What to do in Portland (3 of 10?) - Mt. St. Helens

So - have you ever visited a volcano? An active volcano? Come to Portland and we'll take you to see Mount Saint Helens.

Mt. St. Helens in not actually in Portland, or even in Oregon. It is located a few miles away in Washington. On a nice summer day, it can be clearly seen from Portland, along with Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams.


We made a trip up to see the volcano in July 2007. It is probably 100 miles from our house to the visitor center that is closest to the crater.

The Johnson Ridge Observatory is the viewing station closest to the crater. It is less than 6 miles away from the growing lava dome.

The Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center is a little farther away, but still has great views. Unfortunately, due to lack of funds in the US Forest Service, it has been closed.

You can see a live view of Mt. St. Helens from the volcano cam. If you don't see much, there is probably a storm or low clouds in the area. Check again later.

Besides the grand view of a live volcano, the recovery of the wilderness is amazing to see. On our visit - we saw a ground squirrel up close. Strangely enough, we found him reading a warning sign "ATTENTION ANIMALS: Beware of human food" We weren't about to give him our goodies, and he soon gave up (or paid attention to the warning sign) , and went in search of more suitable food. The sign also said "Attention Humans: DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS". Good thing we both paid attention.

Tegan and Connor had a great time (so did Mick & Brian). Seeing the mountain, steam coming up from the crater, the wildlife (lots of elk through a telescope at one location), the visitor centers...it was a perfect day.