Mount St. Helens Volcanic National Monument
Skamania County, Washington
I had been wanting to visit Mount St. Helens for a long time. I think I was in sixth grade when it erupted. I can remember talking about it in the classroom and staring with awe at a canister of ash sent back to my Midwestern town from a classmate who had moved to Oregon. The volcano stands at 8,366 feet in elevation and blew its top off at 8:32 am on May 18, 1980. The USGS has a great short film on the eruption and some of the scientists describe their experiences seeing the blast over 34 years ago.According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 150 square miles of forest were obliterated (230 square miles according to the USGS video above). We started our tour of the area at the Mount St. Helens Science and Learning Center overlooking Coldwater Lake. The facility has an excellent balcony overlooking the lake and volcano.
We left the Learning Center and drove to the Johnson Ridge Observatory, which is the location of the Boundary Trail #1 trailhead. Our plan was to hike Boundary Trail and take Truman Trail #207, which leads you inside the blast zone across the Pumice Plain towards the base of the volcano. You will need a day pass, which can be purchased inside the Mount St. Helens Learning Center or Observatory for $8. As you begin the hike, you'll see that although life is returning to the area, it is a slow process (from a human perspective).
In order to reach the Truman Trail #207, you will need to hike east along Boundary Trail #1 for 2.3 miles. At the turnoff, the Truman Trail will first lead you south along a ridge with spectacular views of the crater, then will drop down into the pumice plain. From Truman Trail, there is a clear view of the lava dome inside the crater, which has been transformed many times since the eruption. New domes have continued to grow and collapse over time.
The USGS provides a great time lapse video of dome growth between 2004 and 2008.
Eventually, trail #207 drops down into the pumice plain where there is a great view of Spirit Lake and Mount Adams. If you continue on, the trail winds around Spirit Lake for about 7 miles and will lead you to Windy Ridge Viewpoint.
Three and a half miles after the turn-off onto Truman Trail, you will come to several branches off the main trail, many of which head south towards the base of the volcano. The USDA has a detailed trail map at the visitor centers, and there is a less detailed version available online. Trail #207A or #216 will lead to Loowitt Falls at the base of the volcano. We followed Truman Trail #207 for probably about 3 miles before turning around.
We only scratched the surface of the trail system in the national monument. If you choose not to turn off Boundary Trail, it will lead you north to St. Helens Lake and several campsites. There are also lectures, films, and guided hikes offered by Forest Service staff.
