The Johnston Ridge Observatory at Mount St. Helens will open for the season on Sunday, May 15. Admission to the visitor center will be free on Wednesday, May 18, the 31st anniversary of the 1980 eruption.
The visitor center, which has spectacular views into the volcano’s crater, will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through October. Admission to Johnston Ridge and nearby Coldwater Lake is $8 per person, with children 15 and younger free.
The observatory offers live seismographs, geological exhibits, a film of the eruption, ranger talks and a bookstore. Visitors can see North America’s youngest — and only growing — glacier while learning how the landscape was reshaped by the 1980 eruption and how it is recovering.
Additional information about access to the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and about roads blocked by lingering snow pack is available online at the Mount St. Helens Recreation page, http://bit.ly/dK3qd2, or at 360-449-7800.
