Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument Travel Information
Most residents of Oregon and Washington remember when Mount St. Helens
(also known for her symmetrical shape pre-eruption as the Mount Fuji of
America) blew her top. An earthquake in 1980 preceded the eruption,
which blanketed
towns hundreds of miles away in volcanic ash and permanently altered
the mountain's face. Plants and animals in the blast zone were
destroyed instantly, as were 57 people -- scientists and residents.
Life returned to Mount St. Helens sooner than experts expected, and
today there are once again green trees, sight-seeing guests and crowds of squirrels. For the
last two decades visitors have been able to visit the volcanic cone
and surrounding area for an up-close look at the damage and recovery
process. In
September 2004, earthquakes and emissions led to the
closure of routes to the top. Since then, some areas farther from the
summit have opened again to campers and hikers, though sinister
rumblings as recently as July of 2005 kept mountain trails
off-limits for some time. The volcanic advisory ratings (which
determine what trails are open) vary based on constant monitoring,
which is fine-tuned enough to make it possible to predict when an
eruption is imminent. Even without access to the cone itself it is still possible to watch for steam emissions from the safety of
Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center, or get closer to the volcano at the
Johnston Ridge Observatory. Mount Margaret's back-country recently
reopened to campers and hikers with the appropriate permits. For
short hikes in the 1980 blast area, visit Meta Lake on the east side
of the monument and take along a flashlight to explore the dark recesses of
Ape Cave, a lava tube formed 2,000 years ago. Mount St. Helens is a
two-hour drive south of Seattle and an hour north of Portland, Oregon.
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