Mount St. Helens: Ape Caves and the Creatures That May Still Live There
The Ape Cave — a 2-mile lava tube on the south side of Mount St. Helens — is one of Washington's most popular underground attractions. But its name tells a story that most visitors never hear.
In 1924, a group of miners reported being attacked by "ape-men" at their cabin near the mountain. The creatures — described as 7 feet tall and covered in dark hair — reportedly threw rocks at the cabin throughout the night. The incident, known as the "Ape Canyon Attack," was reported in the local newspaper and remains one of the earliest well-documented Bigfoot encounters in the Pacific Northwest.
The Ape Cave itself is named in reference to this incident. The lava tube extends deep into the mountain, with passages that branch into unexplored territory. Cavers have reported hearing vocalizations in the deeper sections — sounds that echo in ways suggesting very large chambers beyond the explored portions.
The 1980 eruption destroyed the surface landscape but may have opened new underground passages. Geologists have confirmed that the mountain's interior is honeycombed with lava tubes, many connected and unexplored.
"What lives inside Mount St. Helens?" Captain Ron asks. "We mapped maybe 10% of the tube system before the eruption reshuffled everything. There could be entire ecosystems underground — ecosystems that have been isolated for thousands of years. The Ape Canyon miners saw something. And whatever it was, it had to be living somewhere."
