Hiking and climbing Mt St Helens

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The cabins are situated in close proximity to Seattle and the Cascade mountains. You can easily day trip to one of Washington’s iconic volcanoes. Last weekend we decided to climb and ski on Mt. St Helen’s. On a good traffic day you can get there in 3.5 hours from the Skykomish Vida Chalet. We hiked, climbed then skied down. In the summer the mountain gives access to a moderate but challenging day hike. From the top you can see other Washington and Oregon volcanoes in stunning close proximity including Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, Mt Baker, and Mt Hood. There are campsites at the trailhead and further up the mountain if you want to stay longer and enjoy the ape caves (lava cave system).

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Leavenworth Washington Ice Climbing

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Drive down the street from our little A-frame cabin and you enter a world of winter adventure! We tried ice-climbing last weekend at the Stonewater Ranch. They have a beautiful ice wall that they recently opened up to the public for introductory courses into ice-climbing. The programs run January through February. We loved it! Washington is not known for an abundance of ice-climbing routes but the Leavenworth area boasts many ice routes when the weather is right, including top-roping routes for the novice ice-climber. This is definitely something we will be exploring and we hope to see you all out there! Stonewater ranch is set on the Chiwawa loop and about 3-4 minutes drive from Leavenworth Little Bear cabin.

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Ice Climb close to the cabin

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Washington's Heybrook lookout Index Snohomish County Cascade scenic loop

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Heybrook Lookout is a short and moderately steep hike through a fern and moss covered forest to a fun, staircase-ridden lookout with great views of the nearby mountains. If you are introducing someone to hiking, limited on time, or trying to add on another hike or activity in the area, this is the hike for you.  For detail description click here