Monte Cristo Trail
Moderate · Point-to-point · 3.9 mi · 2,469 ft gain · 2 h 15 min–3 h
Parking: not reported today
A solid half-day for most hikers. Mountain bikes allowed.
high point 4,272 ft · dirt · time at a steady pace without breaks
Elevation from USGS; 2,032–4,272 ft. Open the map.
No hiker reports in the last 3 days. Be the first to report here
What you need
Mountain bikes allowed No fee or pass dogs, accessibility: not recorded yet
Toilets and trash not confirmed here. Pack out what you pack in.
Forest Service page for this site › Forest Service record for Trailhead: Monte Cristo-Lower (2026-10-06); fee: No fee
In Mount St. Helens and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Parking pass Northwest Forest Pass, $5 per day or $30 per year or an America the Beautiful pass. Day hikes need no permit; overnight stays need a wilderness permit. Rules, passes and closures change. Check the official Forest Service site before you go. Official: conditions · roads · fees · permits.
Getting there
Starts at Monte Cristo-Lower Trailhead · Mount St. Helens / Gifford Pinchot. Also reachable from Monte Cristo-Upper Trailhead
Navigate to the trailhead: Google Maps · Apple Maps · coordinates 45.89157, -121.59089
Right now
Weather and road conditions
- Overnight: Clear, 49°F, wind 5 mph
- Tuesday: Sunny, 76°F, wind 5 mph
- Tuesday Night: Mostly Clear, 52°F, wind 3 mph
Daylight: Sunset 6:37 pm · 6 h 31 min of daylight left
Wildfire: High Lava fire, 41 km away, 2,899 acres, 90% contained InciWeb
Snow: 3″ snow at Surprise Lakes (4,280 ft, 26.3 km away) station
Typical year: usually melted out by about Jun 14 · typical peak Apr 10
No reports in the last 3 days.
All conditions and reports at Monte Cristo-Lower Trailhead
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