Mount St. Helens

Understand

History

On March 20, 1980, Mount St. Helens awakened from over 100 years of dormancy with a magnitude 4.1 earthquake which began a series of events leading to eruption. Steam and ash started erupting on March 27, and over the next two months the north side of the mountain started bulging at the rate of 5-6 ft a day.

On May 18, 1980, at 8:32AM, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake caused the bulging north face to collapse in one of the largest landslides in recorded history. The highly pressurized magma burst forth in an explosive eruption, sending super-heated volcanic gas and ash across a large portion of the United States, destroying hundreds of square miles of forest, and killing 57 people. This was a VEI-5 event, one of the largest eruptions of the 20th century and the most destructive in United States history.

Life quickly started to return to the barren landscape surrounding the mountain. However, as the steam eruptions starting in October 2004 illustrated, the danger of another catastrophic eruption is ever present. Visiting Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is to simultaneously witness the result of catastrophic destruction and see the result of rebirth.

Landscape

Mount St. Helens is a typical stratovolcano, the volcanic form most familiar from photographs of their typically conical profiles. The great 1980 eruption destroyed most of the volcanic cone, leaving a huge amphitheater on the north side that is best seen from the Johnston Ridge observatory and visitor center. Volcanic activity in 2004-05 built a new lava dome within this amphitheater, visible from the "VolcanoCam" at the observatory but not yet large enough to replace the destroyed cone.

St. Helens is still glaciated to some extent, despite its reduced altitude. One unexpected and remarkable feature is Loowit Falls, a waterfall that emerges directly from the amphitheater bearing meltwater from a glacier within the crater. This falls can be seen (use binoculars) from the observatory, seeming to emerge as though from the surface of the moon.

Flora and fauna

It's easy to see the recovery of the ecosystem since the eruption. Plants that sprouted from buried soil and late lying snow banks have gradually spread, transforming a gray-brown landscape to green. Over time, these survivors have been joined by legions of colonizers as wind-blown seeds of weedy plants like fireweed and pearly everlasting have taken root on shattered hillsides. In spring the monument glows with the purple blossoms of penstemon and lupine. By late summer, magenta fireweed and patches of cream-colored pearly everlasting frame the blown down forest. In autumn, monument breezes will dance with cotton-covered seeds as life continues its march across the blast zone.

Watch for animals that have taken up residence in the developing forest. The once silent blast zone is punctuated by the calls of killdeer and red-winged blackbirds that have made their homes in lush shoreline vegetation. Red-tailed hawks can be spotted hunting for abundant mouse populations while osprey dive for trout in blast zone lakes. The open valleys and hillsides are a favorite feeding ground for North American elk. If you listen you can sometimes catch the echo of a whistling elk or maybe the howl of a lonely coyote.

Climate

Most viewpoints on the monument's north, east, and south sides can be reached from Memorial Day (the last Monday in May) until snow closes the roads, usually in late October. Trails are generally open from June through October, although some lower elevation trails can be hiked all year. The Mount St. Helens Visitor Center (Highway 504 milepost 5) operated by Washington State Parks is open during the winter, except winter holidays.

Visitor information

• Park website

Get in

By car

Mount St. Helens can be visited as a longish day trip from Seattle or Portland, or more conveniently as a side-trip while traveling between the two cities.

The West Side, including each visitor center and views of the crater, is accessed from State Route 504 (WA-504). This is the most popular way into the park.

• From Interstate 5, take Exit 49 at Castle Rock, about 2 hr 15 min north of Portland and two hours south of Seattle.
• From Interstate 5, take Exit 63 to Toledo. This is a slightly shorter drive from Seattle, but is not recommended for the initial trip up the mountain, as it bypasses the main visitor center near Castle Rock.

& The South Side, including Ape Cave, is accessed from Forest Road 90 (FR-90).

