Gifford Pinchot
National Forest
Forest Headquarters
10600 N.E. 51st Circle
Vancouver, WA 98682
(360) 891-5000
TTY: (360) 891-5003
Cowlitz Valley
Ranger District
10024 US Hwy 12
PO Box 670
Randle, WA 98377
(360) 497-1100
TTY: (360) 497-1101
Mt. Adams
Ranger District
2455 Hwy 141
Trout Lake, WA 98650
(509) 395-3400
TTY: (360) 891-5003
Mount St. Helens
National Volcanic
Monument
Monument Headquarters
42218 N.E. Yale Bridge Rd.
Amboy, WA 98601
(360) 449-7800
TTY: (360) 891-5003
Johnston Ridge Observatory
24000 Spirit Lake Highway
P.O. Box 326
Toutle, WA 98649
(360) 274-2140
Mount St. Helens
Visitor Center
at Silver Lake
3029 Spirit Lake Highway
Castle Rock, WA 98611
(Operated by Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission)
TTY: Phone for the Deaf
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Recreation |
The
Gifford Pinchot National Forest has an abundance of recreational
opportunties waiting just for you!
Hiking, backpacking,
mountain climbing, a quiet walk in the woods -- all this and
more for you within your National Forest.
You can also explore
Mount St. Helens, from the easy surroundings of the Coldwater
Ridge Visitor Center and the Johnston Ridge Observatory, or
hike to the very edge of the crater!
Gifford Pinchot
National Forest has something for everyone.
Come out and enjoy! |
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Recreation
Facilities Analysis
Many of the Gifford Pinchot's
developed recreation sites were built 30-50 years ago. Since then,
visitor preferences and demographics have changed. Some sites no
longer serve projected recreation demand; some facilities are in
poor shape and do not meet visitors' expectations. To address these
changed conditions and national direction, the forest is implementing
the Recreation Facility Analysis (RFA) process for developed recreation
sites. The outcome will be a list of prioritized actions to more
effectively manage these recreation sites. For
more information please visit the Forest RFA web page.
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General
Recreation Information
- Accessibility
- The Gifford Pinchot National Forest and Mount St. Helens National
Volcanic Monument welcomes visitors of all abilities. We offer
the accessibility guide for visitors with special accessibility
needs. We hope you will find it useful in planning both daytime
excursions and overnight camping trips.
- Contact Us
- Telephone numbers, fax numbers and hours of business for a number
of Forest and other recreational information offices.
- Current Conditions
- Current conditions for campgrounds, roads, trails, snow and
weather within the Forest and Monument. This area is constantly
updated so check here for the latest updates. (You will find the
date of the last revision prominently displayed at the top of
each page.)
- Roads - Getting around on Forest
Roads is different from driving on a city street, or State
Highway. This brochure tell how to determine road conditions
from signs, maps, and road entrance conditions. Adobe .pdf file
(256 KB).
- Special Forest Conditions
- current recreation special conditions existing within the Gifford
Pinchot National Forest and/or Mount St. Helens National Volcanic
Monument.
- Visitor Centers
and Information Stations - Information about locations, hours
of operation.
- Weather Reports
- Current weather information from the National Weather Service.
Camping
- Forest Campgrounds
- Planned closures tenative date is September 30, 2007. Please
call ahead before you leave for most current information on closures.
- A list of campgrounds, rustic camp sites and horse camps on
the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and Mount St. Helens National
Volcanic Monument. Basic information is shown.
- Forest Cabins
- You have an opportunity to rent a Forest cabin at two different
locations within the Forest.
Climbing
- Climbing Mt Adams
- Specific conditions about Mount Adams, including climbing
reports and recreation
reports. This area is constantly updated so check here for
the latest updates. (You will find the date of the last revision
prominently displayed at the top of each page.)
- Climbing Mount
St. Helens - Specific conditions about Mount St.
Helens, including climbing
reports and recreation
reports. This area is constantly updated so check here for
the latest updates. (You will find the date of the last revision
prominently displayed at the top of each page.)
Finding Your Way
- Current Conditions
- Current conditions for campgrounds, roads, trails, snow and
weather within the Forest and Monument. This area is constantly
updated so check here for the latest updates. (You will find the
date of the last revision prominently displayed at the top of
each page.)
- Recreation Trails
- You can travel more than 1,200 miles of trail of varying difficulty.
Nearly 300 miles of trail are located within the Wildernesses.
Approximately 150 miles of trails are constructed to barrier-free
standards with several levels of difficulty. Approximately 150
miles of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail traverses the
Forest through spectacular, scenic high country, including the
Indian Heaven, Mt. Adams, and Goat Rock Wildernesses.
- Mountain Biking
- More than one thousand miles of trails are woven throughout
the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and many are open to mountain
bikers.
- Roads
- Current road conditions report.
- Trail Bikes
- The Gifford Pinchot National Forest offers an extensive set
of trails for motorized trailbikes. There are some other isolated
trails open to trailbikes, which may be found in the District
trail guides. Most of the trails in the Blue Lake area have been
reconstructed to trailbike or ATV standards and are easier to
ride than other trails.
- Adventure
routes - Scenic
"backroad" routes around the Forest. Challenging
routes for dualsport (street legal trailbikes) and SUVs. The routes
have been chosen for their more difficult surface conditions and
outstanding scenery.
