in summer 1983, visitors have been able to drive to Windy Ridge, on U.S. Forest Service Road 99, only northeast of the crater. From this vantage point overlooking Spirit Lake, people see not only the evidence of a volcano's destruction, but also the remarkable, gradual (but faster than originally predicted) recovery of the land as revegetation proceeds and wildlife returns. Ape Cave Ape Cave is a lava tube located in Gifford Pinchot National Forest just to the south of Mount St. Helens in Washington state. Its passageway is the longest continuous lava tube in the continental United States and the third longest (in total mapped length) lava tube in North America at 2.5 miles (4,023 meters). Ape Cave is a popular hiking destination with beautiful views of the Mount St. Helens lahar region. Lava tubes are an unusual formation in this region, as volcanoes of the Cascade Range are mostly stratovolcanos and do not typically erupt with pahoehoe (fluid basalt). The cave was discovered circa 1951 by Lawrence Johnson, a logger, when he noticed a tree that "looked wrong." After investigating the tree, he discovered it tilted into a lava tube collapse. A few days later, Johnson brought the Reese family back to the cave, and Harry Reese was lowered to the floor and became the first person to explore the interior. Subsequent explorations were conducted by members of the Mount St. Helens Apes, a local Boy Scout troop. Ape Cave Trail No. 239, which runs along the interior of the cave, is a National Recreation Trail receiving 170,000 visitors each year. See also List of national monuments of the United States References External links Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument – official U.S. Forest Service site Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake – official Washington State Parks site Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument – Visit a Volcano, includes maps and volcano information Travel information about Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument Johnston Ridge Observatory National Monuments in Washington (state) Mount St. Helens Gifford Pinchot National Forest Museums in Cowlitz County, Washington Natural history museums in Washington (state) Protected areas of Cowlitz County, Washington Protected areas of Lewis County, Washington Protected areas of Skamania County, Washington Protected areas established in 1982 1982 establishments in Washington (state) United States Forest Service National Monuments