The Mt St Helens Adventure Tour from Portland
Recommended by 93% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Portland, USA
- 11 to 12 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover lava tube caves, old-growth forests, waterfalls, and more on a guided tour of Mt. St. Helens. The park’s vastness and variety of attractions can be overwhelming on your own, but by visiting with a guide you don’t miss any of the highlights. Plus, you can learn about the area’s geology, ecology, and history—much of which you might miss if visiting the park on your own.
- Explore Mt. St. Helens on a guided trip from Portland
- Lunch and headlamps (for exploring the cave) are provided so you don’t have to plan ahead
- Stop at top vistas, including an overlook of Mt. St. Helens (weather permitting)
- Enjoy convenient hotel pickup and drop-off in Portland
What's Included
- Lunch
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- PA system to hear guide while driving
- Hotel pickup/drop-off in Seattle area
- Hotel pickup/drop-off in Hillsboro
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.8:00 am
Itinerary
1
Mount St. Helens
7 hours • Admission Ticket Included
2
Ape Cave Lava Tubes
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
3
Trail of Two Forests Trail
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
WIndy Ridge Viewpoint
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Johnston Ridge Observatory (Pass By)
Mount St. Helens Visitor Center (Pass By)
Lava Canyon (Pass By)
Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour operates in all weather conditions, and the cave is 42F (5.5C). Please dress in layers.
- We recommend shoes that are suitable for minor rock climbing (i.e. scrambling/bouldering).
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Trail00465231701
I would recommend this tour because this tour took us to places we would never have gone on our. Our tour guide was fanominal. He was knowledgeable about the entire Portland area, wildlife, and plant species. When the viability of the mountain was poor he made sure he took us to other places. We went into the lava tubes, walked through forrest, saw waterfalls, and we even saw elk! Overall this tour had everything in one tour!
Reviews
4.7
based on 41 reviews
Kathleen_M, Aug 2025
You are taken to Mount Saint Helens and it can be seen from many different perspectives. We went to all the visitor centers that were available and were given ample time to see all the exhibits. We were also able to go outside the visitor centers and view Mount Saint Helens. We had a very nice lunch outside the last visitor center at the picnic tables. We were able to do some hiking to Cold Water Lake. It was very quiet and calming. The other passengers in the van were easy going and accommodating. The day was very long but worth it!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for the great review!
Lori_S, Jun 2025
Brittany was very chill and went out of her way to help and be patient with my sister. She was extremely helpful in the lava tube.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Glad you felt safe with Brittany!
Yen_L, Jun 2025
The trip was so fun, informative and our guide Marcus was incredibly knowledgeable. We learned a lot from Marcus and he kept us informed and entertained
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thanks for the vote of confidence , Yen!
John_L, Oct 2024
The trip was great as a whole and Marcus was very knowledgeable about the natural history of what we saw. My favorite stops on the tour were Ape Cave and The Trail of Two Forests. The view of the mountain was also really great to see.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thanks for the great review, John!
Kalpana_P, Aug 2024
Good itinerary. Our guide, Phil was attentive and courteous providing good information.
I do feel that the tour was somewhat overpriced.
Danielle_Y, May 2024
First off, Marcus was an awesome tour guide. He was knowledgeable and friendly. We had a great tour with him. Mt. St. Helen's wasn't super visible, but the rest of the tour was definitely worth it. The lava tube hike was awesome as well as the other two hikes. Plus we stopped at Multnomah Falls on the way back. Also, it was awesome to have a gluten-free/dairy-free option for lunch. The day was fantastic! Thank you!
