Finally made it to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Mounument. It was just a viewing, I didn’t really explore the area. A lot of the visitor and camping areas were either closed or in the process of closing for the winter. There was a strong, cold and gritty wind blowing at the Johnston Ridge Observatory, while just a few miles down the road it was hot with no wind. Not many people there. Definitely would like to come back again.
View north from the Johnston Ridge Observatory. The land next to the parking lot is recovering, while the next ridge over is still pretty bald after 25 years.
I arrived late Tuesday afternoon and ended up parking for the night in a pull out just outside the blast area. They don’t want dogs in the blast area except in specially marked places. Their scent can scare some animals away.
