Ape Caves
1 week ago
Cave is dark and cool, good for hot days
5 this month · 18 reports
Coldwater Peak
South Cascades
updated 2 months ago
The road to Coldwater Peak is suitable for all vehicles as of July 22, with no significant snow reported. There are minor obstacles on the trail, but they pose few problems for most hikers, though some sections are washing out. Wild strawberries and wildflowers are abundant, and mountain goats have been frequently sighted. Bugs were an annoyance for one hiker on July 22 but were not an issue for others on July 3 and July 5. Water is available at Grizzly Lake outlet July 22 and a spring below Dome Camp.
Generated from 11 trip reports. Trails change faster than reports do, so check anything you’d turn around for.
What hikers ask about Coldwater Peak
Generated from the most recent trip reports, newest 2 months ago. Check anything you’d turn around for.
No trip reports on this trail in 2 months, so everything below is at least that old.
The trail has minor obstacles that pose few problems for most hikers as of July 22. However, some sections are washing out and could be challenging, particularly on the connector trail.
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Trail notes generated from recent reports. Conditions change fast.
Sources
Older2 months ago
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
I did the same loop as smith07 and took the same number of days, but was a day ahead and camped at Snow Lake and Dome Camp. So apparently i was a day ahead of WTA too. I didn't mind the trail con...
Older2 months ago
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
LOST DOGLast seen 7-8-2026 at 7:50 AM.At the shoulder about 2/3 of the way up the spur trail on Coldwater Peak. She had spent the night at dome camp, and left from South Coldwater TH.Black lab named N...
Older2 months ago
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
The road is closed, preventing the hike in the description, so we parked at the Hummocks TH. We hiked up the road, then to the South Clearwater Trail. Right on trail 230, left on the Boundary Trail ...
Older2 months ago
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
This area is incredible! Stumbled on this while looking for a backpacking option farther afield from Seattle for the holiday weekend. We started at Norway Pass TH and camped at Margaret Camp for two n...
Older3 months ago
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
After hiking Elk Bench earlier in the morning, I drove over to the Hummocks Trailhead and then walked up the closed road to intercept the Coldwater Trail again, this time on the east side of the lake....
Older3 months ago
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
3 AM alarm can only mean one thing: time to visit my favoritest place on earth! Epic 16 mile loop today, starting and ending at Hummocks TH. I did it CCW: Hummocks -> South Coldwater Trail -> Coldwate...
Older3 months ago
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
Having hiked the Loowit Trail a couple of times, I decided I'd craft a slightly easier knock-off version: a 25 mi, 5k elevation circumnavigation around Spirit Lake. My loop started and ended at Indepe...
Older3 months ago
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
Road is closed to South Coldwater Creek Trailhead. I parked at the Hummocks trailhead, which adds an extra 2 miles to the trip.Roundtrip mileage to Coldwater Peak: 16 miles, 3900 feet elevation. The g...
Older4 months ago
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
A friend and I did a 3 night stay in the Mount Margaret Backcountry, doing a counterclockwise loop starting on the South Coldwater Trail. The road is still closed so this trip started with a 1 mile w...
Elk Bench, Lakes Trail, Coldwater Peak, South Coldwater Trail & Hummocks Loop — Sunday, Sep. 7, 2025
Older12 months ago
South Cascades > Mount St. Helens
On 9/7/25 I completed the 20.6 mile trail race hosted by Daybreak Racing. The course description is available at the race organizer's website but it's basically a large loop that starts and ends at th...