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Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is a U.S. National Monument that includes the area around Mount St. Helens in Washington. It was established on August 27, 1982 by U.S. President Ronald Reagan following the 1980 eruption. The 110,000 acre (445 km2) National Volcanic Monument was set aside for research, recreation, and education. Inside the Monument, the environment is left to respond naturally to the disturbance.

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was the United States' first such monument managed by the U.S. Forest Service. At dedication ceremonies on May 18, 1983, Max Peterson, head of the USFS, said, "we can take pride in having preserved the unique episode of natural history for future generations." Since then, many trails, viewpoints, information stations, campgrounds, and picnic areas have been established to accommodate the increasing number of visitors each year.

Public access to the blast zone by car opened in 1983, allowing visitors to drive to Windy Ridge, only 4 mi northeast of the crater. Currently, the public can access the mountain from State Route 504 from the West, Forest Service Road 99 from the East, and State route 503 to the South.

Mountain climbing to the summit of the volcano has been allowed since 1986. Climbing permits are required.

Management of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is a district of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Administrative offices are in Amboy, WA. H.R.6530, sponsored by Rep.Don Bonker, established the monument and provided for administration within the US Forest Service.

The Forest Service partners with the Mount St. Helens Institute to offer education programs, community events, and manage permits for climbing the mountain.

Discover Your Northwest operates bookstore concessions at several locations within the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

Proposals to Move Mt. St. Helens' Management to National Park Service
Whether to place Mt. St. Helens' management under the US Forest Service or the National Park Service has been a matter of debate, especially in 2009 after the Coldwater Science and Learning Center closed. The debate largely centers around restrictions on recreational use and funding availability.

Recreation
To protect scientific experiments and regeneration of plants and animals within the blast zone, much of the monument is subject to very specific regulation. Areas that appear in yellow on the recreation map are protected and subject to the following rules:


 * Pets are prohibited.
 * Fires are prohibited.
 * Camping is prohibited, except at designated sites in the Mt. Margaret Backcountry.
 * Travel must be on designated trails and following posted rules. Some trails are open to mountain biking.
 * All material within the monument must remain in the monument.

Climbing
Mount St. Helens is a popular climb for both beginning and experienced mountaineers. Although people are able to climb Mount St. Helens year-round, late spring through early fall is the most popular season. Most climbers use the Monitor Ridge Route from Climbers Bivouac. This route gains 4,500 feet in five miles to the crater rim at 8,365 feet elevation. Although strenuous, this non-technical climb is suitable for people in good physical condition who are comfortable scrambling on steep, rugged terrain. Most climbers complete the round trip in seven to twelve hours. While climbing to the crater rim is permitted, entry into the crater is strictly prohibited.

Climbing permits are required. The Mount St. Helens Institute manages the climbing permit system. Climbers pick up permits from the Lone Fir Resort in Cougar before departing for the mountain.

Day Hikes
Many maintained trails provide access to features of the monument. Most trails within the blast zone are exposed and dry. Pumice and ash may be slippery. Pets are prohibited on all trails.

Backpacking
Overnight camping is allowed in designated sites within the Mt. Margaret Backcountry. Visit Recreation.gov to obtain a permit. Wildfire risk is high; campfires are prohibited.

Paddlesports and Fishing
Coldwater Lake Recreation area is open to kayaking, canoeing and other paddlesports, as well as boating (sail or electric motor only). A boat launch and parking for vehicles with trailers is available.

The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument offers unique opportunities for large trout in a recovering volcanic landscape that will be found nowhere else in the world. To protect biological research in Spirit Lake, it is off-limits to anglers, but Coldwater and Castle lakes offer one-a-day limits for fish 16 inches or longer. Other opportunities exist, but high mountain lakes may not be accessible until late-spring snow melts.

Fishing regulations are set by the state; anglers must have a valid permit to fish and comply with state regulations.

Mountain Biking
Although the majority of trails are hiking-only, some trails are open to mountain biking. Mountain Biking trails are operated in partnership with the Northwest Trail Alliance. Popular trails include Red Rock Pass, and Falls Creek.

Hunting
Limited elk hunting in designated areas is managed by the State to maintain healthy elk herd levels.

Snow Sports
Marble Mountain Sno-Park operates 49 miles of cross-country ski and snowshoe trails. Access to the Worm Flows Route by snowmobile is permitted with winter climbing permit.

North Side
Access to the North Side of the mountain affords a direct view into the mountain's crater, the pumice plain, and the North Fork Toutle River Basin. Access is on State Route 504, also known as Spirit Lake Highway, which was destroyed by the 1980 eruption and re-built in stages above the North Fork Toutle River. Five visitor centers, two of which are operated by the US Forest Service, and several viewpoints are along State Route 504.

Most US Forest Service sites along State Route 504 are no-fee areas. The exception is Johnston Ridge Observatory, which charges an $8 recreation use fee per person for the visitor center, viewpoint, and all trails departing from Johnston Ridge. A Northwest Forest Pass will admit one adult for free. A Federal Recreation Lands pass admits the cardholder and three adults.

Johnston Ridge Observatory
The Johnston Ridge Observatory is located 52 mi east of Castle Rock, Washington, at the end of Washington State Route 504. Exhibits focus on the geologic history of the volcano, eyewitness accounts of the explosion, and the science of monitoring volcanic activity. Two movies and ranger-led programs are available every hour. A half-mile trail provides views of the lava dome, crater, pumice plain, and landslide deposit.

The observatory is located near the site of volcanologist David A. Johnston's camp on the morning of May 18, 1980. It opened in 1997.