• From Interstate 5, take Exit 21 at Woodland for State Route 503 (WA-503). SR-503 becomes Forest Road 90 (FR-90) past Cougar and goes along the south side of Mount St. Helens, and connects to Forest Road 25 (FR-25).
• From I-84 and the Columbia River, take Exit 64 for Hood River/White Salmon, and cross over the Hood River/White Salmon Bridge to State Route 14 (WA-14). In Carson, go west 18 mi to Wind River Rd, which becomes FR-30/Meadow Creek Rd in Gifford Pinchot NF. 29.5 mi north of Carson, turn left to Curly Creek Rd (FR-90).

& The East Side, including Windy Ridge and Spirit Lake, is accessed from Forest Road 25 (FR-25). During the winter FR-25 is closed to due to standing snow accumulation (no plowing through there) in high altitudes. Each route takes roughly the same amount of time from Spokane, though the quality of the roads are best on the US-12 route.

• From US-12, west from Yakima, turn south on WA-131 in Randle, halfway between Yakima and I-5. WA-131 becomes Forest Road 25 (FR-25) a few miles south of from US-12.
• From I-84 and the Columbia River, take Exit 64 for Hood River/White Salmon, and cross over the Hood River/White Salmon Bridge to State Route 14 (WA-14). In Carson, go west 18 mi to Wind River Rd, which becomes FR-30/Meadow Creek Rd in Gifford Pinchot NF. 29.5 mi north of Carson, turn left to Curly Creek Rd (FR-90). Go west 6 mi to FR-25.

There are no gas stations past the 18-mile point (from I-5) on WA-504, or on any Forest Roads (FR). The Shell station in the Kid Valley (8 mi east of Toutle) is the last chance to buy fuel (including diesel). Cheaper gas is available near I-5 at Castle Rock. The round trip distance to the end of the highway (Johnston Ridge) from this point is 66.5 mi (107.5 km).

At higher elevations, the local Forest Roads (FR) are not plowed or maintained in winter and are therefore closed during the winter. The closures are typically Nov-Apr, but can be longer or shorter depending on the amount of snow.

Fees and permits

Monument passes are sold for single-day admission to the visitor centers along Washington 504 (Mar 2018):

• 16 years or older: US $8
• 15 years or below: Free.

Stay safe

Volcano safety is, to put it mildly, a controversial subject; see the article on Volcanoes for some of the issues. Compared to many other active volcanoes, Mount St. Helens has been studied extensively, and therefore has a relatively well-defined "safety envelope" that allows informed decision making as regards trail closures, etc. Even St. Helens, however, is prone to bouts of unexpectedly violent behavior, as for example on 8 March 2005 when an explosive event sent ash and steam to elevations above 35,000 feet (10 km) essentially without warning. The monument, therefore, has established a policy regarding road and trail closures that at first glance appears unnecessarily conservative, but it is not. Believe it. The closures aren't there simply to inconvenience and irritate you. If a trail is closed due to eruptive hazard, stay off the trail.

Other than the volcanic activity, St. Helens poses basically the usual set of hazards associated with mountainous country: changeable weather, potential for road closures due to snow in the winter, etc. One extra thing to be aware of is that much of the area on the north side of the mountain, particularly the northeast, does not yet have many travel services, even things as basic as gas stations. When leaving the main roads to head for the observatory, or particularly the Windy Ridge viewpoint and trailhead, it's wise to have a full gas tank.

Go next

Toutle is the closest town to the park along the Spirit Lake Highway, offering amenities such as hotels and restaurants. Once back to I-5, the nearest cities are Kelso and Longview.

Visit the major cities nearby:

• Portland – Oregon's largest city and cultural capital
• Seattle – The home of Starbucks features an eclectic mix of people and a vibrant city life

See the other volcanoes of the Cascade Range, before they blow up too:

• Mount Baker — The ski resort that took the snowfall world record from Mount Rainier
• Mount Hood — The backdrop for the Portland skyline, with a lodge used to film The Shining
• Mount Rainier National Park — The tallest mountain the Cascades and the most "prominent" mountain in the lower 48 states

See Washington's National Parks:

• North Cascades National Park – Home to 50% of all glaciers in the lower 48 states. The undeveloped wilderness is a favorite for climbers and backpackers
• Olympic National Park — Temperate rain forest, rugged Olympic Mountains and wild coastline, this is the only UNESCO World Heritage site in the Pacific Northwest