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Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Castle Rock, WA

Photo: Reywas92, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorIconicOutdoor Adventure

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

State Route 504 (Spirit Lake Hwy), east of Castle Rock · Castle Rock, WA

Why you should go…

The Forest Service manages 110,000 acres around the volcano, set aside as a monument in 1982. On the west side, State Route 504 runs into the blast zone to the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater, Coldwater Lake and the Hummocks Trail. The south side has Ape Cave, a lava tube 2.5 miles long, plus Lava Canyon, and the east side roads reach Windy Ridge and views of Spirit Lake. Johnston Ridge Observatory is closed after a 2023 landslide cut the highway.

  • #volcano
  • #national monument
  • #hiking
  • #lava tube
  • #scenic drive

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
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    Bungee Masters

    $50+

    Bungee jump off a 200-foot private bridge over Canyon Creek near Portland, Oregon.

    27 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
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    Northwest Llama Treks

    $50+

    Guided llama treks from a Trout Lake ranch near Mount Adams, from a two-hour farm-and-forest walk to full-day wilderness hikes with pack llamas carrying gear.

    35 mi awayMore like this

  • Shopping
    Quirky Fun

    2Cs Vendor Mall

    Free

    Three-story antique mall in Saint Helens with more than 70 vendors of vintage furniture, collectibles and crafts.

    39 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Sport & Outdoor
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    Skamania County

    Free

    Washington county on the Columbia River Gorge known for waterfalls, hiking trails and scenic byways near Stevenson.

    40 mi awayMore like this

  • Tours
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    Martin's Gorge Tours

    $50+

    Guided wine, waterfall and hiking tours of the Columbia River Gorge, based in Stevenson, Washington.

    40 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Museums
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    Cascade Locks Historical Museum

    Free

    A volunteer-run riverside museum on the history of the Columbia Gorge locks, railroads and steamboats.

    41 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums