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Mt. St. Helen's Silver Lake Visitor Center
Directions:
 Located
5.5 miles east of Castle Rock on State Highway 504 (Spirit Lake
Memorial Hwy) at Silver Lake in Cowlitz County. From Seattle,
drive south on I-5 to exit 49. Continue east to the center, which
is on the right side of the road across from Seaquest State Park.
From the parking area, head toward the visitor center. The trailhead
is to your left, just before reaching the door of the center.
 Features:
You can explore Silver Lake via a mile-long fully accessible trail,
including boardwalks over wetlands where a variety of migratory
waterfowl may be viewed at different times of the year. You can
view Mount St. Helens over Silver Lake from an accessible telescope.
The views of the lake and wildlife that live and visit there are
excellent. The interpretive center, now operated by Washington
State Parks has a variety of interpretive displays that set
the scene for all the visitor centers at Mount St. Helens.
Other:
Located across from the Mt. St. Helen's Silver Lake Visitor Center,
Seaquest State Park covers 475.13 acres with 5,640 feet of freshwater
shoreline on Silver Lake with 8.0 miles of hiking trails (none
of which are ADA accessible). There are accessible campsites,
picnic tables, and water. Recreational activities also include
fishing for trout, salmon, and spiny-ray fish; camping, picnicking,
horseshoes, playground activities. The park has 116 acres of wetlands.
There are 76 campsites (16 trailer sites), picnic sites, and shelters
for group activities.
Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center
 Directions:
On State Highway 504 (Spirit Lake Memorial Hwy), mile post 27.
Features:
The timber-framed Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center stands near
the point at which the volcano’s massive landslide halted
its roughly 14-mile advance through the Toutle River Valley. From
here you will get your first panaramic view of the mountain. Sharp
eyes may spot a black bear or grazing elk 1,400 feet below on
the valley floor. Take the Memorial Grove walk and view the Toutle
River Valley mudflows or catch a helicopter ride from here for
a bird’s-eye view of the crater.
The road ahead has some long, steep grades. If you are pulling
a trailer you may want to leave it here in a special area of the
Hoffstadt Viewpoint parking lot that has been set aside for that
purpose.
SRS Viewpoint
 Directions:
On State Highway 504 (Spirit Lake Memorial Hwy).
Features:
5-acre day use tourist viewpoint of sediment retention dam that
includes trails, restrooms, interpretive center, gift shop and
concessions. A short path from the parking area to the viewpoint
and a nature trail loop to the structure. (Accessibility of
trail not known at this time - contact Cowlitz
County Parks Department.)
Forest Learning Center
 Directions:
On State Highway 504 (Spirit Lake Memorial Hwy), mile post 33.
Features:
Weyerhaeuser, with 68,000 acres was the largest private landowner
affected by the eruption of Mount St. Helens. The company tells
its unique story of recovery and renewal at the Forest Learning
Center, located just inside the blast zone on the west side of
the volcano.
The Weyerhaeuser
Forest Learning Center is designed to accommodate disabled
visitors except at the forest trail. Wheelchairs are available
at Center. For you slow walkers, the forest trail is an easy one-mile
walk through young forest.
Elk Rock Viewpoint
 Directions:
On State Highway 504 (Spirit Lake Memorial Hwy), mile post 37.
Features:
Route 504 beyond the sediment dam is the replacement road built
in the hills above its buried predecessor in the valley. From
the Sediment Retention Structure to the Mount St. Helens National
Volcanic Monument’s western boundary at Elk Rock Viewpoint,
there are many places to photograph the still-scoured Toutle River
valley. Here the hillsides above the valley are covered with large,
attractive forest tracts on lands reclaimed and replanted shortly
after the eruption. Stop at Elk Rock Viewpoint on your way up
the mountain for an excellent view of Mount St. Helens, the debris
avalanche, and the spillway draining Coldwater Lake. The crater
of Mount St. Helens is 10 miles (16 kilometers) away.
Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center
 Directions:
On State Highway 504 (Spirit Lake Memorial Hwy), 43 miles east
of Castle Rock
 Features:
Winds of Change .25 mile accessible trail that tells the story
of how a stone-filled wind slammed into Coldwater Ridge during
the 1980 eruption transforming the forests into what appeared
to be a waste land.
 The
interpretive signs explain how the plants and animals are returning.
There are panoramic views of Mount St. Helens, newly formed lakes,
blown down trees, and the debris-filled Toutle River Valley.
Other:
Services include a video-wall theater program, interpretive exhibits,
a staffed information desk, a gift shop, a Northwest Interpretive
Association book sales area, and a restaurant with a selection
of sandwiches.
Coldwater Lake Recreation Area
Directions:
On State Highway 504 (Spirit Lake Memorial Hwy), 45 miles east
of Castle Rock
 Features:
Coldwater Lake Recreation Area is located within the heart of
the blast zone 2 miles east of Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center.
Take a walk on the .25 mile Birth of a Lake Interpretive Trail
and discover how this newly formed lake was created during the
May 18th eruption. Visitors can enjoy a close-up view of the lake
with Mount St. Helens in the distance. Birds are heard all around
while fish surface in the waters nearby. Services include picnic
tables, restrooms, fish cleaning station, boat launch and a discovery
area.
Other:
Facilities include picnic tables, restrooms, a fish cleaning station,
boat launch and a hands-on discovery area. This is a DAY USE AREA
only. For fishing regulations, check the information board located
on site or call one of the visitor centers.
Johnston Ridge Visitor Center
Directions:
On State Highway 504 (Spirit Lake Memorial Hwy), 45 miles east
of Castle Rock
Features:
Take a .5 mile walk on the Eruption Trail and learn how the eruption
shaped the surrounding landscape. Visitors can expect to see views
of the lava dome, crater, pumice plain, and the landslide deposit..
The Center's interpretive displays portray the sequence of geologic
events that transformed the landscape and opened up a new era
in the the science of monitoring an active volcano and forecasting
eruptions.
Other:
Services include a wide-screen theater presentation, interpretive
exhibits, a staffed information desk and a Northwest Interpretive
Association books sales area. No food service available at this
site.
Links:
[Gifford
Pinchot Map]
Interactive Gifford Penchot National Forest Map - Mount
St. Helens website.
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