Overview

This was our first trip to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. We were staying in Kalama, Washington, so came into the Monument from Castle Rock on the west side, along Highway 504, also known as the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. We returned to Kalama along that same route at the end of the day.

Mount St. Helens Visitor Center

9:00 a.m.
Our first stop was the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center, where we paid a $3.00 per person daily visitor fee which covered everything we would be doing in the State owned portion of the Monument. Our Golden Eagle card covered the entrance fees for the federal portion of the monument.

The morning was cool and damp, but the sky was clear. As we walked from the parking lot toward the entrance to the Visitor Center I avoided what I thought was very fresh small-dog droppings on the sidewalk, internally cursing the irresponsible owner for not cleaning up the mess. But then the "mess" moved. On further examination it turned out to be a baby-poop colored slug, about four inches long. Our very first of many we would see over the next few days.

The Visitor Center has fascinating exhibits following the chronology of the 1980 erupting and devastation, movies of the event and recovery, a walk down inside of a simulated volcano, free information, a gift shop, and rest rooms. Outside there are patios and observation areas in an attractive natural stone setting. There is also a one mile nature trail that takes you through the marshy areas of Silver Lake, with interpretive signs. Along the way we spotted a crane, a frog, lily pads, and a variety of other local vegetation.

Forest Learning Center

11:24 a.m.
The Charles W. Bingham Forest Learning Center at Mount St. Helens is sponsored by Weyerhaeuser and is directed mostly toward children, to help them understand what makes up a forest and how mankind benefits from what a forest provides. But I think most adults can come away with some new knowledge as well. The exhibits are very slick and well thought out and most are hands on, giving everyone a chance to touch and smell and see the exhibits.

Outside, where we can actually touch and smell and see the real thing, there is a Forest Trail that winds down into the forest to a viewpoint overlooking the North Fork of the Toutle River. While we were in there we spooked up an elk, but all we saw was a flash of color as it crashed through the trees.

We also walked up to the Elk Viewing Area which overlooks the Toutle River. From there we could see a large herd of elk way down below, as they crossed the river. Of course, they were only tiny specks against the gray background.

Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center

We ate our lunch ate a grouping of picnic tables to the west of the large parking area. The spot is along a ridge and has great views of the volcano and the massive destruction caused by the 1980 eruption. The sky was beginning to cloud over some, but we could still look into the crater and see some of its features. The air was beginning to take on a chill, and dark clouds were flowing over the forested ridges to the west and north.

Before we left the picnic area we heard a scratching sound in one of the recycling containers. After we pried open the lid we discovered a ground squirrel had gotten down into there. It quickly jumped out when Anne pulled the lid away.

After lunch we made a quick tour of the Coldwater Visitor Center, which has some great views of the crater and surrounding area, as well as Coldwater Lake, below. There are exhibits, a gift shop, rest rooms, and a cafe. We then walked to the Elk Bench Trailhead to the east of the Visitor Center, and then back to the Winds of Change Trail, which makes a .25 mile loop through some exhibits on the west side of the Visitor Center. By this time it was getting very overcast, and the wind was getting brisk.

Coldwater Lake

3:00 p.m.
There is a good sized parking area, rest rooms, drinking water, and paved walks through the area. We walked the short Birth of a Lake Trail which has a series of informative signs explaining how the lake was formed after the eruption in 1980. There are really nice boardwalks and benches for sitting and contemplating the immensity of what is around you. This was a very pleasant walk, even though it was very fallish and the sky was a steel gray by this time.

Loowit Viewpoint

We only stopped here briefly to take a look over the edge. The fog was coming in steadily now and it was quite windy. The parking lot here also acts as a trailhead for some of the trails through the area. We could not see much of the valley below, and nothing of the volcano before us. But it was exciting, watching the clouds scuttle across the slopes and swirl down into the valley. We noted that the fog felt dry, instead of the damp that we expected.

Johnston Ridge Observatory

3:30 p.m.
The area was completely fogged in and we could see nothing of the crater, even though we knew it should be straight across from us. We toured quickly through the Visitor Center, which is very much like the others, and then decided to sit through the movie about the eruption. When the movie was over the screen lifted, with dramatic music filling the auditorium. Behind the screen was a large set of windows, which, I can only conjecture, normally provided the audience with a spectacular panoramic view of the volcano and its crater. But on this day all we saw was a solid gray-white sheet of fog. It was really sort of funny.

By the time we left the building it was actually raining, and the fog was so dense that we could barely see the road. Anne drove down the mountain very carefully. As the fog lifted a bit we discovered that the road was covered by tiny frogs or toads. There was nothing we could do but continue driving, and hoped that the majority of the little critters cleared off before they were all smashed. This phenomena must have gone on for over a mile.