Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

3029 Spirit Lake Hwy, Castle Rock, WA 98611, USA

Address:	3029 Spirit Lake Hwy, Castle Rock, WA 98611, USA
Phone:	+1 360-449-7800
Site:	fs.usda.gov
Rating:	4.8
Working:	6AM–10PM 6AM–10PM 6AM–10PM 6AM–10PM 6AM–10PM 6AM–10PM 6AM–10PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 16

my name is maxcapax

Die Natur repariert sich bereits. Im Laufe vieler Besuche glaube ich bemerkt zu haben, dass die Geröllfelder immer "grüner" werden. Die vielen umgelegten Bäume auf den noch nicht wieder aufgeforsteten Flächen zeugen aber von der Gewalt des Vulkanausbruchs. Auf den Seen treiben immer noch unzählige Baumstämme - wie Eis. Die besten Aussichten hat man von Westen kommend. Hier kann man in die offene Kraterflanke hineinschauen und den sich neu bildenden Kegel dampfen sehen. Es werden auch Helikopter Flüge in den Krater hinein angeboten. Die touristische Infrastruktur ist gut. Von Osten kommend ist die Sicht weniger spektakulär. Die Zufahrtstraßen sind in einem miserablen Zustand (Forstwege), der Berg lebt. Absackungen. Trotzdem hat sich die Mühe gelohnt. Man wird nicht beide Seiten an einem Tag machen können. Ich habe die Ostseite im Anschluss an Mt.Rainier gemacht. Das hat gepasst. DANKE. Zeitbedarf: ein halber Tag

Klaus Krembsler

Mount St Helen ist eigentlich eine Plichtsache wenn man in der Gegend ist. Allein die Geschichte um den Berg ist faszinierend den nach einem Ausbruch im May 1980 hat er eine große Menge seiner Kuppel in die Luft gesprengt. Selbst heute noch kann man dies gut nachvollziehen. Man sollte sich den Film im Observation Center unbedingt ansehen um alles besser zu Verstehen. Ich war schon mehrmals hier und bin begeistert wie die Natur sich erholte. Noch ein paar Eindrücke vom letzten Besuch.

Kristie Bennett

Mount St Helens is a great trip to take. On Day 1 (from Seattle) we went to Johnston Ridge Observatory. I highly recommend it. Absolutely breathtaking view and lots of wonderful information and kind rangers. Day 2 we hiked the Ape Cave, Trail of Two Forests, and Lava Canyon. Definitely recommend the first two to anyone in the area. The lava tube was cool and lots of fun (bring good shoes, a hoodie, and a lantern/lights for everyone). The Trail of Two Forests was so cool! Try the tube crawl, so fun! Lava Canyon is awe inspiring. But definitely for those up for a challenge. Even the easy loop has a lot of hills. Great views though!

Jennifer Holm

Gorgeous facility, very knowledgeable staff at Johnstons Ridge. We were there on a Wednesday in the summer and it was moderately busy. It was $8 per person if over 15yo. Restroom on site was clean. Not a great picnic spot as they dont want you to actually eat in the observatory area in or out of the building. We ended up eating in the back of our SUV. There was a little trailer food cart in the parking lot if you were looking for good options. I recomnend eating down at coldwater lake instead and packing your own food. Lots of picnic tables and a great little trail to walk. The wild flowers were beautiful in the summer!

jameson shockley

Spectacular views, I actually camped down in cougar a few weeks ago and went sightseeing the next day, ape caves and windy ridge are a must. Ape caves are a mile long lava tube that you can walk along, there are two trails an easy one which is recommended if you have small children, the hard trail is for those who can climb up walls and over piles of boulders. Windy ridge is a viewpoint that gives you a clear view into the crater, check out some of the pictures especially the 360° ones. You can walk up two trails one that is harder and one that is easier which has stairs.

J Brew

The best place to experience the Cascade volcanoes. The Johnston Ridge Observatory is a great start. There are trails from there that are moderate hiking with outstanding views of the blast zone. One consideration in planning a trip, the weather can vary from bright sun to fog to have rain and wind. For the more adventurous, the Loowit trail circles Mount St Helens. This is quite an amazing hike. Its about 50 km (31 miles) depending on where you access the loop. There are a few technical challenges such as river crossings and rock hopping.

Tomoko Nakajima

From Spring until the end of Oct, we need to obtain climbing permit if you hike higher than 4,300ft elevation and its difficult to get it as majority of those days permits are sold out in April every year. But once you get it, you can hike to the summit with a little hiking/climbimg experiences. I still recommend you go with experienced people... in the nice weather day, you can see Rainier, Adams and Hood clearly!

Diego Avila

The views are AMAZING and it is a very humbling experience to hike around this volcano. There is a very nice visitor center with hydration stations to quickly stock up on water and nice bathrooms. However, it gets dour stars because me and my friends really wanted to climb to the top of the volcano but there wasnt a direct trail to it. We were also a little let down that it did not erupt while we were visiting.

John Mauger

We drove up to Johnston Ridge and then hiked Harrys Ridge. Its a fun hike that doesnt have too much elevation change. The blown-out mountain side is in view almost the whole hike. You also get a good view of Spirit Lake and Mt Adams, weather permitting. Theres tons to do in this area, but if you just have a few hours and want to see the crater and the impact area, this hike is a good way to do it.

Todd Watson

Its like going to the moon. Even more than 35 years after the big eruption, the blast zone is still mainly covered with gray ash and rocks. Wildflowers are beginning to blanket the areas, but only a few small trees have managed to get a foothold near the mountain. It is rugged and beautiful and unlike any other view in America, much less the evergreen northwest.

Nicole McInnis

Was a once in a lifetime trip! The roads were very well cared for and made for a great trip up and back down. My only down was that the clouds never moved out of the way for a clear full view. I however understand no one can control this. As much as I wished to see Mt St Helens the clouds had other plans, but no one can take that memory from me!

Rachel Rueth

Pretty cool to see the top of a volcano so close. We went in early September and wanted to continue down one of the hiking trails that lead away from the Visitors Center, but the bugs were swarming so bad we couldnt go slow and stop to enjoy the views. Wildflowers were abundant and colorful, and being above tree line yielded expansive views.

Enrique Hipolito

Very impressive. You have to pay to use the Johnston. There are hiking trails that you better take since theres not much to do and its a pretty long drive. I think there is another road to visit the southern part of the mountain tho you wont see much of the part of the mountain that collapsed. But the area has a lot of activities.

Rocio Ferrer

Tienes que ir para ver esta maravilla natural en persona.Aunque en verano es lindo para disfrutar y caminar se puede ir en Enero o Febrero es bello.

Deana C

Truly a beautiful peaceful place! A must see if youre in the area and worth traveling to if youre Not! Everyone is friendly and informative. Not much in the gift shop but there are several gift shops on the way there. Everything opens up at 10 on the weekends so be prepared for that.

Rob Campbell

What a great place for so many different people. There is definitely a lot of history to learn about here when it comes to Mount St. Helens. There are also a lot of great sites to go see such. If you are looking for something cool in Washington state, this is definitely worth a stop.