Mount St. Helens is an active strato volcano located in the state of Washington in United States of America. It was recently erupted in the year 1980 which was one of the deadliest volcanic destruction in the history of United States. In the year 1982, just after 2 years of the major eruption 3 thousand feet high flumes steamed from it. This range comes under the famous Pacific Ring of Fire which covers more than 160 active volcanoes.
( Photo Credits : wikipedia )
St. Helens has an elevation of 8,365 feet (2,550 m) and it is in Cascade Mountain Range. It is just 96 miles south of the city of Seattle and 50 miles northeast of Portland, Oregon. She got its name from a British diplomat Lord St Helens. He was a friend of explorer George Vancouver who had made survey of this area in the late 18th century.
In the eruption of 1980, 57 people were killed; 250 homes, 15 miles of railways, 47 bridges, and 185 miles of highway were destroyed.
Now huge number of people visit Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument to see its breathtaking views. There is a Observatory and a Forest Learning Center. There is also a helicopter tour. You will get a very nice experience to see the crater from up. You can able to see the crater from very close and it will definitely be your great experience. The Johnston Ridge Observatory and Forest Learning Center are open only from May through October.
Direction:
The best route to Mt. St. Helens from Seattle is through Highway I-5 and then take exit 63 to Wa-505 to Winlock/Toledo. After Wa-505 enter highway Wa-504 which is also known as the Spirit lake Memorial Highway. This will take you to the end of the road and to the Johnston Ridge Observatory. Also refer google map for more details.
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