Although Johnston Ridge is closed, great views and recreation is still possible all summer long on the north side of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
As road access to the Johnston Ridge Observatory remains closed for at least another calendar year, multiple visitor centers and trails can still be enjoyed, with grand views of the volcano.
Access to the closest views by foot can be found in the Coldwater Lake area, with the Hummocks Trail connecting to the Boundary Trail. The trail is part of The Great Washington State Birding Trail’s Southwest Loop, so having binoculars, a telephoto lens, and a birding field guide is handy, as well as plenty of rehydrating fluids since the trails have a lot of open terrains and a beating summer sun overhead. The Boundary Trail takes hikers to the Loowit Viewpoint, which can be continued to the closed observatory for views straight into the crater.
The Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center, open on weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., offers a great view of the volcano as well as a bookstore, information and educational programs. The visitor center will be open daily from June 14 through Labor Day at the same hours.
Mount St. Helens Visitor Center reopens
Closer to Castle Rock, the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center, operated by Washington State Parks staff, reopened to the public on Saturday, May 31.
Set to reopen after undergoing its first major renovation since opening in 1986, the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center in Castle Rock will begin welcoming visitors on May 31, according to a news release from Washington State Parks.
The new exhibits offer a more comprehensive view of Mount St. Helens, spanning from its pre-eruption days to the present. Its displays show the role the mountain has had in transforming the region over thousands of years.
The Cowlitz Indian Tribe was a close partner in this work, according to the release. For millennia, the mountain has played a central role in the customs and culture of the Cowlitz and other Indigenous people across this region. State Parks has been honored to work with the Cowlitz to share their culture and history with the public at this facility.
More information about the Cowlitz Indian Tribe can be found at cowlitz.org.
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is also grateful to the numerous partners who lent their expertise to this project, including the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Mount St. Helens Institute, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the Cowlitz County Museum and the White Pass Country Historical Museum.
Several of the new exhibits take a hands-on approach to learning through interactive displays and storytelling. New features include:
• An updated feature film and a series of featurettes developed in partnership with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe
• Exhibits about the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, their connection to this area and a Cowlitz Coast Salish audio exhibit
• A “Make-a-Quake” exhibit that lets visitors create their own shockwaves with a seismograph
• A new and improved “walk-in” volcano that takes visitors inside the mountain
• A “Volcano Blasters” pinball machine
• Several video displays
• Volcanic rocks, a wetland exploration area and model plants and animals for tactile learning
• Three-dimensional relief map of Mount St. Helens
• Over 80 historic artifacts, including an eruption blasted Weyerhaeuser logging truck door
The updated visitor center also offers a new Junior Volcano Explorer activity booklet and badge program for kids.
The Mount St. Helens Visitor Center is located five miles east of I-5 in Castle Rock. Beginning May 31, it will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission for children seven and under is free. Youth ages seven to 17 costs $2.50 and adult admission costs $5.
