Mount Saint Helen's

Mount Saint Helens: July 2009 A Warm Up Hike for Adams and Rainier

At 8:32 Sunday morning, May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted.

Shaken by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, the north face of this tall symmetrical mountain collapsed in a massive rock debris avalanche. Nearly 230 square miles of forest was blown down or buried beneath volcanic deposits. At the same time a mushroom-shaped column of ash rose thousands of feet skyward and drifted downwind, turning day into night as dark, gray ash fell over eastern Washington and beyond. The eruption lasted 9 hours, but Mount St. Helens and the surrounding landscape were dramatically changed within moments.

In 1982, the President and Congress created the 110,000-acre National Volcanic Monument for research, recreation, and education. Inside the Monument, the environment is left to respond naturally to the disturbance.

Wikipedia Entry

Mount St. Helens is 45 miles (72 km) west of Mount Adams, in the western part of the Cascade Range. These "sister and brother" volcanic mountains are approximately 50 miles (80 km) from Mount Rainier, the highest of Cascade volcanoes. Mount Hood, the nearest major volcanic peak in Oregon, is 60 miles (100 km) southeast of Mount St. Helens.

Mount St. Helens is geologically young compared to the other major Cascade volcanoes. It formed only within the past 40,000 years, and the pre-1980 summit cone began rising about 2,200 years ago.[3] The volcano is considered the most active in the Cascades within the Holocene epoch (the last 10,000 or so years).[4]

Prior to the 1980 eruption, Mount St. Helens was the fifth-highest peak in Washington. It stood out prominently from surrounding hills because of the symmetry and extensive snow and ice cover of the pre-1980 summit cone, earning it the nickname "Fuji-san of America" ("Mount Fuji of America").[5] The peak rose more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above its base, where the lower flanks merge with adjacent ridges. The mountain is 6 miles (9.7 km) across at its base, which is at an altitude of 4,400 feet (1,300 m) on the northeastern side and 4,000 feet (1,200 m) elsewhere. At the pre-eruption tree line, the width of the cone was 4 miles (6.4 km).

Aerial viewStreams that originate on the volcano enter three main river systems: the Toutle River on the north and northwest, the Kalama River on the west, and the Lewis River on the south and east. The streams are fed by abundant rain and snow. The average annual rainfall is 140 inches (3,600 mm), and the snow pack on the mountain's upper slopes can reach 16 feet (4.9 m).[6] The Lewis River is impounded by three dams for hydroelectric power generation. The southern and eastern sides of the volcano drain into an upstream impoundment, the Swift Reservoir, which is directly south of the volcano's peak.

Although Mount St. Helens is in Skamania County, Washington, the best access routes to the mountain run through Cowlitz County to the west. State Route 504, locally known as the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway, connects with the heavily traveled Interstate 5 at Exit 49, 34 miles (55 km) to the west of the mountain. That major north–south highway skirts the low-lying cities of Castle Rock, Longview and Kelso along the Cowlitz River, and passes through the Vancouver, Washington–Portland, Oregon metropolitan area less than 50 miles (80 km) to the southwest. The community nearest the volcano is Cougar, Washington, in the Lewis River valley 11 miles (18 km) south-southwest of the peak. Gifford Pinchot National Forest surrounds Mount St. Helens.

Attention Climbers:

Forest Road 81-830 to Climber's Bivouac is open. Forest Road 83 is open all the way to Ape Canyon Trailhead and Lava Canyon.
Climbing Permits are required above 4800 foot elevation on the volcano year round and are sold online, in-advance on a first-come, first-served basis through the Mount St. Helens Institute.
The Climber's Register is located at the Lone Fir Resort, 16806 Lewis River Road, Cougar, WA. (360) 238-5210.

Climbing Mount Saint Helens

Climbing Permits

Climbing Permits are required year-round to climb above 4,800 feet elevation. Each person must read and sign their permit before climbing. Each person must display their permit during their climb.
Climbing Permits are free November 1 to March 31 and available by self-issue 24 hours a day at the Climber's Register.
Climber registration is required. The Climbers Register is located outside the Lone Fir Resort. The Climber's Register has been moved to the Lone Fir Resort in the town of Cougar, Washington (5 miles east of its former location at Jack's Restaurant and Store).
A climbing permit fee of $15.00 plus a service charge of $7.00 per person are charged for a one day climbing permit from April 1 through October 31. The total cost is $22.00. Climbing permit fee and administrative charge are not refundable. Please plan accordingly.
Beginning at 9:00 a.m. PST on Monday, February 2nd Mount St. Helens climbing permits are sold by the Mount St. Helens Institute for climbing from April 1 through October 31, 2009 climbing season.
Climbing is limited to 100 climbers a day from May 15 through October 31. Themaximum party size is 12 people.
Any commercial use, including paid guiding is prohibited, unless authorized by a Special Use Permit.
During the winter recreation season, from mid-November through April, a Washington or Oregon State Sno-Park permit is required for parking at either the Cougar or Marble Mountain Sno-Parks.

Volcanic Hazards

Mount St. Helens is an active volcano. Climbers may be exposing themselves to volcanic hazards that may occur without warning.
Entry into the crater of Mount St. Helens is strictly prohibited.

Climber Safety

Every climber should be carrying the Mount St. Helens Ten Essentials.
While pets are not prohibited, for their health and safety you are strongly encouraged to leave them at home. If you do bring a pet, it must be on a leash six feet or less in length at all times.
Check our weather links web page for mountain weather and avalanche forecasts.