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Mount St. Helens |
| WASHINGTON STATE > VANCOUVER WA HOTELS > VANCOUVER WA ATTRACTIONS > SEATTLE HOTELS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mt. Saint Helens is a must-see destination that draws visitors from all over the
world. It is one of a few places in the world where visitors can get an up-close
view into the crater of an active volcano. The catastrophic eruption of Mt Saint Helens on May 18, 1980 was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States. It took the lives of 57 people and caused massive destruction when the powerful blast created the world's largest recorded landslide. Visitors can witness both the devastation left behind and the resurgence of life in the surrounding landscape at numerous viewpoints and visitor centers within the National Volcanic Monument. The Mt. Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument Visitor Center at Silver Lake (milepost 5) shows the eruption on May 18, 1980, and discusses volcanoes in general. The Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center (milepost 27) has a unique gift shop offering merchandise hand crafted from Mt. Saint Helens ash and a restaurant with deck seating to enjoy the scenery. From June through September visitors can get a birds-eye view with helicopter tours. The Forest Learning Center, (milepost 33.5) leads you through the steps that were taken to salvage the downed lumber and reforest the area. Take a look through telescopes mounted at the top of their interpretive trail for a chance to see elk that may be in the vicinity. Johnston Ridge Observatory sits only 5 miles from the crater. Visitors can get close looks at the lava dome formed since the 1980 eruption, the crater, pumice plain and landslide deposits. The observatory includes exhibits with a geological focus, a 16-minute theater program, ranger-led programs and a bookstore. To reach the mountain from Interstate 5, take the Castle Rock exit to Highway 504. Nominally-priced one-day passes to access visitor centers can be found at the Mt. Saint Helens Visitor Center, the Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center and Johnson Ridge Observatory. |
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