Kalama Horse Camp, (Mt. St. Helens) Washington

I had a completely different trip planned for the end of September but weather forced me to change my mind, as it sometimes does, so I decided to head over to Kalama Horse Camp in the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. I had camped there before in July of 2009, but I am glad I went back again because we did not ride all of the trails the first time, the deer and horse flies were abundant, and I remember nearly getting eaten alive by mosquito's. But at this time of year there were no problems with insects, and after a few previous days of rain, the trails were dust free.

View of Mt. St. Helens at Red Rock Pass.

The Monument sign past the horse camp.

Kalama is a big camp with 27 sites to choose from. Sites 1-10 are in the first loop and 11-27 are in another lower loop. You can be in the first loop, like I was, and not even know anyone else is camped in the other area, since they are pretty far apart. Spots #1 and #2 are group sites.

The first loop has mostly log corrals, although two sites have steel, there is a composting toilet, and three manure bins complete with wheelbarrows and pitch forks. This is where the day use area is and where the trailheads start, and there is a loading ramp, mounting assist, and a snow shelter. There are also some hitching rails and a stock water trough, fed from the nearby river. A lot of trees have recently been cut down so there is also a lot of firewood stacked around the camp.

The second loop has log corrals, three manure bins, a bathroom, a mounting assist, and a stock water tank. You can now get reservations for this camp, and most sites are pull through's which are plenty large enough for longer rigs. There is no garbage service or potable water. Update: As of 2020, they now have a camp host, and fees have gone up from $8 to $18 per night. Also 10 campsites have now been designated for non horse people.

Spot #3 in the upper loop.

The day use area is where the trailheads start and where the stock water is.

There is a mapboard at the trailhead, but I prefer the more detailed map I printed out and brought from home, which I got on wacmo.org.

I arrived around midday and decided to do the Fossil Trail first, since it is not as long as some of the other trails. It climbs quite steeply for awhile up along Goat Mt. then levels out and drops down the other side briefly. I was going to ride until the trail's end, but I had to reconsider when I got to a creek crossing with a bridge that was under construction. There had been a warning sign about this at the trailhead which said that the construction was to have been finished a few days before I arrived, but clearly that was not the case. I found a side trail down to the creek, but the bank on the other side looked tricky to try to scale, and I was pretty sure I wasn't missing anything incredibly exciting on the last mile or so of trail, so I turned around.

On the Fossil Trail.

Some fall colors on the Fossil Trail.

After climbing for awhile the Fossil Trail levels out.

My horse is asking "what do we do now mom?"

The following day was foggy all morning, but I rode up Cinnamon Peak on the Cinnamon Trail, which is another good climb in elevation. Once I got to the top there was an unsigned junction, it was obvious the loop continued to the right, however I turned left briefly, just out of curiosity. It came out into a small clearing, the fog magically parted, and I got my first glimpse of Mt. St. Helens. 

The bridge over the Kalama River.

Riding in the fog on the Cinnamon Trail.

The fog cleared a little, just in time for a glimpse of Mt. St. Helens.

I headed back down Cinnamon Peak and was going to loop back along the river on the Toutle Trail but first I took a little side trip onto the lava at Red Rock Pass, because I recalled there being a great mountain view from there.

Almost to the bottom of the Cinnamon Trail.

Mt. St. Helens from Red Rock Pass.

On the Toutle Trail.

The Kalama River from the Toutle Trail.

On day three I knew I was either going to do a pretty long ride, or an even longer ride, depending on how things went. I started on the Kalama Ski Trail, then got onto another section of the Toutle Trail on the way to Blue Lake. From there I continued to loop around coming back down the Blue Horse Trail. At that point I could have headed back to camp, but I chose to extend the ride by doing more sections of the Toutle and Kalama Ski Trails and then back along the road instead of retracing my steps from earlier, making this about a 20 mile day.

On the Kalama Ski Trail.

On the Toutle Trail heading towards Blue Lake.

Blue Lake shows it true color from up above.

Shrooms on the Toutle Trail.

Junctions are marked.

On my last day I did the short trail, (about 7 miles ) over to Kalama Falls. This heads downhill and once you reach the area where the falls are, which is on a road, there is a sign to show you where to go. You have to tie up your horse and hike in from there. Be prepared to climb down a steep hill, there is a rope to haul yourself back up on, and cross a log over the water.

On the last part of the trail to Kalama Falls.

Signage for Kalama Falls.

The tie up area at Kalama Falls.

Kalama Falls.

I then packed up and started my five hour drive back to my home, glad that the weather cooperated, and that the riding was great for my last trip of this year!


GPS COORDINATES TO KALAMA