Mount St. Helens

Mount St. Helens attracted world-wide attention in 1980 in the lead up to and its eventual eruption on May 18th.  The top of the mountain is gone, but with thousands of visitors every year it is clear that interest in this volcano remains strong so that it has become a major attraction for visitors to Washington and Oregon. 

The mountain is in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Skamania County in Washington but the most popular routes to the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (web cams) are from Woodland via Interstate 5 Exit 21 and WA503 or from Castle Rock via Exit 49 and WA504 in Cowlitz County.  Washington State Parks maintains a visitor center near Silver Lake on WA504, about 6 miles / 9 km east of Interstate 5.  The forest service has two facilities farther east:  Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center (43 miles / 70 km from I-5) and Johnson Ridge Observatory (52 miles / 83 km from I-5) .  Two routes over local and forest service roads lead to areas on the east side of the mountain.  One route runs to the north along Wind River Road from state route WA14 while the other runs to the south of US12, east of Morton in Lewis County.  A detailed map should be used before attempting to follow these latter routes.

The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History has an article and photographs related to the eruption.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has a large selection of photographs related to the 1980 eruption and a history of volcanic activity since then through 2000 and a collection of articles about Mount St. Helens Past and Future.  The USGS also has information about current activity on the mountain.  It also offers a 3-D photographic tour of the national monument's geology.

The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network of the University of Washington also has information about current and past seismic activity.

Fullscreen 360 has excellent panoramic views of Mount St. Helens.

The Mount St. Helens Institute, a private non-profit organization, offers people an opportunity to become involved in the institute's activities to educate others about the natural processes and cultural heritage of the Pacific Northwest's volcanic landscapes.

The Road Guide to Mount St. Helens by Robert and Barbara Decker is an excellent resource, on-line and in book form, for exploring all sides of the mountain.

The Kids Cosmos web site has a page on Mount St. Helens geared for younger visitors. 

If you should be interested in hiking, biking or camping on Mount St. Helens, check the Mount St. Helens Hiking Club web site for information and organized trips.

The Mount St. Helens Forest Learning Center has information about the effect of the eruption on the forest and its subsequent regeneration.

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