Mount St. Helens NVM
The West - Washington
Entrance fees and opening hours
- 8$/person
- Covered by the Anual Pass*
- Open 24h all year round.
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
Our visits: So far 1 visit in June 2015
Mount St. Helens NVM
Current: Due to a landslide in May 2023, the Johnston Ridge Observatory will be inaccessible until at least 2026. You can find more information on the official website.
Description: Mount St. Helens is one of the volcanoes of the Cascade Range. It is one of the most active and had a massive eruption on May 18, 1980. Thereby the complete northern summit slipped and enormous rock masses came into motion. During the eruption, which was additionally accompanied by pyroclastic flows, 57 people died. The summit of the mountain, which was previously 9678ft high, was reduced by more than 1312ft. Until 1986 there were repeatedly other smaller eruptions and even after that there was always some activity. It was not until 2008 that the mountain was again classified as dormant. Flora and fauna are also slowly recovering. Nevertheless, you can still find many witnesses of the past eruption, e.g. in the form of bent and burned trees. The shape of Mount St. Helens and the landscape around it was changed forever on this day in May 1980.
Our rating: Mount St. Helens was a very impressive place. It demonstrates the forces of nature that can be unleashed on our planet. We can also recommend a visit to the Johnston Ridge Observatory. You should not miss the movie about the eruption. It is worth it.
