Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It lies 52 miles (83 km) northeast of Portland, Oregon, and 98 miles (158 km) south of Seattle. Mount St. Helens takes its English name from that of the British diplomat Alleyne Fitzherbert, 1st Baron St Helens, a friend of explorer George Vancouver who surveyed the area in the late 18th century. The volcano is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, a segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The Cowlitz River is a river in the state of Washington in the United States, a tributary of the Columbia River. Its tributaries drain a large region including the slopes of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount St. Helens.
On March 27, 1980, a series of volcanic explosions and pyroclastic flows began at Mount St. Helens in Skamania County, Washington, United States. A series of phreatic blasts occurred from the summit and escalated until a major explosive eruption took place on May 18, 1980, at 8:32 am. The eruption, which had a volcanic explosivity index of 5, was the first to occur in the contiguous United States since the much smaller 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak in California. It has often been declared the most disastrous volcanic eruption in U.S. history.
Spirit Lake is a lake in Skamania County, Washington, United States, located north of Mount St. Helens. It was a popular tourist destination for many years until Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980. Previously there had been six camps on the shore of Spirit Lake: Boy Scout, the Girl Scout Camp at Spirit Lake, two YMCA camps, Harmony Fall Lodge, and another for the general public. There were also several lodges accessible to visitors, including Spirit Lake Lodge and Mt. St. Helens Lodge. The latter was owned and operated by Harry R. Truman, a noted victim of the volcano's 1980 eruption.
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is a U.S. National Monument that includes the area around Mount St. Helens in Cowlitz and Skamania Counties, Washington. It was established on August 27, 1982, by U.S. President Ronald Reagan, following the 1980 eruption. The 110,000 acre (445 km2) National Volcanic Monument was set aside for research, recreation, and education. Inside the monument, the environment is left to respond naturally to the disturbance. It was the third national monument to be managed by the U.S. Forest Service and is part of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
The North Fork Toutle River is a tributary of the Toutle River in southwestern Washington in the United States. The river has its headwaters near Spirit Lake, on the north side of Mount St. Helens, and flows 39 miles (63 km) to the Toutle River, about 17 miles (27 km) upstream of its confluence with the Cowlitz River. The largest tributary is the Green River, which joins near the unincorporated town of Toutle.
State Route 504 is a state highway in southwestern Washington state in the United States. It travels 52 miles (84 km) along the North Fork Toutle River to the Mount St. Helens area, serving as the main access to the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. The highway begins at an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) and SR 411 in Castle Rock and terminates at the Johnston Ridge Observatory near Spirit Lake.
The Toutle River is a 17.2-mile (27.7 km) tributary of the Cowlitz River in the U.S. state of Washington. It rises in two forks merging near Toutle below Mount St. Helens and joins the Cowlitz near Castle Rock, 20 miles (32 km) upstream of the larger river's confluence with the Columbia River.
Silver Lake, sometimes Silverlake, is an unincorporated community in Cowlitz County, Washington, in the southwestern portion of the state. Silver Lake is located 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Castle Rock along Washington State Route 504, which is also known as the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. The area considered Silverlake is about 6 miles (10 km) east of Interstate 5 (I-5) and is approximately 50 miles (80 km) from Portland, Oregon, to the south and Seattle about 110 miles (180 km) to the north. The closest cities to the subject property are Castle Rock, six miles (10 km) to the west, and Toutle, four miles (6 km) east.
The Sediment Retention Structure is an earthen dam, 1,888 feet (575 m) long and 184 feet (56 m) high, on the North Fork Toutle River in the U.S. state of Washington. Completed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1989, it is meant to prevent sediment from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens from increasing flood risks along the Toutle and Cowlitz rivers.
State Route 503 (SR 503) is a 54.11-mile-long (87.08 km) state highway serving Clark and Cowlitz counties in the U.S. state of Washington. The highway travels north from a short concurrency with SR 500 in Orchards through Battle Ground, the eastern terminus of SR 502, and communities in rural Clark County before crossing the Lewis River on the Yale Bridge. SR 503 intersects its spur route and turns west to parallel the Lewis River downstream to Woodland, where the highway ends at an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5). The highway was part of the Lewis River Road, signed as State Road 15, from 1909 until 1919. The current route of SR 503 was split between Secondary State Highway 1S (SSH 1) from Woodland to Battle Ground and SSH 1U from Battle Ground to Orchards in 1937, combined to form SR 503 during the 1964 highway renumbering. A spur route, established in 1991, travels northeast into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest along Yale Lake, serving the community of Cougar.
The Green River is the largest tributary of the North Fork Toutle River in the U.S. state of Washington. Situated near Mount St. Helens in the Cascade Range in the southern part of the state, it flows generally west through Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and industrial timberlands for 37.4 miles (60.2 km). The river drains more than 130 square miles (340 km2) in parts of three Washington counties: Skamania, Lewis, and Cowlitz.
