Mount St. Helens

Mount St. Helens

In 1982, the 110,000-acre Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was created for research, recreation, and education. Inside the Monument, the environment is left to respond naturally in recovering from the 1980 eruption and any future disturbance.

The mountain is named after Lord St. Helens, a friend of explorer George Vancouver who surveyed the area in the late 1700's.

The volcano is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire which includes over 160 active volcanoes that sit on the edges of the Pacific tectonic plate.

The eruption on May 18, 1980 was the deadliest and most costly volcanic event in the history of the United States. The disaster killed 57 people. Hundreds of homes and miles of bridges, railways and roads were destroyed.

The 1980 eruption reduced the elevation of the mountain from 9,677 ft. (2,950 m) to 8,365 ft. (2,550 m) and left a mile wide horseshoe-shaped crater.

Location

Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Skamania County, Washington
USA

Getting There

Mount St. Helens is located in a remote area of Washington state, and there is no direct public transportation to the mountain itself. However, there are several options for getting to the area by public transportation:

Greyhound bus: Greyhound offers bus service to several cities near Mount St. Helens, including Vancouver, WA, and Portland, OR. From there, you can rent a car or take a tour to the mountain.

Amtrak train: Amtrak offers train service to Portland, OR, where you can rent a car or take a tour to Mount St. Helens.

Northwest Adventure Tours: This tour company offers guided tours of Mount St. Helens from Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA.

Mount St. Helens Tours: This tour company offers guided tours of Mount St. Helens from Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA.

Once you arrive in the area, there are several options for getting to Mount St. Helens, including renting a car, taking a tour, or using a shuttle service.

Nearby Airports

This is a list of primary airports in Washington that have scheduled passenger service on commercial airlines.