Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington

Mike remembers the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens vividly — the headlines, the live TV reports, and how the story dominated the news for days. I heard about it as the largest volcanic eruption in modern U.S. history, but beyond the facts, I hadn’t truly grasped what it meant until we came here.

Boardwalk at Silver Lake Wetland Heaven

Driving along Route 504 — the Spirit Lake Highway — gave us sweeping views of the landscape that was forever changed. We saw the crater, the blast zone, wildflowers in bloom, and the sediment-rich path of the Toutle River winding through the valley.

Mike looking for wild animals in the valley

At Elk Rock Viewpoint, we chatted with an interpretive volunteer who said he’d spotted elk, bears, and eagles just the week before. Mike took out his binoculars, ever hopeful — but no luck this time.

Castle Lake Viewpoint

We stopped for a picnic lunch at Coldwater Lake, where the scenery was peaceful and cool. Afterward, we walked the Birth of a Lake Trail, a short 0.6-mile paved boardwalk along the lakeshore. We saw kids swimming, anglers fishing, couples in canoes — even a fish leaping above the surface.

On Hummocks Trail

Later in the day, we hiked the Hummocks Trail, a 2.6-mile loop through debris fields left behind by the eruption. The path winds through young forest and wetlands that grew out of destruction. And to our surprise — a deer appeared, quietly grazing beneath what looked like a birch tree, not far from where the interpretive guide had mentioned earlier.

We had hoped to visit the Johnston Ridge Observatory, which offers one of the closest views of the crater. Unfortunately, it’s closed until 2027 due to a major landslide that occurred in May 2023. We were a little disappointed, but grateful that other parts of the park were open and accessible — and still incredibly moving.

Snow still lingered on the mountain, even two days after Independence Day. All day, we were surrounded by parades of green trees, bursts of wildflowers, and cool mountain breezes. It’s hard to reconcile this peaceful beauty with the devastation that once swept through here.

From Science and Learning Center at Coldwater

And maybe that’s the story of Mount St. Helens now — not just a tale of eruption and loss, but of resilience, rebirth, and quiet wonder.