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Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center
Johnston Ridge Observatory Visitor Center
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Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Johnston Ridge Observatory
The Johnston Ridge Observatory sits on a bluff just 5-1/2 miles from the crater at an elevation of 4,314'/1,327m and offers grand views of Mount St. Helens and much of the 1980 blast zone. This visitor center is the closest you can get to the mountain by car when driving in from the west and is located 53 miles east of the town of Castle Rock at the end of State Route 504.
Here you can enjoy spectacular views of the lava dome, crater, pumice plain and the landslide deposit.
A wide-screen theater presentation and interpretive displays depict the sequence of geologic events that changed the landscape. The video is a "must see". Be sure to stay for the curtain finale!
Discover the art and science of monitoring an active volcano and predicting eruptions through various displays and also read eye witness accounts from eruption survivors.
The visitor center is open daily from 10 AM to 6 PM May through October. Closed in winter. A Monument Pass is required and can be obtained at the center.
Ample parking also can accommodate large motor homes.
A number of hiking trails let you explore, enjoy and expand your experience of the area.
Pets are not allowed at viewpoints or on trails.
A Monument Pass is required, and you can pick one up in the visitor center.
The Johnston Ridge Observatory is operated by the USDA Forest Service. For more information you can call 360-274-2140.
Contact Information
Johnston Ridge Observatory. 21500 Spirit Lake Highway, Toutle, WA 98649. Phone: 360-274-2143.
Go Northwest!
Bookstore
Best selection of books on the Northwest.
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Eruption:
The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens by Steve Olson. Learn the history
and science of one of the largest eruptions and the effects of the
aftermath through personal stories and accounts of those caught in the
disaster. Illustrations and maps enable a greater understanding of this
tragic event.
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Day
Hiking Mount St. Helens by Craig Romano and Aaron Theison. This
Mountaineers Book features every trail within and around the monument.
Hikes are arranged by regions with trail descriptions, directions to
trailheads and difficulty ratings along with other useful information
and photographs.
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Mount
St. Helens 35th Anniversary Edition: The Eruption and Recovery of a Volcano by Rob Carson.
Along with remarkable before-and-after images, this 35th-anniversary
retrospective captures the human drama leading up to the eruption and two
decades of subsequent scientific research of the amazing post-blast
ecological recovery.
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A
Falcon Guide to Mount St. Helens: A Guide to Exploring the Great Outdoors
by Fred Barstad. This book is a comprehensive guide to this
world-renowned attraction, with a close-up look at the destruction and
recovery of the area. The guide includes detailed information on
the natural and cultural history of the area, recreational opportunities, and historical, geological, and natural
exhibits.
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In
the Blast Zone: Catastrophe and Renewal on Mount St. Helens by Charles
Goodrich, Kathleen Dean Moore and Frederick Swanson. This book presents a
cross-pollination of literary and scientific perspectives on the mountain's
history of cataclysm and renewal. Discover the gifts of beauty, scientific illumination
and of hope.
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Portrait
of Mount St. Helens: A Changing Landscape by Chuck Williams (Author) and
Stuart Warren (Contributor). View the grandeur and the intimate detail of
this beloved mountain as seen by 19th-century painters and pioneers as well
as contemporary photographers.
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