Mount St. Helens climbing permits on sale March 18

Climbing permits for Mount St. Helens will go on sale 7 a.m. March 18, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Permits will be available through the recreation.gov website. They are required for all climbers all year, but are limited between April 1 and Oct. 31 to protect natural resources. Permits for these months will be available first-come, first-served for $15 per person, with a $6 fee per permit reservation. Climbing groups are limited to 12 people per permit.

Although most aspects of the climbing program will remain the same, the U.S. Forest Service said there are a few changes this year.

When securing a permit, the person buying the permit will need to enter the names of all climbers in the group. Each climber in the group will need to carry identification to match the list of climbers on the permit.

Permit holders will be able to change the members of the climbing group, as well as cancel or refund permits, until 14 days before their trip. Climbers will also be able to show a digitally downloaded version of their permit instead of a paper copy.

More information on climbing permits is available online at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/climbingmsh. Mountain condition information is available through the Mount St. Helens Institute, at www.mshinstitute.org.