South of Mount St Helens

We visited the north side of Mount St Helens in 2016. The destructive power of the 1980 volcanic eruption was still very evident and the area will take decades to recover. We decided to visit the south side this time. The heat from eruption that blasted out the north side of the mountain caused a glacier on the south side to melt. A huge flood of mud and rocks raced down the mountain at 100 miles an hour. It filled the stream beds and knocked down trees but the destruction was minor compared to the north side. 

We followed Forest Road 83 until it ended at the Lava Canyon Trailhead parking lot. Along the way we passed over a stream bed that is filled with debris from the mudflow. 

We stopped at the Lahar (mudflow) Viewpoint and walked/rolled along a short path with interpretive signs. The path is rough so wheelchair users may need assistance. 

The trail at Lava Canyon goes downhill for about 1/3 mile, losing about 65 feet in elevation, until it reaches an overlook of the Muddy River. This is the end of the paved and accessible section. The trail is in good condition with a few rough spots and has switchbacks to lessen the grade.  

We had been planning to stay at Marble Mountain Sno-Park but the main parking lot was gated so we went the other side of FR 83 and spent a very quiet night in the overflow lot.

 All of the parking lots are large enough for most vehicles but some time after the sno-park (heading east) but before Lahar Viewpoint there's a pile of gravel across the road with a sign indicating that high clearance is need to go farther. We have enough clearance so we drove over the gravel and on to Lava Canyon but didn't find the reason for the gravel or the sign. Low clearance vehicles will probably not make it over the gravel pile.  Forest Road 83  46.12993, -122.16985