Mount St. Helens National Monument, washington
Attractions Guide

The famous Mount St. Helens is a massive active volcano that last erupted in a giant explosion in 1980. The volcano and surrounding dense forests were turned into a national monument to preserve the stunning landscape effected by the volcanic explosion.

Mount St. Helens National Monument features two major areas from which you can enjoy stunning views of the volcano and the surrounding wilderness, Windy Ridge and Johnston Ridge. These areas however are located extremely far apart from one another by driving distance, making it very challenging to see both and enjoy the southern side of the mountain in the same day.

On the western side of the volcano is the Johnston Ridge Observatory, which offers incredible panoramic views of Mount St. Helens, as well as views over some of the devastation caused by the volcano's eruption. The only way to reach this isolated part of the national monument is from Highway 5, which is extremely far to the west of Mount St. Helens.

Approaching the volcano from the north or south you can see many more attractions within the national monument, such as the stunning Windy Ridge Viewpoint which overlooks the Mount St. Helens and Spirit Lake. Along the way up to Windy Ridge on the northern side of the volcano there are several great viewpoints to stop at and admire the scenic landscape.

On the southern side of Mount St. Helens are the popular Ape Caves, which are incredible long lava tubes created by previous volcanic eruptions. There are two lava caves, a shorter easier one located closer to the parking area, and a longer more challenging one that requires quite a bit of scrambling.

The Lower Ape Cave is about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) round-trip from the parking area, and the more challenging Upper Ape Cave is 3 miles (4.8 km) round-trip. To combine both lava caves is a hike of approximately 4.2 miles (6.8 km) round-trip.

Also on the southern side of the volcano near the Ape Caves is the popular Lava Canyon Trail, which travels along a river gorge within a beautiful canyon, featuring waterfalls and a suspension footbridge.

The ideal trail to take here is the easy 1.4 mile (2.3 km) round-trip loop combining the Easy and Moderate trails (which are the actual names of the routes), passing by most of the top points of interest within this scenic canyon.

If you're visiting the southern side of Mount St. Helens, you might also consider a detour to the breathtaking Lower Lewis River Falls, which is about 1 hour driving round-trip from the park's eastern road. The falls flow over a striking unique rock formation into vibrant blue waters, surrounded by a dense forest. These falls are also a very popular spot for swimming and also offer hiking opportunities along the Lewis River to see more waterfalls.

Much further south of the volcano (in between Mount St. Helens National Monument and the Columbia River Gorge) is the gorgeous Panther Creek Falls, which flows over a lush mossy green cliff, surrounded by a tall thick forest.