
The lava field is surrounded by a lush, old growth rain forest, and makes accessing the caves even more interesting.
While Known mostly for the 1980 eruption, Mt. St. Helen’s is host to a very diverse cave selection. Not only are there amazing lava tubes, but it also holds several of the worlds longest Erosional caves. On top of that, the area contains hundreds of tree molds and tree mold cave complexes, as well as deep vertical crack caves that require expert rope skills.
Since the last regional in the area, dozens of new, significant caves have been discovered, and offer even more unique experiences to the already great inventory of caves.
Some highlights of new caves include:
Lava Tubes:
Lady of Fire Cave 4524 feet (2023) Found by Kim Luper in 2015, but not open till 2023. Tight squeeze entrance, but almost all nice walking cave, well decorated. Hike 1 1/2 mile to entrance.
Lape Cave 1185 feet (2016) Crawl in entrance to a vertical drop. Hike time, 30 seconds.
Menagerie Cave 2758 feet (2021) Very tight squeezes to this amazing cave, hike about an hour.
Trios Entrees Cave (3568 feet)(2021) Tight squeezes, long hike.
Deux Entrees Cave (1825 feet)(2021) Tight squeezes, long hike.
Green Cave (4024 feet)(2021) A very complex cave with some tight areas.
Scott’s Cave (12424 feet)(2016) Lava tube and erosional cave, with some easy crawls to very hard squeezes.
Erosional Cave: All these caves are crawly caves, with some tight squeezes.
Christmas canyon
Scott’s Cave (12424 feet)(2016) Trip plan for Friday.
Scotts Cave
Christmas canyon Cave (5400 feet)(2022) Trip on Saturday.
Crystal Ice Erosional (1385 feet)(2023)
Tree Mold Caves:
Walk in Tree Mold
Complex City cave (2120 feet)(2021) A log jam of Tree molds, crawl from one tree mold to the next with some nice formations.
Manzanita Annex (500 feet)
Walk in Tree Mold. This cave starts at almost six feet tall, to a crawl to some nice formations.
Vertical Caves:
Wolff’s Deeper Cave (1645 feet)(2016)
Gold Cave (410 feet)(2016)
Norse Cave (110 feet)(2021)
Lape Cave by Trail of Two Forest. Trip plan for Saturday.
Aside from new cave discoveries, there are plenty of known, recreational caves in the Mt st Helen’s boundary.
They include:
Prince Albert
Little red river cave (4174 feet)(gated) Hike about 30 minutes. Has a short vertical drop, one cave be done with hand line to aviod vertical gear. Has two nice lava falls and a red river and lake at end of cave.
Ape cave (13320 feet) (tourist) NW forest pass and maybe ticket required. Nice big lava tube. Lower section is real easy. Upper section has lots of breakdown, but has upper exit, to hike back.
Lake Cave (5240 feet) Nice easy cave, has ladder in for no vertical needed. Nice side red passage and an erosional passage. Lake is usually dry in summer.
Oles Cave (6400 feet) Super easy cave with five entrances. Two are easy to get in. Almost all walking cave with light breakdown. Some formation and Washington face feature.
Pillars of Hercules Cave (4420 feet)(gated) This is a very well decorated cave with 1000’s of formations. Some crawly, will be very limited on visit, so sign up early.
Prince Albert Cave (3820 feet) Cave has some of the best railroad tracks in the NW caves. Long hike, maybe two hours over the lava flow. Under two miles. Maybe combined with Bat and Dollar-and-a-Dime cave to make a full day.
Dollar and a Dime Cave (2720 feet)
Beaver Cave (2140 feet) Has a short vertical drop to big passage. almost all walking hike about an hour.
Hikes:
Trail of Two Forest boardwalk
Lava Canyon
Ape Canyon
Lewis River Falls hike
Loowit Trail hike
June Lake, a nice easy mile os to lake, waterfall, tiny cave, and great view of the mountain.
It will be an action packed weekend for those attending.
CAMPING
Camping Near Cougar Washington website.
Lone Fir Resort – RV, cabins, tents.
Wild camping. Lots of free spots in the forest to wild camp, close to the caves.
RV campers, will need to make their own reservations at Lone Fir or Cougar Camp ground. Then pick the $30 option on registration.
Campgrounds
Ape Cave – Reservations link. Possible to do some after hours trips of this over two mile long cave.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/giffordpinchot/recarea/?recid=40393
Climbing Mount Saint Helens. Link https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4675309
Registration
Registration Options: Limited car parking, please car pool if you can. So price is $45 per person , plus $15 for car, unless you use wild camp or stay elsewhere.
- With Group Camp at RV Park $65, Includes parking for one car. Good Thursday 2pm to Sunday noon. (Click here to pay by Credit Card) Should be ready by the end of April. (Click here to pay by check)
- With Group Camp at Cougar RV Park – no parking. $50
- Arrange your own lodging, registration only $35
- Single day use if not in group camp. $12
- Kids 0-16 free
Registration Add Ons:
- Small Guidebook $10 with highlighted cave. Order deadline Sept. 1st.
- Big Guidebook $35 Covers almost all of Mt. St. Helens caves. Order deadline is Sept. 1st.
- Saturday Dinner – $15 Mexican Buffet
- T-Shirt (more information coming soon) $20. Photo to right is draft of t-shirt.