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Current Conditions
Mount St. Helens Climbing Route
Last update: December 1, 2025
Bivouac and road: The road to Climber's Bivouac is closed as of 12/1.
Marble: No snow
Ski: Snow continues to slowly accumulate above 6000' but there is a lot of ice and plenty of exposed rock.
Climb: Be prepared for ice and snow up high. Crampons and an ice ax needed. Clouds, fog, and low altitude rain will all be challenges this week.
Summit Forecast:
- Monday Dec 1: Windy (30 mph) with a summit high of 30 F. Rain and snow showers. Cloudy/foggy periods.
- Tuesday Dec 2: Breezy (25 mph). Cold (25 F). Rain a day snow showers with whiteouts and fog.
- Wednesday Dec 3: Breezy (25 mph) and 28F. Whiteouts and fog especially later in the day.
- Thursday Dec 4: Stormy. Wind 35+ mph. Summit temp 32F. Rain, snow, fog, and whiteouts.
- Friday Dec 5 into the weekend: Stormy. High winds, rain, snow, fog, and whiteouts. For now, it looks like the storm may bring a foot of snow to the upper mountain and rain to the Bivouac.
ROUTE INFORMATION
Monitor Ridge, 4500-7000' Mostly snow-free.
Monitor Ridge, 7000'+: Wind scoured with patchy snow and thick ice everywhere.
Rim: The cornice is big and fragile. Wands marking the cornice edge are repeatedly hidden by ice and snow.
EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION AT THE RIM. The cornice is present and dangerous. Stay back - stay alive.
CLIMBING INFORMATION
Want more info about climbing Mount St. Helens? Visit our climbing page.
MSHI GUIDED CLIMBS
Want support during your climb? Check out our guided adventures for more information about summit climbs with the Mount St. Helens Institute. 2026 dates are open! See MSHI's events page for dates and activities.
NORTH SIDE/504 CORRIDOR CURRENT CONDITIONS
Visit USGS' live feed to see current conditions from the north side. You may need to change the feed to "newest first" to see the most recent image.
Check out facebook.com/mshslc/ for recent photos from the Science and Learning Center.
Nov 23: Coming out of the woods on the climbing route.
Nov 23: Summit conditions
Nov 23: Looking down toward Monitor Peak on the climbing route.
Nov 23: Vertical beach, near the summit.
Nov 23: Another view of the vertical beach.
Nov 23: GPS station on the climbing route.
Air Quality at Mount St. Helens
The sensor that captures the data below is at the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater and is operated in partnership with Washington Department of Natural Resources. Conditions may be different at other locations throughout the Mount St. Helens area and at different elevations.
Roads
ROADS: Many major Monument roads are closed for the season. FR 25, 99, 830 (Climber's Bivouac), and 83 past Marble Mountain are closed as of December 1.
South side, December 1: Roads should be clear and passable until the next storm that has snow at lower elevations. Seasonally closed roads are closed for the season as of December 1, including FR 25, FR 830, and FR 83 past Marble Mountain. FR 81 will be inaccessible due to snow later in the season.
West side, December 1: Highway 504 is clear to the Science and Learning Center and down to the Hummocks trailhead. Plowing information:
- The highway is generally plowed daily, once in the morning and once in the afternoon before 3:30 pm. Plowing may occur more often during storms to stay on top of the snow.
- Resources may need to shift to I-5 during a low-elevation storm, so plowing may be delayed in severe weather.
East side: Windy Ridge and other east side attractions are closed as of December 1.
Nov 23: Large, deep gulley in the road to Climber's Bivouac.
Nov 23: Icy snow in the parking area at Climber's Bivouac
Cornice
CORNICE WARNING: The rim cornice has melted out, but the rim edge is fragile and sloughs regularly. STAY BACK - STAY ALIVE.
Avalanche Conditions
AVALANCHE CONDITIONS: NWAC Avalanche foreasting has concluded for the '24/'25 season. It is your responsibility to decide when, where and how to travel. Make sure you have the experience and skills to evaluate avalanche danger, and match your terrain choices to the conditions. Give the highest priority to observations of recent avalanches and other signs of instability, such as shooting cracks, rollerballs, significant snowfall/wind loading and rapid or prolonged warming.
