Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center
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Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center
invites visitors to discover the fascinating ways
that plants and animals have reappeared throughout the blast zone. Visitors to
Coldwater enjoy panoramic view of the volcano, the newly formed lakes, and the
debris-filled Toutle River Valley. The interactive exhibits, the paved, 0.25
mile Winds of Change Interpretive Trail, and live interpretive programs offer
insights into the many ways life emerged from the ashes of the 1980 eruption.
Coldwater's restaurant includes a selection of sandwiches, soups, salads, and
drinks, as well as an expresso coffee bar. The gift shop offers Mount St. Helens
T-shirts and gifts, many crafted by Northwest artists. In the central hallway,
the Northwest Interpretive Association's bookstore offers a variety of books,
cards, and posters of Mount St. Helens and the Pacific Northwest.
With over one million visitors coming to Coldwater Ridge each year, it's
important to remember to stay on the trails and to help keep the area litter
free. Thank you for your cooperation!
-- Excerpts from: U.S. Forest Service,
Volcano Review: A Visitor's Guide to Mount St. Helens
National Volcanic Monument: Summer/Fall 1995
The Coldwater Lake area is one of the best places to get views of the
hummocky 1980 debris-avalanche deposit.
The spectacular valley that extends to the north
was carved by Pleistocene valley glaciers originating in the granitic highlands
to the north.
-- Excerpt from:
Pringle, 1993,
Roadside Geology of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and Vicinity:
Washington Department of Natural Resources
Division of Geology and Earth Resources Information Circular 88, p.42.
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