Mt. St. Helens

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​May 18, 2020 will be 40 years since Mt. St. Helens blew her top!  It might be the year that you get around to traveling up the mountain, or you might be returning to see how it has recovered.  The photo above was taken in March--not the best time to access all the mountain has to offer!
 
Mt. St. Helen’s is a 3-dimensional mountain, and it has 3 sides to access.  Accessible Adventures, an excellent video series by John Williams, has a video of each side:

South side—via Hwy 503 from Woodland, WA--Ape Caves (not accessible,
but a small headquarters & restrooms are), Trail of Two Forests (accessible boardwalk loop might still cause some trepidation without a helper), Lava Canyon (said to be accessible but steep; “outstanding views”)
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/giffordpinchot/recreation/recarea/?recid=66098

Note:  If you return on the same route, you will surely want to stop 
to picnic & play in the accessible swimming area of Yale Park, on Yale Lake; 
restrooms, tables, boat ramp; no use fees Mon-Thurs when we were there . . .
​  http://www.lewisriver.com/yale.html ​

 
East side—via FS roads 25 & 99; usually open from mid-July.  
Winding, slow roads—relax and enjoy the drive; Bear Mtn viewpoint has accessible viewing, picnic area, restrooms; Miner’s Car has accessible view, paved/boardwalk trail to neighboring Meta Lake with accessible view; viewpoints on the way to Windy Ridge
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/giffordpinchot/recreation/recarea/?recid=66099
 
West side—via Hwy 504, Castle Rock, WA to the Johnston Ridge Observatory
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/giffordpinchot/recreation/recarea/?recid=66100
 
The following article is about the west side.

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Mt. St. Helens about 100 years ago, view from Orchards, WA

Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center
              at Silver Lake
From Portland, OR, travel Hwy I-5 north to Hwy 504 (about an hour or so). The Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake is run by Washington State, only 5 miles east of I-5, and is open year round.  It’s small, but not expensive.  We went on a Washington State Parks “free day” (Sept 28, 2019), but the Visitor Center was not included in that.    A half mile trail next to it has a boardwalk over wetlands.   Educational groups are free if pre-registered, and they have sample curriculum ideas, see  https://parks.state.wa.us/245/Mount-St-Helens  
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Mid-May you can get a copy of the latest “Volcano Review”, published in partnership with the US Forest Service. I got mine at the Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center mentioned above, but I advise getting it ahead of time, to choose among various events happening in the summer. 
 
Your best chances for seeing the mountain are about June-August (no guarantees), but if you check the weather forecast, there are other pretty days to see it.
 
Easiest way to get a “Volcano Review” for people from Portland might be at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site/Park, in Vancouver, WA—at the Forest Service Desk.  

It was Sept 28 when we drove up, rain was in the forecast, I knew that meant a chance of snow.  But it was early enough in the Fall, I didn’t expect anything deep.  It was a beautiful drive up Hwy 504, with the sun lighting much of the way. 
 
Last chance to get gas is at Drew’s Grocery & Service, Toutle, WA.  It’s rather expensive, but you may like to encourage & support local businesses, or maybe you just want to be sure you don’t have to hold your breath, or blow it, to keep the car going on the way back.

• Call ahead for visibility, if you want to be sure to see the Volcano     (360) 274-2140
• Check the weather, and prepare accordingly

 
Weather chart as we recorded Sept 28, 2019--

Drew’s last-chance-for-gas station, Toutle, WA	​52ºF     Sunny, puffy clouds, some wet pavement	​abt. 2pm or so; from there we took in some views on the way to Coldwater
​Coldwater Lake	​46ºF     Blue skies, puffy white clouds	​abt. 3pm, I think, we arrived by 4pm breezy
4000’ marker	​Snow skiff on ground	​abt. 4:10pm
Johnston Ridge Observatory 4314’	​37º low visibility, ​St Helens under a cloud	​5pm as we left Snowing big beautiful white flakes
1 mile down the hill from the Observatory	​Snow turned to sprizzly rain	​just after 5pm

Mt. St. Helens Forest Learning Center
On your way up Hwy 504 you will come to the Mt. St. Helens Forest Learning Center (not to be confused with the Mt. St. Helens Science and Learning Center, mentioned below).  It's free, has a beautiful view, restrooms, exhibits, playground . . .

