mount st. helens visitor center

Don't plan on driving 48 miles each way as it is a dead end!!! on a Tuesday or Wednesday!!! They are Closed... ALL the Visitation centers are closed including the Observatory, Information Center, bathrooms, gas stations. There is NO warning that they are closed till you get in there at 10 miles are 40 miles for the Observatory. Also, you won't be able to really see anything or get the effect if you don't pay to take a Helicopter ride which again is not being offered till Summer. Very little snow on the MT. and the roads were All great. We had been there just after the Eruption and did take the helicopter.

Our second visit on a beautiful sunny day (our first a couple of years ago at the same time of year was in the rain/snow/fog so couldn't see a thing). The view of the mountain on this visit was astounding and the walk on the grounds is lovely. (We saw Garter Snake Pit and they were just emerging). The interpretive centre is well done and very educational. Lots of information on volcanoes. Nice small gift shop.

Before or after viewing the exhibits in the visitor's center be sure and walk the very easy walking loop for views of Mt. St. Helens and Spirit Lake. They had a craft show going on in the back room while we were there with some very nice art, crafts and jewelry available for purchase. The Visitors Center had some very interesting and informative exhibits.

Time it for good weather or all you get is the Visitor's Center which is interesting but the view of the mountain itself is amazing.

We really enjoyed this first stop. Great variety of information and it was only $15 for the family- we thought that was good value for money. Start early and try to be there when the door opens, which was 9am in August.

Mt. St. Helens has several visitor centers and vista points. The two most popular (due to easiest access and most advertisements and signage) are both along WA-504, east of the Castle Rock exit on I-5 and are the Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center and Johnson ridge.The first of the two that you come to is the Mt St. Helens Visitor Center by Silver Lake and is 6.9 miles (12 minutes) from I-5. This visitor center is operated by the state of Washington as a state park. Many commercial tour buses stop here as it’s so close to I-5. And on those busses are many disappointed tourists who saw “Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center” in the itinerary for their trip and thought they’d be in the blast zone and get a good, up close, view of Mt. St. Helens. Ooops. From this visitor center you can see the mountain from a patio outside the building but it’s waaaaaaaaaaay off in the distance. The visitor center itself is interesting. They have a movie, a time line and some well done exhibits. One exhibit is a model of the volcano that you can walk inside of to see the volcano from the inside. It’s not that big of a facility but gets the job done. If you’re headed up or down I-5 and only have an hour it’s worth a stop. However, if you have more time and want a closer view of the volcano, then keep going on WA 504 up to the Johnson Ridge ObservatoryIf you found this information useful in your decision making process, you gleaned information you may not have otherwise discovered, or you just enjoyed reading it and appreciate the time I put into writing it, please give me a "helpful" vote. You’re welcome to contact me through danhartfordphoto dot com (where you can see photos of my travels) or through the “Ask Caifdan69 about .........” button at the bottom of this review

Great little visitor center. Watch the film, and walk through the exhibits. The staff is very friendly and helpful also.

We found the visitor center to be very family friendly. The exhibit is all on the first floor with lots of interactive exhibits that our kids found fun. Its not very big, so it takes only a little time. There is a combination of WA geological and archeological info, wildlife and native population histories as well. There are outside trails in front of a wetland that was a recipient of much of the debris coming down from the volcano located about 50-60 miles away. The fee for the visitor center is arguably a reason to bypass this facility and opt for one of the visitor center that are actually on the preserve site itself. But, we needed a restroom break anyway :)

Nothing to dislike - all good clear information well presented, clean, commanding a magnificent view. Just go there!

A visit to the Visitor's Center is well worth the trip! The views are unbeatable, and the films, ranger talks, and other information available was top notch!

Loved the displays to give a visual on the formation and eruption of Mt. St Helens. Staff was very helpful in suggesting activities to fit each individual party.

Great exhibit and nice gift shop. Pay to see the movie its worth it. You can kill a solid hour here so plan for it. Great info on the eruption.

This is a good stop for information, but it is NOT the main attraction. The ranger was gr8 with maps and hints for seeing the actual site and areas where nature is healing the land.I arrived at the Mt. St. Helen's Visitor Center about 90 minutes before it was to close (at 5 pm) so that I might get better pictures. But it was the wrong site and a State-run facility. The place to actually see the crater is the NPS location at the Johnson Ridge Observatory, (sounded like star-gazing to me). It was over an hour away and would be closing about when I'd arrive, so that will be another trip & review!However, touring the Visitor Center may worth the $5 entry fee (your NP pass won't work) for the film, a walk-in volcano, informative exhibits and an easy trail/boardwalk out to Silver Lake and over the wetlands. They also have a webcam showing conditions at the Observatory....so it's worth a stop before driving on up the mountain just to see if you can actually see anything at 4300' that day. Clouds and weather conditions can and do change quickly! And finally, try NOT to be on I-5 N heading toward Seattle on a Sunday afternoon. It was bumber-to-bumper, and 30-40 mph (on a 70 mph hwy) & the locals said it is always that way in the summer.--

This is the first stop that you come upon as you head towards Mt St Helen's and don't be fooled into thinking that this is all there is to see. I can't find fault with anything here at this visitor centre. Very friendly people to help you, well maintained building and grounds, informative short film for $5 each, nice 1 mile walk through trail and walk ways. So we did all this. But get the map they will give you and you must take the drive all the way to the Johnston Ridge Observatory. The drive is full of great pullover options for photo opps, and the further you drive, the closer you get to Mount St Helens. The Johnston Ridge Observatory, while a long drive, is completely worth it.

We camped across the street at Seaquest State Park and hiked Mount St. Helens Boundary trail the day after our visit to this visitors center. The visitor's center is worth going to but it is really tired and worn. The video needs updating - or, at the very least, a fresh print. It really sounds and looks like something from the early 80s! The exhibit has some interesting artifacts and history, but presented in a pretty uninspired manner. Some of the displays are virtually unreadable (why pick a yellow font on a relatively light background??) All this negativity aside, for the visitor who is not familiar with volcanoes generally, or with the Mount St. Helens area and eruption specifically, this is a worthwhile stop on the way to the real thing.