Infamous for the 1980 eruption that caused huge swathes of destruction, the active volcano of Mount St Helens has been silent for the last few decades. As a result, it is the site of many excursions, both guided and independent. With walking routes along the ridges of the volcanic rim, visitors can feel the heat underneath them throughout the hike while they soak in the sweeping views. Also available are helicopter tours that give an even wider perspective of the surrounding countryside.

Mount St Helens National Park is a large park, near Seattle. It was established as the Mount St Helens Volcanic Monument in 1982 and is operated under the control of the U.S. Forest Service. Mount St Helens is a mobile volcano. Its 1980 eruption is considered as the most lethal and most economically devastating episode in the U.S. It has two main visitor’s centres – Johnston Ridge Observatory at milepost 52 and Forest Learning Center at milepost 33. Volcano-watching and photographing is one the top pastimes of this National Park. This is followed by touring the exhibits and watching movies. Other activities include helicopter tour, climbing the volcano, hiking the trails, shopping at Popular Discovery Store, elk viewing, fishing at Coldwater Lake and horse rides. You can also tour the Ape Caves.

Starting at the Marble Mountain Sno-Park parking lot, follow the Swift Ski Trail #244 north through dense forest to pass several junctions with other ski trails. Along the way, be sure to stay off the cross-country ski tracks as you make your way up moderate grades to reach the trail's end at a junction with the Loowit Trail. From here, follow the signs for the Worm Flows Climbing Route. Once you are above treeline, the trail will follow some wooden posts along one of the lava flows. Eventually, the trail goes onto the rocks, where sometimes you'll see a very marked trail, but not always. Depending on snowfall, the posts could very well be covered, so be sure to bring a GPS or the Hiking Project mobile app to help keep you on course and off the hazardous glaciers. Upon reaching the caldera rim, head west to reach the highest point on the volcano and a suite of fantastic panoramic views. History & Background Mount St. Helens erupted in a violent plume of ash and volcanic mudslides on May 18, 1980. Since that time, mother nature has done much to restore the vibrant ecosystems once present on the mountain, however evidence of the destructive power of this volcano can still be viewed today.

The 1908 eruption of Mount St. Helens blew 1,314 feet off of the mountain's summit and created a massive crater over the 230-square-mile devastated blast zone to the north. From the Marble Mountain Sno-Park, climbers seeking the picturesque view from the snow-capped crater rim begin their journey up to the volcanic worm flows. As climbers emerge out of treeline the landscape transforms into snow-covered, scarred slopes of eroding rock formed by lahars, or volcanic mudflows, from the 1980 eruption. From the west ridge flanking Swift Creek, Mount Adams dominates the view to the east with Mount Hood to the south. The route becomes steep as climbers navigate the terrain up to Swift Glacier to merge with the mountain's summer route, Monitor Ridge. Climbers with an alpine start in the dark are rewarded with an impressive display of color as the mountain is washed in alpenglow by the rising sun. The warmth of the sun's rays motivates the coldest of climbers to push up the wind-blown, icy slope to the summit. Reaching the crater's rim, climbers are rewarded with breathtaking views of the crater framing Spirit Lake and Mount Margaret Backcountry below with Mount Rainier dominating the horizon to the north. Mount St. Helens is one of the most accessible glaciated peaks in the Cascade Mountain Range, and the summit welcomes over 14,000 climbers on an annual basis. It is imperative to practice low-impact and Leave No Trace as you travel here so future generations may also experience the spirit of this active stratovolcano. Cornices are common around the crater rim, so please be sure to stay back from the edge as the unstable lip can beak away without notice. As always when scaling mountains, be sure to liberally apply sunscreen to battle the intense sun and watch for storms that roll in quickly on unsuspecting climbers.

Mount Saint Helens is an active stratovolcano most famous for its catastrophic eruption on May 18, 1980 which was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the U.S. 57 people were killed; 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles of railways, and 185 miles of highway were destroyed.... A massive debris avalanche caused by the 1980 eruption reduced the elevation of the mountain's summit from 9,677 ft to 8,365 ft and replaced it with a 1 mile wide horseshoe-shaped crater.... The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was created to preserve the volcano and study its aftermath....

Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is 50 miles northeast of Portland, Oregon and 96 miles south of Seattle, Washington. Mount St. Helens takes its English name from the British diplomat Lord St Helens, a friend of explorer George Vancouver who made a survey of the area in the late 18th century. The volcano is located in the Cascade Range and is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, a segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire that includes over 160 active volcanoes. This volcano is well known for its ash explosions and pyroclastic flows. Mount St. Helens is most notorious for its major eruption on May 18, 1980, the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in U.S. history. Fifty-seven people were killed; 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles of railways, and 185 miles of highway were destroyed.