Lewis River Falls Hike

Lower Lewis River falls

The Northwest landscape never ceases to amaze me, as each subsequent trip seems to be more picturesque than the next. Laurie and I recently got back from another great photo/hiking excursion. Our original intentions were to access Lava Canyon via rd 83 on the south side of Mt St Helens, which I believe, is now open after some major storm repair. However according to the US Forest Service web site the actual lava canyon trail is now under going several weeks of renovation as of July 2nd. Luckily I usually have an alternate plan and we ended up at Lewis River campground. We arrived at the campgrounds around 9am with perfect light hitting the lower falls that were located only ¼ mile from our car. Had a wonderful time photographing the falls from many different comps and hesitantly agreed we should continue upstream to witness the middle and upper falls. All in all we hike approximately 7 miles through some beautiful riverside terrain. I highly recommend this hike for everyone in the family.

Getting there: From I-5 drive to the town of Woodland Washington and take exit #21. Follow the signs for Mt St Helens and Lava Canyon via State route #503. Drive approximately 46 miles until you reach the small town of Cougar. Continue straight on spur rd #90. Just past the Pine creek information station turn right on what continues to be rd #90. Drive an additional 14 miles until you reach the Lower Lewis river recreation area and campground. Proceed to the day area and park near on of the restrooms Go towards the raging river and follow signs to the lower falls viewing area. The profiled hike will follow the river upstream for 2 ½ miles reaching the upper Lewis River Falls.

Coming from I-84 take the Hood River toll bridge through White Salmon then continue north passing through Husum, BZ Corner and finally Trout Lake where you can tie into forest rd#90. Additionally coming from the West Gorge you can travel through the town of Carson and up the Wind River .


Some additional photos from the trip are found here.

Happy Hiking, Shawn…