Science and Learning Center at Coldwater
Above Coldwater Lake, the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater is an educational facility and conference center. It has been operated in cooperation with the Mount St. Helens Institute since 2013. It is open to the public on weekends from 10am to 6pm.

The facility originally opened in 1993 as an interpretation complex which also housed a restaurant. The visitor center closed indefinitely in November 2007. Stimulus Program monies allowed repair to windows allowing the building to re-open in 2013. However, the repair project was the top of the Coburn-McCain report on wasteful spending projects, focusing on the fact that the Visitor Center was closed at the time of repairs.

The Winds of Change Trail #232, a short, barrier-free interpretive trail, departs from the Science and Learning Center.

Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake (Former US Forest Service Site)
The Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake opened in 1987 as a joint effort between the US Forest Service and Washington State Parks. It is now operated by the Washington State Park System. Exhibits include the area's culture and history, and the natural history and geology of the volcano and the eruption, including the recovery of the area's vegetation and animal life. The Center includes a theater, a gift shop and outdoor trails.

The Center was formerly operated by the U.S. Forest Service, and due to its location near Seaquest State Park, it is also known as Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Seaquest State Park.

East Side of Mount St. Helens
The East side of Mount St. Helens was the first side to open to the public. It provides some of the closest views of the standing dead forest and the blowndown forest from the road.

The eastern side of Mount St. Helens is accessible only by U.S. Forest Service roads. The main roads are:


 * Forest Route 25.svg U.S. Forest Service Road 25 - Monument entrance from U.S. Route 12 to Road 90.
 * Forest Route 26.svg.S. Forest Service Road 26 - Road 99 to Norway Pass to Road 25.
 * Forest Route 90.svg U.S. Forest Service Road 90 - Monument entrance from State Route 503.
 * Forest Route 99.svg U.S. Forest Service Road 99 - Road 25 to Bear Meadows, Meta Lake and Miner's Car, and Windy Ridge.

Most sites on Forest Service Route 99 require a recreation fee. Proof of payment must be hung from the rear view mirror of any car parked at a viewpoint, interpretive site, or trailhead.

Windy Ridge
Windy Ridge is the closest view point accessible to the general public. Beginning in the summer of 1983, visitors have been able to drive to Windy Ridge, on U.S. Forest Service Road 99, only 4 mi northeast of the crater. From this vantage point overlooking Spirit Lake, people see firsthand not only the evidence of a volcano's destruction, but also the remarkable, gradual (but faster than originally predicted) recovery of the land as revegetation proceeds and wildlife returns.

Bear Meadows
Bear Meadows is an alpine meadow and viewpoint northeast of Mt. St. Helens. It is located on U.S. Forest Service Road 99. Gary Rosenquist camped here with friends on May 17–18, 1980. He started taking his famous eruption photographs from this location. The sequence of eruption photos show give a time lapse view of the developing eruption. As the lateral blast developed, he and his friends abandoned their campsite fearing for their lives. He continued taking photos as they escaped in a car. The eruption's lateral blast narrowly missed the site as it was deflected by a ridge just west of the meadow. In an interview with KIRO-TV in 1990, a friend called that ridge "the line of death."

Miner's Car Interpretive Site
Miners Car Interpretive Site is the remains of a car that was blasted by the 1980 eruption. The power of the blast tossed the car around like a toy filling it with sand and rocks. The car was owned by four miners, who were killed in a cabin near by on May 18, 1980.

South Side
South Side sites show the effect of basalt and lava flows from 1,900 years ago as well as landscape scoured by lahars after the 1980 eruption. The South side of Mt. St. Helens is accessible only by US Forest Service roads off State Route 503. The main roads are:


 * Forest Route 81.svg.S. Forest Service Road 81 - SR 503/Road 90 to Merrill Lake, Kalama Horse Camp, and Climber's Bivouac.
 * Forest Route 83.svg.S. Forest Service Road 83 - Road 90 to Ape Cave, Ape Canyon, Lava Canyon lahar, and Smith Creek.

Most sites on the South Side require a recreation fee. Proof of payment must be hung from the rear view mirror of any car parked at a viewpoint, interpretive site, or trailhead.

Pine Creek Information Center
Opened in 2009 at the intersection of State Road 503 and Forest Service Road 25, Pine Creek serves 18,000 visitors every summer. In is operated jointly with several community stakeholders:
 * US Forest Service
 * Mount St. Helens Institute
 * Discover Your Northwest
 * Skamania County Chamber of Commerce
 * Skamania County Fire Protection District #6
 * S.C.A.T. ~ Swift Communities Action Team
 * CATS ~ Cougar Area Trail Seekers
 * North Country EMS
 * Skamania County Sheriff's Office

Ape Cave
Ape Cave is a lava tube formed when liquid basalt continued to flow below a hardened crust. White-nose syndrome has not yet been observed in Ape Cave. Protect the bat population by leaving any gear that has been in another cave at home.

Trail of Two Forests
This trail loops through two forests that stand side by side, but are separated in age by 2000 years. One forest is old-growth Douglas-fir and western red-cedar and the other is a young forest that was originally engulfed by lava flows from an eruption of Mount St. Helens over two millennia ago. This forest encompasses three-dimensional imprints of trees in the old lava beds called lava casts. The boardwalk trail loops through the two forests, and is kid friendly.

Lava Canyon Trail #184
Waterfalls and views of columnar basalt are along this challenging trail. Five people have died in this canyon since 1995, all of whom were off trail at the time.