-
Some
favorite hiking trails and places (on and around) the Forest
Click on the line above
to see the map, then click on the trail or site to go to the
description.
Firearms
- It is legal to openly carry a firearm in most areas of most
National Forests. It can be an issue if a weapon is carried in
a concealed manner in which case the wearer/owner needs to have
a legitimate concealed weapon permit for that privilege. It is
important you know what is the requirement for the area you are
using since any one of the circumstances noted above may apply.
It is unlawful to discharge a firearm, air rifle, or gas gun or
other implement capable of taking human life, causing injury,
or damaging property as follows:
(1) In or within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite,
developed recreation site or occupied area, or,
(2) Across or on a National Forest System road or a body of water
adjacent thereto, or in any manner or place whereby a person or
property is exposed to injury or damage as a result in such discharge,
or,
(3) Into or within any cave.
The National Parks Service (Department
of Interior) has much stricter regulations and most National Parks
do not allow firearms, visitors should check with the National
Park they plan to visit for more information.
Lakes & Streams
- Fishing -
The Gifford Pinchot National Forest has more than 20 species of
fish in 1,360 miles of streams and over 100 lakes. Three species
of anadromous fish (chinook and coho salmon, and steelhead trout)
and several species of resident salmonids (rainbow trout, kokanee
salmon, brown trout, and cutthroat trout), including two species
of char (bull trout and eastern brook trout), can be found within
Forest waters.
- Forest Lakes
- There are more than 100 lakes on the Gifford Pinchot National
Forest. Here you will find information about boat access, fish
species, lake locations and use restrictions.
- Waterfalls
- Here are some outstanding waterfall-viewing opportunities on
the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Many descriptions are complimented
with new digital images.
Pets
- While visiting the Forest or hiking a trail, please keep your
pets under control or on a leash. However, within the Congressionally
designated Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, pets are
prohibited at many sites and trails, especially in the most sensitive
landscapes. Along State Highway 504, pets are very restricted
to the small pet areas at the Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center,
Coldwater Lake Recreation Area, and Johnston Ridge Observatory,
and must be leashed when using these sites. We do
not recommend bringing pets to any of these facilities on hot,
sunny days due to lack of shade or cover. There
are some areas within the Monument where you can hike and camp
with your pet. Contact the Monument Headquarters (360) 449-7800
or visitor centers (360) 274-2114 for more information.
Pets are NOT to disturb the native wildlife and their owners are
responsible for any unreasonable disturbance or nuisance they
might create.
Other agencies such as Fish and Wildlife Service have ordinances
related to pets that also apply to National Forest lands. Pet
owners may also be held legally responsible if their pet kills
a protected species or chases livestock in a grazing allotment.
Pets in campgrounds and other developed recreation sites is addressed
in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR):
- CFR Title 36, Section 261.14(j)(k)
Developed Recreation Sites
The following is prohibited:
(j) Bringing in or possessing an animal, other than a seeing eye
dog, unless it is crated, caged, or upon a leash not longer than
six
feet, or otherwise under physical restrictive control.
(k) Bringing in or possessing in a swimming area an animal, other
than a seeing eye dog.
Bail is $50.
Outfitter
Guides
- Outfitters and guides provide services
supporting many kinds of outdoor recreation-- skiing, boating,
rafting, climbing, backpacking, horseback riding, fishing, and
more.
Passes & Permits
Recreation Trails
- Recreation Trails
- You can travel more than 1,200 miles of trail of varying difficulty.
Nearly 300 miles of trail are located within the Wildernesses.
Approximately 11 miles of trails are constructed to barrier-free
standards with several levels of difficulty. Approximately 150
miles of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail traverses the
Forest through spectacular, scenic high country, including the
Indian Heaven, Mt. Adams, and Goat Rock Wildernesses.
Safety Information
- Current Conditions
- Current conditions for campgrounds, roads, trails, snow and
weather within the Forest and Monument. This area is constantly
updated so check here for the latest updates. (You will find the
date of the last revision prominently displayed at the top of
each page.)
- Roads
- Getting around on Forest Roads is different from driving
on a city street, or State Highway. This brochure tell how
to determine road conditions from signs, maps, and road entrance
conditions. Adobe .pdf file (256 KB).
- Preventing Crime in our National
Forests - (Adobe Acrobat PDF format - 172 kb)
- Special Forest Conditions
- current recreation special conditions existing within
the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and/or Mount St. Helens National
Volcanic Monument.
- Weather Reports
- Current weather information from the National Weather Service.
Something Special
- Autumn Colors
- This is the place to find information about the Gifford Pinchot
National Forest Fall Colors Report.
- Huckleberry HotSpots
- Information about some of the best berry picking in the Pacific
Northwest.
- Panorama Digital
Library - The panorama library is a collection of
360-degree panorama photographs of popular viewpoints from around
the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. All images date from 1998.
- Wilderness
- "A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and
his works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area
where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man,
where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."
Winter Recreation Activities
- Current Conditions
- Winter recreation current conditions within the Forest and Monument.
This area is constantly updated so check here for the latest updates.
(You will find the date of the last revision prominently displayed
at the top of the page.)
- Snowmobiles
- General information about using a snowmobile on the Forest and
Monument.
- Winter Safety
- Better to be safe than sorry!
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