Field Trip Destinations

Mount St. Helens from the Johnston Ridge Observatory.
Forest Service photograph by Gregg Pohll

• Mount St. Helens Visitor Center
• Coldwater Lake Recreation Area
• Hummocks Trail
• Johnston Ridge Observatory

West of Mount St. Helens

Mount St. Helens Visitor Center

• Located five miles east of Castle Rock, Washington, on State Highway 504
• The Center introduces visitors to Mount St. Helens' history and to the powerful events that took place on May 18, 1980.
• Visitors can enjoy distant views of Mount St. Helens, and Silver Lake
• Identify native plants, birds, and other wildlife on the 1/2 mile Silver Lake Trail
• Washington State Department of Parks and Recreation  Fee Area

Coldwater Lake Recreation Area

• Located on State Highway 504, 44.5 miles east of Castle Rock, Washington
• A one-fourth mile paved loop walk at Coldwater Lake Recreation Area.
• Discover how Coldwater Lake formed and a ecosystem evolved.
• Picnic in the midst of the avalanche deposit.
• Bathrooms
• USDA Forest Service Fee Area.  Monument Pass Required

Hummocks Trail

• Located on State Highway 504, 45 miles east of Castle Rock, Washington
• A 2 ½ mile loop trail that traverses the largest landslide in recorded human history
• Interpretive signs reveal the story of the May 18, 1980 landslide
• USDA Forest Service Research Area--stay on trail.

Johnston Ridge Observatory

• Located at the end of State Highway 504 and 52 miles east of Castle Rock, Washington
• Spectacular views into the crater of Mount St. Helens and the heart of the blast zone.
• The Observatory's state-of-the-art interpretive displays portray the powerful sequence of geologic events that transformed the landscape and opened up a new era in the science of volcanology, and amazing eyewitness accounts from eruption survivors.
• A 1/2 mile paved eruption trail
• USDA Forest Service Fee Area.  Monument Pass Required