Backcountry Rise 20 Miler

The Backcountry Rise 20 Miler is a demanding clockwise loop through the northern blast zone of Mount St. Helens, earning its remote reputation with 4,800 feet of gain over 20.6 miles of predominantly backcountry singletrack. The route climbs steeply up the Coldwater Trail, passes through the Coldwater Junction turnaround near the Boundary Trail, then descends via South Coldwater Trail back toward Coldwater Lake. The final miles traverse the Hummocks Trail — rolling terrain through remnant volcanic debris mounds and wetland ponds created during the 1980 eruption — before a final climb back to the Science & Learning Center. No experience requirement, but this is an unambiguously tough course.