June Lake

Length: 5miles

Elevation Gain: 830 feet.

June Lake is a beautiful little lake situated near the base of the south side of Mt St Helens. The lake sits in an amphitheater with a 40 foot waterfall dropping into the far side of the lake. The lake was formed when a tributary to Swift Creek was dammed up by a lava flow 2,000 years ago. While this sounds like a magical destination for a summer hike, this magical place can be reached in the winter as well via a popular snowshoeing trail.

The trial begins at the Marble Mountain SnoPark, and extremely popular snow park located near the base of Mt St Heles. Not only ar there more than 50 miles of ski trails the radiate out from the sno park, there are tons of a snow mobile trails as well as this is the start of the winter route to climb Mt St Helens. So if you happen to visit on a beautiful, winter weekend, don’t expect much solitude.

The trip to June Lake can be done as either a loop combining the Swift and Pika Trails, or just as a straight shot up the June Lake Trail. The milage is pretty similar either way. “Then why not just always do it as a loop?”, you may ask. Well, it is going to depend on snow depth. Crossing the lava field that dammed up June Lake on the Pika Trail can be very difficult if there isn’t a good 5 feet of snow or so. So if you aren’t sure about snow depth, it may be best to hike the trail counter clockwise so you can be sure to visit the lake. But if there is enough snow, I highly snow showing the loop, because the views form the lava field are amazing!

Start your snowshoe from the north end of the upper parking area. The Pine Mountain trail follows a fairly level course as it winds through the trees parallel to NF83. About a mile from the trailhead, the trail will rejoin with the road as it passes over a creek. Just past this, look the signs on your left directing you to the June Lake Trailhead. Follow the road back to the summer parking area and hop on the trail as it heads up the creek.

The trail starts climbing gently through the forest for the first 0.6 miles past the June Lake trailhead. Then, you will enter more a canyon, with steeper drops down towards the creek and slopes above you. At about 2.3 miles in, you will enter the lake basin and will see the cliffs up ahead. June Lake is nestled among those cliffs.

Snowshoe up towards the western shore of the lake for a beautiful spot to stop and eat a snack. The waterfall drops in from across the lake and icicles will surround the falls like broken teeth. Thanks to the flowing water, the entire lake likely won’t be frozen over, giving you a nice mix of ice and open water.

Once done head back down the trail a short distance and look for the sign for the Pika Trail heading to your right. If there is enough snow to bury the rocks, take this trail and it climbs steeply up some lava gullies. Once up on the lava flows, Mt St Helens looms before you and Marble Mountain below you. Marching up this snow covered and undulating landscape is awesome and one of the most fun parts of the trip. Its only about a 1/3 of a mile under you drop off the far side of the lava flow, but will leave you with a lifetime of memories.

When your off the flow, the trail drops down into a small gully, rounds a lava ridge, and then climbs steeply towards the Swift Trail. At the 3.1 mile mark, you will reach the Swift Trail junction. Make a right and start working your way back towards Marble Mountain Sno Park. This is the primary winter climbing route for Mt St Helens, so it will likely be pretty packed down. Also, it is steep enough that skiers that were making some turns on the mountain are able to ski down it, so watch for people coming up behind you.

There are a couple of side trails you can take if you want to get off the highway, the Silver Trail and the Fir Trail, which you take if you like with similar milage. All in all, its about 2 miles along the Swift Trail back to the sno park where you can pop down in your car and bask in your adventure on a volcano.

Directions

To reach Marble Mountain Sno Park, take Highway 503, Lewis River Road east from Woodland in I5. Follow Lewis River Road for 26 miles past Cougar and towards for Forebay of Swift Reservoir. Follow the road over a bridge over the Forebay and then past the dam. 6.8 miles past Cougar, watch for NF-83 splitting off to your left. As soon as you’re on it, you should see a sign informing you that it is 3 miles to Cougar Sno-Park and 6 to Marble Mountain. The road is frequently plowed, but don’t be surprised to find snow covered so be sure you have the proper vehicle/tires for the trip. The road ends at Marble Mountain Sno-Park, with a lower parking area to your right and the main upper parking area a little further ahead and to your left<./p>

Things to Know

Passes: A $25 Washington Sno-Park permit is required November 1 through April 30 and can be purchased online prior to your trip.

Dogs: Allowed and must be on leash or under voice command at all times.

Usage: Heavy

Open Season: Most years will have suitable snow depth from December into April, although the lava field may not have adequate cover until later in the season.