April 2016

Near Mt Adams, just west of Trout Lake, are the Guler Ice Caves. Easy to get to and easy to get around. Just a little less than 2 miles away are the Natural Bridges, both a lot of fun, both unique. So we will go one at a time. First though, let us talk about the seasons.

If it is sunny and clear in Vancouver WA, we completely ignore the very good possibility of snow when heading to the mountains. This works for us because driving up to our destination only to find the way blocked by ice, snow and felled trees just means more hiking fun! But if your smart, you should probably check out the forest service webiste for road conditions to the natural bridges.
Therefore when we decided to go in April, we found the road blocked and ended up hiking over mostly snow-ish covered trails. The trails are made for snowmobiles and skiers (if your into that sort of thing, they look really fun) and the roads are made for summer people to easily access both the caves and the bridges. All right, lets get to the fun!

Guler Ice Caves

There is a nice road that will take you to the entrance of the caves. The surrounding area has picnic tables including grates for fire cooking. To get down to the caves, you will descend a steep, wooden staircase that may be partially snow and ice. There is a map to the left of the cave entrance that will give you an idea where to go.

These are ice caves so the going is rough. As in you are “walking” over rocks of all sizes and slipping on the ice. That being said, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring kids or mostly capable adults down here. For one thing, they are very easy to get in and out of. But make sure to bring flashlights and I would suggest gloves. Wear layers!

Natural Bridges

We made a wrong turn and ended up hiking all the way around this trench before finding it. If you are driving, there are lots of signs. If you decide to hike from the caves, it is still pretty simple. Just follow the snowmobile track or the road up to the next road and turn left. Then, instead of taking the first right, like we did, just go until you see the sign. And they are right there!

The “bridges” actually span a trench in the forest floor. There is an easy walking trail right along the trench. Initially you will just see the big open area below. But as you walk you will come to the section where the lava tube did not fully collapse, thus creating the natural bridges. The bridges are definitely wide enough to walk across, even my height phobia pup crossed!

The bridges are the best part! Well the trench is anyway. There are caves to explore, bridges to cross and just all over fun times to be had. I would again encourage you to visit with all ages.