Mount Rainier is seen above the clouds Tuesday, May 26 , from the summit of Mount St. Helens.
Scaling Mount St. Helens will look a bit different in 2021 than it has in past years.
A few adjustments are being made to the climbing permit system for Mount St. Helens, according to a press release from the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The most significant difference will be the shift to release permits monthly through recreation.gov rather than releasing the entire quota of the season’s permits on a single date.
The climbing permit system exists to protect natural and cultural resources and biological communities on Mount St. Helens. Climbing permits help reduce overcrowding and support climber safety and education programs. The number of climbers per day on Mount St. Helens is subject to a quota from April 1 to Oct. 31.
Starting at 7 a.m. on March 1, all climbing permits for the month of April will be available for purchase through recreation.gov.
Additional permits will be made available on the first of each month for the subsequent month, throughout the permit quota season, ending Oct. 31.
Adjustments will also be made to the number of permits available per day during the permit quota season. The number of permits available per day from April 1 to May 14 will be lowered from the current number of 500 permits to 300 permits per day. These changes will help to reduce congestion and user conflicts at parking areas, facilities and on the mountain during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Between May 15 and Oct. 31, the number of permits issued per day will be raised from 100 permits to 110 permits to provide more opportunities to climb during peak season.
During the winter climbing season, between Nov. 1 and March 31, permits will still be available and self-issued from the Marble Mountain Sno-Park.
A valid federal Recreation Pass is required at Climber’s Bivouac trailhead and can be purchased via cash or check on site, or online through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/giffordpinchot/passes-permits/recreation. A Washington State Sno-Park Pass is required at Marble Mountain Sno-Park from Dec. 1 to March 30 and is available online or through local vendors: https://parks.state.wa.us/147/Sno-Park-Permit-vendors.
To provide more flexibility with changing plans, the cancelation period this climbing season will be shortened from 14 days to seven days out from the climbing permit date.
These changes are being implemented on a trial basis and to provide additional safeguards during the pandemic. Future operational plans will be assessed following the 2021 climbing season.
For any questions, contact Erik Ophaug at 360-449 7831 or erik.ophaug@usds.gov.
