World Travel GuidesMount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington

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Mount St Helens, as seen from Spirit Lake
Mount St Helens, as seen from Spirit Lake
Author: CVO Photo Archives, 18 May, 1980 (public domain)






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Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is a protected site that preserves the surrounding landscape and ecology of Mount St. Helens. It is spread across Skamania County, Cowlitz County and Lewis County in the state of Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The national monument was established on 27 August, 1982 by President Ronald Reagen two years after the eruption of Mount St. Helens. It covers 110,000 acres (445 sq km).


Mount St Helens, from Johnston Ridge
Mount St Helens, from Johnston Ridge
Author: ArtBrom, Saibo (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

 Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument was the first national monument of the United States to be managed by the United States Forest Service. Within the park are numerous trails, viewpoints and campgrounds for visitors to better appreciate the surrounding landscape and volcanic ecology. Visitors can also drive to Windy Ridge, which is a mere 4 miles (6.4 km) from the crater. Since 1986, visitors are also permitted to climb to the summit of Mount Helens.


Lupins (Lupinus latifolius) growing on the volcanic ash at Mount St Helens
Lupins (Lupinus latifolius) growing on the volcanic ash at Mount St Helens
Author: Charles Crisafulli, US FS (public domain)

Visiting Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington

See location map. From Seattle, take Interstate 5 heading south till Castle Rock and turn off at Exit 49. Continue on State Highway 504 (Spirit Lake Highway) all the way till Johnston Ridge Observatory.

The monument pass costs $8 per person aged 16 and above. It is good for only one day at Coldwater lake Recreation Area and Johnston Ridge Observatory. The Mount St Helens Visitor Center is usually open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm in summer and 9:00 am to 4:00 pm in winter. There's a charge of $3.00 for visiting the center.

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