Trail of Two Forests – Mt. St. Helen’s WA

Made a trip up to the ‘Trail of Two Forests ‘a few weekends ago.  Located on the south side of Mt. St. Helen’s in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest is an area where a lava flow carved a path through the old growth.  It left casts of the trees where the lava flowed around them and cooled.  The trees that didn’t burn, died and rotted away leaving big holes in the lava rock.  In some cases trees were downed and you can climb through the tunnels they left and out the other side.  It’s a fragile, young forest in the middle of an old growth forest.  It has a great boardwalk path that makes up a short .25 mile walk with an elevated view of the lava flow area.