Located just five miles from Mount St. Helens, Windy Ridge Interpretive Site provides a close-up view of the volcano's crater, and a breathtaking panorama of a landscape radically changed during the 1980 eruption and landslide. Below you lies Spirit Lake, with its floating log mat of huge trees swept into it during the eruption. Beyond, view a plain of pumice and ash and denuded hills, still barren but greening with vegetation. Climb a 368-step sand ladder for a higher view. Read interpretive signs to learn about the events and people of the eruption. During summer, join an interpretive program presented at the site's amphitheater. The site is accessible and memorable for all.