During avalanche season, regularly check the Northwest Avalanche Center for up to date information.
BE PREPARED
BE PREPARED: Know the types and uses of traction devices, ice ax, and self-arrest techniques. Know the forecast at all elevations before your climb, have cold/wet weather layers and redundant navigational aides (map, compass and GPS) for low-visibility conditions. Have GPS basemaps and tracks in your navigation device before you go and look for pole cairns that mark the route above treeline.
PERMITTING: Washington Sno-Park Permit required as of Dec 1. Refer to the recreation and permitting site for current permit dates, prices and limitations. Information about Washington State sno-park passes can be found here.
CLIMBING ROUTE: Refer to the recreation and permitting site for current permit dates, prices and limitations. Climbing information from the Mount St. Helens Institute is found here.
LEAVE NO TRACE: Climbers are required to utilize blue bags to pack out all human or pet waste, including toilet paper.
CAMPING: There is dispersed camping and pit toilets available at the trailhead, but no running water, and bathroom services may be limited so please bring your own toilet paper, soap, water, or hand sanitizer. Please plan accordingly.
MOUNT ST. HELENS NATIONAL VOLCANIC MONUMENT CONDITIONS
Plan your visit to Mount St. Helens using our information page at www.mshinstitute.org/visit.
NORTH SIDE (504 CORRIDOR): 504 access open through Coldwater Lake and Hummocks Trail. South Coldwater trailhead open to bikes and foot traffic. Science and Learning Center open for visitors 4 days a week, Friday through Monday, 10 am - 4 pm through September 29; open 2 days per week, Saturday and Sunday, 10 am - 4 pm beginning October 4. Johnston Ridge Observatory is closed.
EAST SIDE (WINDY RIDGE): Unmarked detour around Huffaker Bridge work; see USFS alert for details. The Truman Trail, 99 Extension Road, and Harry's Ridge Trail are closed M-F (open Saturday and Sunday) due to Spirit Lake Outflow Tunnel construction; see USFS alert for details. The 99 road to access Windy Ridge is expected to close December 1.
SOUTH SIDE (CLIMBING ROUTE, APE CAVE): FR 25 has been restored as a through route as of September 19, 2025. Forest Road 25 will close for winter. Ape Cave is closed for the winter as of October 31.
ALL AREAS: Fires are permitted in most areas. Use precautions to prevent wildfires. Fires are not permitted in zone 3 of the Monument, including recreational areas along the 504 corridor, Windy Ridge, the pumice plain, and the Mount Margaret Wilderness. Propane cooking stoves, lanterns, and heaters with off switches permitted in all areas.
ADDITIONAL FORECASTING AND CONDITION GUIDES
U.S. FOREST SERVICE
See the U.S. Forest Service Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument website for more information.
FIRE
Incident Information System has the most up to date info on all fires (prescribed or wild) around the country, or Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. Visit Washington Smoke Information, Washington's Air Monitoring Network and AirNow for the latest in Air Quality and forecasting.
WEATHER
Weather.gov point forecasts- Marble Mountain SnoPark (2,700ft) and mid-slope (6,200ft). Mountain-Forecast.com provides forecasts at three different elevations: summit 8,328ft, mid-slope 6,500ft and just above the trailhead 3,200ft.
AVALANCHE
Visit the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center for the most up-to-date avalanche forecast information during winter months.
SNOWPACK
Visit these SNOTEL sites for recent snow pack readings on the south side of Mount St. Helens- June Lake (3,400ft) and Swift Creek (4,400ft).
This conditions report is provided in conjunction with the US Forest Service, and is intended for personal and recreational purposes only. Safe backcountry travel requires preparation and planning, and this information may be used for planning purposes but does not provide all the information necessary for backcountry travel. Advanced mountaineering education is strongly encouraged for winter climbing.
The user acknowledges that it is impossible to accurately predict natural events in every instance, and the accuracy or reliability of the information provided here is not guaranteed in any way. This report describes general conditions and local variations will always occur. This report expires 24 hours after the posted time unless noted otherwise.