Take the family for a summer adventure to Mount St. Helens

In Seattle, when we say “the mountain’s out,” what we mean is the volcano’s out. Scenic, snow-capped Mount Rainier is an active volcano and is expected to have future eruptions.

What’s it like living through a volcanic eruption? Longtime Pacific Northwest residents can tell you exactly where they were on May 18, 1980.

That Sunday morning in Skamania County, Mount St. Helens erupted with the force of 500 Hiroshima atomic bombs, mowing down 230 square miles of forest and spewing ash around the globe. The biggest volcanic eruption in the history of the contiguous United States happened in our backyard, just a two-and-a-half-hour drive south of Seattle.

It’s an adventure, it’s educational, it’s nearby and it’s incredibly inexpensive to visit with the whole family.

This May, land loosened by that 1980 eruption slid down and washed out Highway 504 at milepost 49, cutting off Johnston Ridge Observatory. Twelve people and a dog had to be airlifted out. Nine cars — including two rentals! — are stranded indefinitely. In June, another landslide took out Forest Road 25 at milepost 26.

There’s no estimate on when either of those roads will reopen. Forest Road 25 will probably be closed the rest of the season, and Highway 504 will definitely be closed the rest of the year, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Two landslides in two months? Mount St. Helens is still showing us who’s boss.

“We try to explain that to people, it’s relatively young. Forty-three years. It takes a long time for a forest to re-establish itself,” said Gala Miller, spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service. “It’s a dynamic landscape, for sure.”

Despite the recent landslides, there is still a lot to see and do at Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument this summer. You can get a good close-up view of the crater and even walk through a lava tube for the bargain price of $2. (Pro tip: Before you visit, watch a documentary about the eruption so you get a sense of the enormity. We liked the National Geographic one on Disney+.)

“If you’re a person with little kids, you may remember May 18, 1980,” said Meryl Lassen, spokeswoman for Washington State Parks. “There’s so much to be done there, educationally. You don’t have to be a super outdoorsy person in order to learn something extraordinary about the geology of the area and the environment. There are a million ways to enjoy Mount St. Helens that do not involve ice axes and crampons.”

The most popular route is 504. It’s a dead-end road, so you’ll have to double back the way you came. There are three visitor centers currently open, each of them family-friendly, accessible, with restrooms and large parking lots.

The first, just five miles off Interstate 5, is the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake run by Washington State Parks. Helpful rangers at the front desk answer questions and give talks, and there’s a fantastic view of the flat-topped mountain right at the entrance. You can pay $5 to watch a film and look at exhibits about the eruption. Or go for a stroll on the free, 0.6-mile-long boardwalk over the wetlands just outside.

The second is the Weyerhaeuser-run Forest Learning Center, about a 30-minute drive further on 504 at milepost 37. Admission here is completely free and there’s even a playground outside! Inside, start your visit with a 5-minute film, and check displays about the eruption. At the front desk, you can dip your finger into a jar of real Mount St. Helens ash. In the hands-on discovery room, you can touch animal furs, various kinds of wood and different rocks. (See which stone floats!)

The third stop, at milepost 43, is the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater run by the nonprofit Mount St. Helens Institute. It’s open as a visitor center for the 2023 season because Johnston Ridge Observatory closed following the May landslide. There are rangers to talk to, public programming, picnic tables and a 0.25-mile paved trail leading through a part of the blast zone. Coldwater Recreation Area, two miles down the road, is also open.

The highway is gated just past Coldwater Lake at milepost 45.2 and will be closed for the rest of the summer.

It is entirely worth your while to drive 1.5 hours around to the south side of Mount St. Helens to walk through the lava tube. Ape Cave is named for the scout group that first explored it. Very easy, very cool. You’ll need to reserve a $2 timed ticket on recreation.gov; spots are limited to protect the cave.

It’s chilly and pitch black inside, so wear a jacket, bring at least two lights for each person, and check your batteries before you go. Lanterns are available to rent for $5 at the information station at the edge of the parking lot.

The 1.5-mile upper cave is strenuous and requires climbing over boulders and scaling an 8-foot rock wall. The 0.75-mile lower cave is easy enough for a preschooler.

Windy Ridge, on the east side of the mountain, opens once the snow melts (typically sometime in July; check its status online). It can only be accessed by Forest Road 99 from Randle — but not Cougar this summer because of the Forest Road 25 landslide. This is a longer, windier drive than 504. The payoff is at the end of 99: a view of the volcano’s crater and Spirit Lake. There’s no visitor’s center at Windy Ridge, but there are rangers, an amphitheater, trails, viewpoints and vault toilets. On this side of the mountain, you can still see fallen trees and a melted Pontiac Grand Prix, the eruption’s legacy.