Mount St. Helens see · Mount St. Helens attractions
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Mount St. Helens attractions
Mount St. Helens attractions
Along Washington 504 are three visitor centers operated by Cowlitz County, the State of Washington, and the U.S. federal government. (Mount St. Helens and Spirit Lake are actually in Skamania County, but all the land near the mountain is federally owned.) A fourth center at Coldwater Ridge is semi-permanently closed now, and may be sold. The centers include video presentations, exhibits, and information desks:
Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake: This visitor center, operated by Washington State Parks, is located about five miles east of Castle Rock, and across the highway from Seaquest State Park. It provides visitors with an introduction to the history of the area. Open daily, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, closed New Years, Thanksgiving, and Christmas days.
Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center: A public-private partnership between Cowlitz County and Weyerhaeuser Corp. Unlike the other two, this visitor center is free, though more commercialized. Has a large restaurant, and helicopter tours are available, weather permitting. Located past the Kid Valley, 26.5 miles from the freeway. Except for a hot dog stand at Johnson Ridge, it's the last chance for a meal.
Johnston Ridge Observatory: Located about 52 miles east of Castle Rock, within the blast zone, this observatory provides good views of the north face of the volcano. This is as close to the mountain as you can get by car. Interpretive talks available. Do not walk onto the observation deck without first going inside the center and obtaining a wrist band, or you will be cited. Open summer months only.
In addition, there are also numerous viewpoints and turnoffs for taking photos along the highway.
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Mount St. Helens Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.