It will never qualify as one of the classic trails of Mount St. Helens, at least not visually. Yet Hummocks No. 229 — with its chaotic landscape of dirt mounds and ponds — should be on local hikers’ bucket list.
Hummocks is not a river trail, not a meadow trail and not a deep forest trail. But the terrain it passes through in its 2.55 miles definitely is worth a look.
“It’s among the most diverse and interesting landscapes at Mount St. Helens,’’ said Peter Frenzen, monument scientist at the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. “That area on the pumice plain and in the hummocks is a natural lab at the volcano.’’
When the volcano erupted in 1980, much of the guts of the mountain were scattered. The hummocks are a jumble of sharp ridges, steep faces and several water-filled depressions. Streams run through the hilly terrain. With every hard rain storm and pond break, the hummocks change a little.
Hummocks trail No. 229 loops through the area, where willows, alder, Douglas fir, mountain hemlock and Indian paintbrush are reestablishing. The ponds are home for mallards and mergansers. Beavers have dammed a pond.
The trail swings close to the upper North Fork of the Toutle River, but never quite goes to the water’s edge. The loop can be hiked in either direction.
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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