Mount St. Helens Visitor Centers
Knowledge, Entertainment and Excitement!
The eruption of Mount St. Helens caused the largest landslide in recorded history, sweeping through the Toutle River Valley and removing the upper 1,306 feet of the volcano. Combined, the lava flow, soaring winds and deadly heat destroyed much of the previous landscape. What the mountain did leave behind is the history of a violent eruption that shook the surrounding region and left many with stories of that tumultuous day on May 18, 1980.
Four world-class visitor centers tell the story of the mountain and the people living in the region surrounding it. Located along Spirit Lake Highway toward Mount St. Helens, the centers are nothing short of unforgettable and extraordinary. The awesome views from each of the centers speak for themselves, bringing you face to face with a monumental natural event. Each of the four visitor centers tells a part of the tale like a captivating book with four chapters: the mountain as it was before the blast at Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center, first-hand accounts from survivors who experienced the explosion at Johnston Ridge Observatory, the recovery of the mountain and the region at the Forest Learning Center and its present state at the Silver Lake Visitor Center. Each center is exquisitely unique and offers an unparalleled experience that brings visitors into the heart of a natural phenomenon.
Silver Lake Visitor Center
10 minutes from I5
The Silver Lake Visitor Center is a world-class facility located on the western shore of Silver Lake, with its high ceilings and massive windows the outdoors become a part of the architecture. Here, your senses will come alive with the interactive exhibits, a step-in model of the volcano and theater programs that are offered twice an hour. Outside, a mile-long trail takes you into marshy plains surrounding Silver Lake where you can see plenty of waterfowl and a picture-perfect view of the mountain.
If you haven’t had enough, make sure to take in one of the comprehensive presentations on the historical and cultural significance of the area, take note of the exhibits showing the chronology of events leading up to the eruption and see the working seismograph. On your way up the mountain, Silver Lake Visitor Center is the closest to I-5 and open year-round.
Hofftstadt Bluffs Visitor Center
30 minutes from I5
One look from the deck at Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center and you’ll know why the only word to describe Mount St. Helens is ‘awesome.’ From Hoffstadt Bluffs, you will get the first opportunity to see an up-close view of the mountain and the flood plain where mud rushed down into the valley raising it a mile higher than it was prior to May 18, 1980. Take a short walk to another viewing point where a memorial grove was dedicated in 2000 in memory of the 57 people who perished in the eruption.
Built as one of the largest post and beam structures on the West Coast, the structure houses the Memories of a Lost Landscape Exhibit. This exhibit gives the best depiction of the mountain prior to the blast, when it was full of buzzing kids’ camps and visitors enjoying the outdoors. Dine at the Fire Mountain Grill and spend time looking through the merchandise at the center’s gift shop; if you’re ready to take flight, helicopter tours are offered and give a birds-eye view of the area. Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center is the second closest to the I-5 corridor and is open year-round.
Forest Learning Center
35 minutes from I5
Directly following the Mount St. Helens eruption, workers from the Weyerhaeuser timber company flooded the devastated land, carrying out enough salvaged logs to build 85,000 new three-bedroom homes. The company did its part to rebuild the forest by planting by hand 18 million seedlings; today you can almost see a line between the trees that were farmed and the natural regeneration of plant-life at the mountain. Built by the Weyerhaeuser Company, the Forest Learning Center tells the story of the rebirth of the forest. At this truly unique center, visitors can walk through the forest hearing the sounds of the birds and animals on the mountain prior to May 18, 1980. Next, walk into the ‘eruption chamber’ to view a video of what the forest looked like directly following the eruption and hear a first-hand report from a local newscaster who barely escaped.
The second half of the center depicts the reconstruction of the forests surrounding Mount St. Helens. Breathtaking photographs and life-sized models of workers carrying out logs from the blast zone bring the experience to life. The Forest Learning Center tells the story from nature’s perspective and gives a hands-on approach to learning in the Kids Room where families can touch lava rocks; learn about the animals of the Pacific Northwest and how trees grow.
Johnston Ridge Observatory
90 minutes from I5
Tucked into the side of Johnston’s Ridge and only 5 miles from the north side of the mountain, the Johnston Ridge Observatory transcends the meaning of world-class. Providing visitors the opportunity to come within a stone’s throw of the crater and face-to-face with a mountain that blew with such magnitude and fury; the observatory is unparalleled to any other facility. Walk out on the viewing deck or take a stroll along one of the trails and feel the energy of the monument as it continues to puff with steam.
Inside the 16,000 square foot structure, it’s hard for visitors to decide what to do first. A favorite of all is the fully equipped theater where visitors can watch a video about the eruption. Just as the mountain surprised the world with its blast, so do the end of the movie when the screen rises and a picture-perfect view of the mountain peeks from behind. For the most information, be sure to catch a formal talk or go on a guided walk led by one of the observatory’s volunteers. Take time to go through the many exhibits and read through personal survival stories from that fateful day on May 18, 1980.