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Thank you for the great review, Danielle! I REALLY enjoyed spending the day with you guys!
vanessa_r, Aug 2023
The tour was okay, its advertised as Mount St helens but you barely get to see it much less stop for it. Our tour guide was very nice and knowledgeable but I paid the price mainly to see the mountain and we didn't stop for it, we just saw it in passing behind the vehicle as we were leaving the area. We stopped at Ape caves but were only down in the cave for about 20 minutes. The best part was the forest which is why I'm giving it 3 stars, lunch is provided. We spent more time on the road than actually seeing the mountain, and could probably make do without going to the visiting center. It's a nice tour of the forest but not worth the price of almost $300
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Vanessa, I'm sorry you were disappointed in your tour. It is a very expensive tour to run, given the miles driven, hours paid to the guide, and the fact that lunch and tips are included in the price. The guide did not follow the itinerary properly, and has since been removed from guiding Mt. St. Helens tours.
Janna_D, Jul 2023
Dean was great to spend the day with exploring Mt St Helen’s and surroundings! The Ape Cave was spectacular. The day ended with one critter I was hoping to see…Elk! Dean pulled over so we could watch over 30 stroll out of the woods.
Terrence_E, Oct 2022
Great experience. Not much to say but it was what my wife and I needed. We totally would not do that drive ourselves.
Melinda_D, Oct 2022
My one-star rating is due to the way the owner of the company Marcus spoke to me prior to the tour, hung up on me after repeated attempts to get a few simple questions answered, and ignored my question once I arrived at the pickup destination.
The trip itself was awesome. Our guide Brittany was great! The tour was well worth the expense, although it's tough to know my money in lining the pockets of a business owner who treats his clients the way I was treated.
I reached out to try to discuss a pickup point other than downtown Portland as it is dangerous to leave your car there and to be a single female walking around after dark (we didn't arrive back from the trip until after dark). I was also trying to avoid the extra expense of taking an Uber to the meeting destination.
When texting me, Marcus the owner, seemed to be confused about what I was trying to accomplish so I asked him to call me. (After rereading the initial message I sent through Viator I noted a typo and it could have been confusing so I thought a call would be helpful). He called, but the call did not go well. My goal was to ask if I could meet at a place that would be safe to leave my vehicle along the route the van would take to drive to the mountain.
While attempting to speak, Marcus kept cutting me off. I was never allowed to finish a sentence. I don't think he ever understood I was trying to find an alternate meeting spot to leave my car. When I mentioned I didn't understand why they wouldn't pick me up in Hillsboro he said it would add 1-2 hours to the driver's trip. That is simply not true, it's a 20-minute drive from my complex to the downtown meeting spot. As the attempted conversation went on he seemed to get more frustrated and at one point shouted at me "I am f*cking working 100 hours a week and have a god d*mn baby here". After that explosion, I asked him to stop swearing at me. At another point, he stated, "I am concerned about my driver having to spend 13 hours with you". I asked why he would say something like that to a customer. I am sure the driver would share that we had a great day, she was kind and gave me referrals for other things to do while I am in town. When she dropped me off she remarked "it was nice to spend the day with you" and I tipped her well.
Marcus ended up hanging up on me while I was in mid-sentence saying "I've been excited for this trip since I book it and I am simply"... that's when he hung up.
I was never able to make clear to Marcus I was willing to drive or meet the van at a safe location to leave my vehicle. Ultimately I had to take an Uber which added $40 to the cost of the excursion that day.
After our call, I then spent the next few hours deciding if I wanted this horrible exchange to stop me from taking the trip. I also kept looking to see if he might cancel it on me. I decided the trip was worth taking. It was a hard decision to make as my money is going to him.
Marcus never called to apologize for his outburst, swearing at me and for hanging up on me. I was only given an address to meet at, it was a hotel. There were no instructions as to where to meet, ie: lobby, outside etc. When I arrived at the hotel I text to let him know I was there and asked specifically where we were to meet, but that text was ignored.
Paying for my Uber might be a nice gesture or an olive branch for enduring his abuse, but I'm not counting on it.
Response from Host, May 2023
I'm sorry you felt this way Melinda. I was the one who felt abused over the phone, hence the hangup. Given how belligerent you were over the phone, I was expecting you to make the tour difficult for the other guests, so I was hoping you would cancel. I'm glad you had a good time despite all of this.
From $319.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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