Mount St. Helens Science and Learning Center
The Mount St. Helens Science and Learning Center, 43 miles up Hwy 504 from I-5, is open weekends in the off-season, with kid activities, and is a rentable venue for groups.  We didn’t take time to go there this trip.  On their website they have good info on all sides of the mountain, as well as links to videos of the 1980 blast, and 30 years later:
 
http://www.mshslc.org/visit-msh/                   
(connections to videos worked, except a couple)
for info on activities (dated 2018, so check about 2020)
see  http://www.mshslc.org/facilities-rentals/activities/

Coldwater Lake
Spectacular views draw your eyes as you drive across equally spectacular bridges on Hwy 504.  Plenty of viewpoints, so the driver can also enjoy looking. 
 
When I have gone up the mountain before, I was anxious to get to the top, so didn’t take time along the way.  This time, we not only checked out some of the viewing opportunities, we ate a picnic lunch at Coldwater Lake.
 
I am so glad we did!

Wonderful wooden decks give great views out over the clear water.  No fishing or swimming off the decks.  Paved path loops back to the parking lot, but it’s not for the wheelchair weary or faint at heart.  Have a helper on hand just in case.​

Really nice accessible decks, informative signage, fabulous views.

Johnston Ridge Observatory

Johnston Ridge Observatory is a fee area, but this was a fee-free day (Public Lands Day);  I have a National Parks Disability Access pass, so it’s free for me and up to 3 accompanying anytime
https://www.fs.fed.us/visit/destination/johnston-ridge-observatory
https://www.fs.fed.us/visit/passes-permits
Kids 15 and under free; 4th grader pass plus 3 free; disabled access pass free; military pass free
see  https://www.fs.fed.us/visit/passes-permits/recreation-fees-passes  

To extend your stay and play--
​venues from Mt St Helens going west (downhill) on Hwy 504:

​EcoPark Resort	​Cabins, yurts, tents, RVs; trails, café, community campfire, horseback tours	https://www.ecoparkresort.com/ 24 mile marker on Hwy 504
​North Fork Survivors Gift Shop	​Camping, copters, carving (28’ Bigfoot), nearly buried by the blast A-Frame home	See https://outdoorfamilyadv.com/bigfoot-buried-frame-mount-st-helens/ 19 mile marker on Hwy 504
​Kid Valley Campground	​RVs, tent sites, ice, wood, hot showers, covered picnic area	​http://www.kidvalley.com/ walk trail to Fire Mountain Grill
​Riverdale Raceway	Drag races, motocross, ​off-road	http://www.riverdaleraceway.com/ ​
​Reel Obsession Fishing Guide Service	​Provides all, including photos & videos; salmon, steelhead, muskie, bass; US Coast Guard Captains license	http://cowlitzriverfishingguideservice.com/    Silverlake, WA   Cowlitz River, Lewis River, Chehalis River
​Treehouse Island Zip Line Adventures	​Zipline, park, trails, picnic tables, fire pit	​https://www.thetreehouseisland.com Silver Lake, WA An hour from Portland, an hour from Olympia
​Mt. St. Helens RV Resort	​Restrooms, showers, full hookups,  pets, fishing	See http://www.campgroundreviews.com/regions/washington/silverlake/mt-st-helens-rv-resort-12908 ​
​Silverlake Resort	​motel,cabins,RVs,camping, fishing (equip rentals), boating/canoes/kayaks/etc (rentals), playground	https://silverlake-resort.com/#
​Seaquest State Park	​475 acres year-round camping, also yurts, pets, pedestrian tunnel to Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake, hike, bike, playground	​https://parks.state.wa.us/430/Seaquest-State-Park
​KOA	​RV, tenting, wifi, propane, wood, dog park, bounce house & obstacle course, playground, beauty salon, club house, horseshoe pit, kamping kitchen, cable	​https://koa.com/campgrounds/st-helens/ Castle Rock, WA
​Mt. St. Helens Motel	​“Hope you had a blast”, best price guarantee, free wifi, late check-out by request	​https://mountsthelensmotel.com/ Castle Rock, WA
​Timberland Inn & Suites	​Free Wifi in room; 24-hr reception, pets, no-smoking rooms, AC, allergy-free room	​http://www.timberlandinn.com/ Castle Rock, WA

Restaurants in Castle Rock east of I-5, on Hwy 504

• El Compadre Restaurant
• Parker’s Steakhouse and Brewery
• C&L Burger Bar (elk burger, buffalo burger, fish, gyozas, shakes, etc—not a chain)
• Burger King
• Papa Pete’s Pizza
• Subway
• Shell Station foodmart/burgers . . .
• McDonald’s

(more on the west side of I-5, including Asian and a Bakery
(Hawaiian, Seafood, Irish, 11 miles south, in Longview, WA)