Kid Valley is an unincorporated community in Cowlitz County, Washington. Kid Valley is located east of the city of Castle Rock and along the North Fork Toutle River. Kid Valley is reached by traveling 17.8 miles (28.6 km) east of Castle Rock along Washington State Route 504, which is also known as the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. The Kid Valley community is part of the Toutle Lake School District, a K-12 school district of about 600 students.
Castle Lake is a barrier lake formed by the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, when an avalanche dammed the South Fork of Castle Creek. The lake covers just slightly more than 1 square kilometer (0.39 sq mi). In 1981 a spillway was constructed to alleviate concerns about sudden erosion. The lake is difficult to access, but trails have been built to it and recreational fishing is allowed.
Windy Ridge is a ridge and eponymous Forest Highway in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. The ridge goes between Windy Pass and Independence Pass, 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Spirit Lake. Several road guides list Windy Ridge Road (NF-99) as one of the best roads in Washington State due to its good pavement, good views, and winding "sweeper" curves enjoyable to many drivers and motorcycle riders. At the end of the road at 4,200 feet (1,300 m) elevation, at 46°15′00″N122°08′14″W above Spirit Lake, there is a viewpoint into the St. Helens crater.
Coldwater Peak is a 5,722 ft (1,740 m) mountain summit located in Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, in Skamania County of southwest Washington state. It is situated in the Cascade Range, 2 mi (3.2 km) northwest of Spirit Lake, and 2 mi (3.2 km) east of Coldwater Lake. Its nearest higher neighbor is Mount Margaret, 2.4 mi (3.9 km) to the northeast, and Mount St. Helens rises 7 mi (11 km) to the south. Precipitation runoff from Coldwater Peak drains into Coldwater Creek, a tributary of the North Fork Toutle River. The mountain takes its name from this creek, and was officially adopted in 1983 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. A trail provides access to the summit, the site of the former Coldwater Lookout from 1935 to 1968, and now is a site for research instruments.
Mount Margaret is a 5,850-ft mountain summit located in Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, in Skamania County of southwest Washington state. It is situated in the Cascade Range, 2 mi (3.2 km) north of Spirit Lake, and 2.4 mi (3.9 km) northeast of Coldwater Peak. Its nearest higher neighbor is Mount Whittier, 0.93 mi (1.50 km) to the north, and Mount St. Helens rises 8 mi (13 km) to the south. Precipitation runoff from Mount Margaret drains into Coldwater Creek, a tributary of the North Fork Toutle River. A hiking trail provides access to this mountain. This peak was named some time before 1900 by an admiring prospector for Margaret "Maggie" Shultz Layton (1877-1965), a pioneering resident of Toledo, Washington.
The Dome is a 5,720+ ft mountain summit located in Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, in Skamania County of southwest Washington state. It is situated in the Cascade Range, less than 2 mi (3.2 km) north of Spirit Lake, and 1.28 mi (2.06 km) northeast of Coldwater Peak. Its nearest higher neighbor is Mount Margaret, 1.16 mi (1.87 km) to the northeast, and Mount St. Helens rises 7.5 mi (12.1 km) to the south. Precipitation runoff from The Dome is drained by Coldwater Creek, a tributary of the North Fork Toutle River.
Mount Whittier is a prominent 5,883-ft mountain summit located in Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, in Skamania County of southwest Washington state. It is situated in the Cascade Range, 2 mi (3.2 km) north of Spirit Lake, and 1.7 mi (2.7 km) northeast of The Dome. Its closest neighbor is Mount Margaret, 0.93 mi (1.50 km) to the south, and the nearest higher neighbor is Mount St. Helens, 9 mi (14 km) to the south. Whittier is the second-highest peak in the Mount St. Helens area, after Mt. St. Helens. Although modest in elevation, relief is significant as the summit rises 2,000 feet above the head of Coldwater Creek valley in 0.6 mi (0.97 km). Precipitation runoff from Mount Whittier drains into tributaries of the North Fork Toutle River.
Minnie Peak is a 5,610-ft mountain summit located in Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, in Skamania County of southwest Washington state. It is situated in the Cascade Range, one mile northeast of Coldwater Lake, and 2.7 mi (4.3 km) west of Mount Whittier. Its nearest higher neighbor is Mount Venus, 1.67 mi (2.69 km) to the northeast, Coldwater Peak rises 2 mi (3.2 km) to the south, and Mount St. Helens is 9 mi (14 km) to the south. Although modest in elevation, relief is significant as the summit rises 3,000 feet above the Coldwater Creek valley in less than one mile. Precipitation runoff from Minnie Peak drains south into Coldwater Creek, or north into Miners Creek, both of which are part of the North Fork Toutle River drainage basin. This peak's name is derived from the Minnie mining claim nearby along Miners Creek. The primary minerals extracted there were silver and copper.
