Want to see the longest "commercial" lava tube in the USA? Gather up three sources of light, a helmet with chin strap, warm clothing, boots, and head out to Ape Cave in Washington. The cave was constructed by a pahoehoe flow of molten lava that originated from the southwest flank of Mount St. Helens. The pahoehoe flow crusted over leaving an outer lava tube with lava stalactites, stalagmites and flow marks on the floor and walls.

Ape Cave is 13,042 feet or 3.9 kilometers and you can do a complete through trip from one entrance to the other. If you plan to do this, make sure you are up to a canyon up climb that requires actual climbing up and over large piles of rock. The lower cave is an easy 0.75 mile hike that takes about a hour. We choose to hike up to the second upper entrance that is 1.5 miles long and considered more challenging. The most challenging thing we found was the heat of the day and couldn't wait to cool off underground. Ready for a caving thru trip?

Let's go!