Mt St. Helens in mid April

We are visiting 4/15 - 4/20. In our other trips we have never made it up to St. Helens. From reading some of the threads it sounds like we shouldn%26#39;t plan it for our this trip. Thoughts?

Mt St. Helens in mid April

The Johnston Ridge Visitor Center is closed until May 17th. Some people consider that visitor center the highlight of their trip to the mountain.

The Forest Learning Center is also closed until mid-may. I believe the first visitor. The Silver Lake Visitor Center (the first you encounter off the freeway) is open year round.

http://www.parks.wa.gov/mountsthelens.asp

Keep in mind, if it is overcast, it wouldn%26#39;t be worth the drive because you won%26#39;t be able to see the mountain.

Here is a link to informaiton on winter road conditions:

fs.fed.us/gpnf/鈥R504-winter-safety.shtml

This time of year, I would probably skip it since most of the visitor centers are closed and that is a lot of the whole experience. However, if you get a weather window, the roads look good, and it really is a priority for you, I don%26#39;t see any reason not to go for it.

Mt St. Helens in mid April

Mahjerle summed it up well. Listen to her:)

We were out on the Columbia River today fishing (not catching) for spring chinook salmon. I happened to look upriver and said--';The mountain is out';.

It had been foggy earlier and then burned off. I had a wonderful clear view of Mt. St. Helens in her mantle of snow. I thought of how peaceful and serene she looked--much different from May 1980 when she %26#39;blew her top%26#39;.

Unfortunately for you, mid-April is just a little too early to visit the mountain and learn about her volcanic eruption. However, if you will be driving between Portland and Seattle, add a little extra time to make the 5 mile detour from I-5 and tour the Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center. Even if it is cloudy/rainy and you can%26#39;t see the mountain, you will learn much about the mountain%26#39;s history and the May %26#39;80 eruption.

Then plan another trip to the Pacific NW in the summertime (July-September)when you can drive up and look into the crater.

All of our other trips have been during the summer, but just so much to see in Oregon we never made it to St. Helens. Thanks for the help, I think we might spend the time on the Gorge this trip.