1 giorno / 45 miglia / 1 ora e 7 minuti
This byway takes travelers through land devastated by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens into the very heart of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
Giorno 1
9:00 - 5.1 miglia / 6 minuti - 9:06
Mount St. Helens Visitor Center
Functioning as the gateway to the US Forest Service National Volcanic Monument, Mount St. Helens Visitor Center will entice you with scientific displays, a movie theatre and educational opportunities.
9:11 - 27.8 miglia / 41 minuti - 9:53
The third visitor center along the highway, the Forest Learning Center, seeks to educate visitors about the amazing power of volcanoes, along with the reforestation and recovery of the area surrounding Mount St. Helens. Through a partnership between Weyerhaeuser Company, Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, this fascinating center encourages a better understanding of the regeneration of Mount St. Helens' forest ecosystem. Visitors are able to walk through a life-like forest and the eruption chamber, and take a short walk through the planted forest and learn about biodiversity, among other things. Information about the Weyerhaeuser Company -- who played a major part in the Mount St. Helens drama -- is also available. They salvaged 870 million board feet of timber after the eruption, a process that is explained at the center. This logging company has also planted numerous trees, which continue to grow along the highway.
9:58 - 3.8 miglia / 6 minuti - 10:04
View the volcano and crater, and the once desolate blast zone, now green with returning vegetation. Below, see the gray, debris-avalanche deposit from the 1980 eruption which still fills the Toutle River Valley. On clear days, glimpse the snow-covered peak of Mount Adams in the distance.
10:09 - 3.4 miglia / 5 minuti - 10:14
Views of Mount St. Helens, Castle Lake, and the landslide debris deposit from the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. There are benches, interpretive signs, ample parking, and a short trail available.
10:19 - 2.8 miglia / 4 minuti - 10:24
Science and Learning Center at Coldwater
The third center on an educational tour, Science and Learning Center at Coldwater, houses more exhibits and displays. Naturalists speak frequently and offer an alternative if the howling wind make the views inaccessible. A view of Coldwater Lake, 500 feet below the ridge, to the summits of Coldwater Peak and Mount Margaret expands from the visitor center deck. The best view is offered on the Winds of Change trail west of the center. This 0.25 mile loop presents magnificent views of Toutle River Valley and Mount St. Helens. The best chance to see Mount St. Helens without a covering of cloud is during the summer months.
10:29 - 2.0 miglia / 3 minuti - 10:32
Coldwater Lake Picnic and Boating Area
The 0.6 miles accessible Birth of a Lake Interpretive Trail #246, located at picnic area, allows visitors to enjoy close up views of Coldwater Lake. This short, accessible boardwalk trail explores the creation of Coldwater Lake. Interpretive displays explain how the 1980 debris avalanche dammed Coldwater Creek, creating Coldwater Lake. Chewed trees, the sign of beavers at work, can often be seen around the trail. Ripples, caused by trout rising to feed on insects, are also a common sight.
10:37 - 0.2 miglia / 1 minuto - 10:37
The byway is closed to motorized traffic at the winter gate (milepost 45) until the damage caused by the 2023 South Coldwater Slide is repaired in April 2027.