Discovered+%26+named+by+Boy+Scouts%21%0d%0a%0d%0aApe+Cave+was+discovered+in+1947+by+a+logger+named+Lawrence+Johnson%2e+However%2c+the+cave+was+not+explored+until+the+early+1950%27s+when+a+scout+troop%2c+led+by+Harry+Reese%2c+lowered+a+team+of+scouts+down+a+17%2dfoot+overhang+to+the+cave+floor%2e+Leaving+footprints+where+no+one+ever+had%2c+these+explorers+were+able+to+travel+through+a+pristine+lava+tube+full+of+fragile+formations%2e+Ape+Cave+was+named+by+the+Scout+Troop+in+honor+of+their+sponsor%2c+the+St%2e+Helens+Apes%2e+This+local+group+was+made+up+primarily+of+foresters%2e+The+sponsor%92s+name%2c+St%2e+Helens+Apes%2c+may+have+come+from+an+old+term+used+for+foresters+in+the+area%2c+%22brush+apes%2c%22+or+from+the+legend+of+Bigfoot%2e%0d%0a%0d%0aApe+Cave+sits+among+a+mixed%2dspecies+forest+stand%2e+A+short%2c+paved+trail+leads+from+the+newly+remodeled+and+accessible+parking+lot+with+visitor+center+and+facilities+to+the+caves+lower+entrance+and+interpretive+area%2e+The+trail+continues+on+to+the+upper+entrance%2c+though+it+becomes+more+steep+and+rough%2e%0d%0a%0d%0a%0d%0a