The Spirit Lake Memorial Highway will open at 7 a.m. Saturday, just in time for visitors venturing to Mount St. Helens for the 30th anniversary of the eruption of May 18, 1980.
The Washington Department of Transportation closes the highway near the Hummocks Trail 45 miles east of Interstate 5 rather than trying to plow the last seven miles to the Johnston Ridge Observatory. In recent years, budget constraints prompted the U.S. Forest Service to close the observatory during the winter.
The observatory will be open from 10 to 5 p.m. Saturday for a special event sponsored by the nonprofit Mount St. Helens Institute.
The highway has been closed since mid-December due to heavy snowfall.
