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Pro
Earth's Power on Display; Unique wilderness
Con
You will need more time here than you think - plan well ahead
In a nutshell
Yin Yang on a Grand World Scale
Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center ~ Silver Lake
starship Says: There are at least 3 entrances into the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument Park area. We drove into the park on Highway 504, which itself is quite a distance from the main road of Rt. /Interstate 5. You will find that there are several visitor centers along Highway...
Mount Saint Helens Visitors Center
glabah Says: Soon after the eruption of Mount Saint Helens, the National Forest Service decided to capitalize on the event and installed a small visitor's center in a trailer on the edge of Silver Lake, and essentially in the boundaries of Seaquest State Park. The location was selected...
Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center
starship Says: For fantastic, panoramic views of Mt. St. Helens and the surrounding parklands, take time to stop at the "Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center." The side of the building facing Mount St. Helens is virtually a wall of glass! This modern, new center also offers a video-wall theater...
Johnston Ridge Observatory - Part 1
starship Says: The Johnston Ridge Observatory is named in honor of David A. Johnston, a U.S. Geological Survey volcanologist who was on duty at the Coldwater II observation post that fateful day in May, 1982, and one of the 57 people who lost their lives in the 1982 eruption. The Johnston...
The Many Faces of Mount St. Helens
starship Says: If you plan to be in the Seattle area, your trip there would be incomplete without a visit to the "Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument." Only a couple hours south of Seattle, Mount St. Helens is a sight you won't soon forget. In 1982, the U.S. Congress designated...
Segolily Says: Our next stop was the Forest Learning Center. This was so educational. It was sponsored by Weyerhauser so it is definitely biased. But we needed to stop here in order to understand the regrowth of the forest, to learn what it took to salvage the blown down trees and replant....
Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center
Segolily Says: Cowlitz County owns this facility and considered closing or selling it for awhile. They decided to close it over the winter for renovations and it reopened in Spring 2009. We felt this was a great place to stop for the first real good look at the volcano. It is a...
Johnston Ridge Observatory ~ Part 2
starship Says: The Johnston Ridge Observatory is also a state-of-the-art center featuring interpretive displays, eyewitness accounts, a wide-screen theater presentation, and an awesome viewing area inside and out. A half-mile walk on the "Eruption Trail" will give you a good idea of the...
starship Says: Despite the devastation that occured on May 18, 1980, some plants and animals did survive the lehars and the lateral blasts. Pocket gophers, fish and salamanders were protected because of their burrows, because of hibernation or because of ice covered lakes.Today, some...
Mikey64 Says: Dude. This was so much better than I thought it would be, (and I thought it would be pretty cool). 131 on the east side of the park then on 99 to the best view of the mountain. You go through a large area where the forest took the impact of the 1980 eruption. You get a good...
?: On 504 the redhouse offering Cobbler
coneyislandgreen Says: Normally I'm very good at giving enough details but I fell short this time. If you are going to Mount Saint Helen's by Rt. 504 to Johnston's Ridge you will pass on the left a quaint red cottage that serves good burgers and 4 kinds of really good warm cobbler with vanilla ice...
Ewingjr98 Says: From the west, State Route 504, also known as Spirit Lake Highway, follows the Toutle River up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory which is the closest drivable overlook at Mount Saint Helens. This spectacular 50 mile drive offers stunning views of the volcano and its...
worldkiwi Says: I rented a car in Seattle for my week long journey to San Francisco. Having a car made a detour to Mount Saint Helens, on the way from Seattle to Portland, an easy proposition. From the north, I exited I5 at exit 63 or 60 (I can't quite remember now) and drove through the...
Helpfulness
Legend and folklore surrounds Mount Saint Helens. As the story goes, the Loowit, an old crone, once inhabited the Mountain. The Old Loowit kept a fire burning bright on the mountain. As a result, she was transformed into a beautiful woman. Those of you familiar with Greek mythology can guess what happened next. Two Chiefs fought for the now fair lady. The powers that be (aka, the Gods) became angry and transformed the chiefs and the loowit into mountains. The loowit is now the sometimes angry volcano subject to eruption.
excerpted from mtsainthelens.net
Written Jun 4, 2006
Website: mtsthelens.net
Ewingjr98 Says: Johnston Ridge Observatory has some of the best views of the crater, but it is also the few places in the park with a fee. Do you think your National Parks Pass is good at a "Volcanic National Monument?" Nah... Do you think they tell you about this fee at the visitors center...
Helpfulness
Luggage and bags: backpack
Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: good hiking boots, waterproof jacket, sunglasses, hat, sweater, fleece jacket, gloves, neckerchief, long pants
Toiletries and Medical Supplies: first aid kitplasters, sunscreen,
Photo Equipment: camera is a must, but be careful in sand storms at the top. Certainly do not change a film there. If you do so, your camera will be full of fine sand and you'll ruin your camera
Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: tent, sleeping bag, space blanket, flashlight, pocket knife, map and compass
Miscellaneous: plenty of water (4 l), dried fruit, nuts, fresh fruit, snacks, lunch, sandwich
climbing permit
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Silver Lake Trail at Mt St. Helens Visitors Center
glabah Says: If you wanter towards the rear of the Mount Saint Helens Visitor's Center, past the bathrooms and towards the water, you will find that a one mile loop trail has been constructed. This trail allows views of Mount Saint Helens (during good weather) and wildlife that uses the...
starship Says: North of Mount St. Helens, but within easy driving distance is Mt. Rainier and Mt. Rainier National Park. Unbeknownst to some, Mt. Rainier itself is another "sleeping" volcano in the same Cascade Mountain range as Mts. Adams, Baker and Hood. Mt. Rainier is one of the highest...
Useful websites for Mt. St. Helens
maryellen50 Says: Map of Gifford Pinchot Forest and routes to Mt. St. Helenshttp://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/04maps/documents/gpnf-forest-vicinity-map-20080730_11x17_000.pdfUSGS Interactive Maphttp://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/NatMonument/PointsInterest/map_msh_points_interest.htmlRoad map to...
Useful websites for Mt. St. Helens
maryellen50 Says: Map of Gifford Pinchot Forest and routes to Mt. St. Helenshttp://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/04maps/documents/gpnf-forest-vicinity-map-20080730_11x17_000.pdfUSGS Interactive Maphttp://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/NatMonument/PointsInterest/map_msh_points_interest.htmlRoad map to...
MT ST HELENS: DESTRUCTION - RENEWAL
The 1980 cataclysmic eruption of Mt St Helens destroyed countless trees, sweeping them down in northerly directions over 10 miles away from the mountain top leaving a mass of destruction that has to...
At one time Mount St. Helens was one of the most beautiful mountains in the entire Cascade range in the American Northwest. In 1805, William Clark in the Lewis and Clark expedition described Mount St....
Mount St. Helens ~ Born of Fire & Ice
What were you doing on May 18, 1980? Was the eruption of Mount St. Helens the kind of event where you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news? The eruption of...
The rivers ran thick with liquid earth and mighty forests were brought to their knees. And the air was filled with the roar of a thousand battles, the dust of a thousand armies. Day turned to night....
"Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it!!"
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