Distance: 1.5 mi.
Elevation Gain: a little bit
Craig and I have been planning to visit Ape Caves, the longest lava tube in the continental US, for several years, but it’s quite the drive from Seattle. When Craig’s parents came to visit Portland, we were finally able to make this trek happen. With it being a weekend, the parking lot was pretty busy but we found a spot without much trouble. There was a little store with headlamps and snacks at the upper parking lot. We came unprepared without headlamps, but decided to tough it out with our cellphone flashlights. It would be easy to trip and fall in the cave, so be smarter than us and bring a headlamp!
After a brief hike from the parking lot you will see the cave entrance with a staircase leading into it. There are two options inside the cave, the longer, more rugged upper cave route or the shorter, lower cave route.
We took the short route and will save the longer one for a day when we have headlamps. Inside the cave there was a steady drip of groundwater and absolutely no light. If it weren’t for the busy parking lot we would have had no idea how popular this destination could be – we often walked several minutes in darkness without crossing anyone else. The cave reminded me of an old subway tunnel and I had to keep reminding myself that it was made naturally. We continued until the cave narrowed to a small crawlspace and ended before we returned the way we came.
I found this hike unique and fun, and a great option for a rainy day or having visitors in town who may not want to climb up a mountain. I used about 14% of my cell phone battery for 1.5 miles of underground travel by cell phone flashlight – not too shabby.
No GPS track (it’s underground, remember?)
(Download the free Gaia GPS app on your phone to view tracks and then get a Gaia GPS membership if you want offline access. Discount below!)
Recommended brew: Double Mountain Killer Red
Gear Used:
- Cell phone flashlights (be smarter than us and bring a headlamp)
- Trail runners
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