Mount St Helens Visitor Center

Renovation closure

The Mount St Helens Visitor Center will be closed for renovations on Sept. 30, 2024 through mid-May 2025. The center will be holding a final public event before the closure on Sept. 29. Visit the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center Farewell Exhibits Celebration for more information on this event.

Group tours

Thank you for your interest in visiting the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center. To complete a largescale exhibit renovation, the facility will close on Sept. 30, 2024. We will reopen in mid-May 2025, with new exhibits and feature films.

During the closure, the parking lot, plaza, walking trails and bathrooms will remain open. Please contact park staff at (360) 274-0962 or Silver.Lake@parks.wa.gov if you are planning a tour during the closure. To visit the center after reopening, please follow the steps to obtain a Commercial Use Permit to register your group.

School trips

Thank you for your interest in visiting the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center. To complete a largescale exhibit renovation, the facility will close on Sept. 30, 2024. We will reopen in mid-May 2025, with new exhibits and feature films. In-person field trips will continue through Sept. 29, 2024. We are not able to accommodate in-person field trips from Sept. 30, 2024 – March 2025.

All school programs/visits must complete the registration form. Click here to download the registration form (PDF, 112KB). Thank you in advance.

Alternative options during closure

Virtual ranger talks available Oct. 1, 2024 through mid-May 2025 per request. Classrooms are invited to join a ranger for a scheduled 30–45-minute experience. This includes a talk about Mount St. Helens or Forest Ecology with props and an open session for questions. Our park also has a series of YouTube videos that pair nicely with a follow-up virtual ranger chat. Please contact us to schedule either type of virtual program.

In-person visits after reopening

In-person field trips available April 1 through mid-May 2025 at Seaquest State Park per request. With inclement weather anticipated, programs may occur in the day-use covered shelter. Due to available space, programs are limited to 45 people, this includes students and chaperones/teachers. Please contact us to schedule an in-person field trip. The experience has two options:

Option 1: A ranger talk about Mount St. Helens or Forest Ecology with props and open session for questions or an interactive activity. This is a 30-45-minute experience.

Option 2: A guided walk along a half-mile trail at Seaquest about Forest Ecology or the Wetland Haven Trail across the road for Mount St. Helens. This is a 1-hour experience. May be altered due to inclement weather.

In-person field trips to the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center are available after mid-May 2025. This includes access to our new exhibits and films, a half-mile walking trail and 20-minute ranger talk, per request. We follow a 5:1 ratio of students to adults and waive the fee for students completing an assignment during their visit.

Outdoor field trip assignments

We have partnered with the Mount St. Helens Institute to design a new opportunity for school groups, a self-guided excursion on our 0.6-mile accessible Wetland Haven Trail. Follow this link to learn more: Landscapes of Change: Free curriculum for the Washington State Parks Mount St. Helens Visitor Center.

Teachers are welcome to download the pre-trip activities, student journal pages, the facilitator activity guide and the post-trip activity. Please contact us directly if you have any questions or would like to check out supplies to support your field trip.

Indoor field trip assignments

Pre-visit lesson, grades K-2 (PDF, 96KB)

Activity sheet, grades K-2 (PDF, 346KB)

Pre-visit lesson, grades 3-5 (PDF, 310KB)

Activity sheet, grades 3-5 (PDF, 223KB)

Pre-visit lesson, middle and high school (PDF, 82KB)

Activity sheet, middle school (PDF, 247KB)

Activity sheet, high school (PDF, 314KB)

Hours of Operation

The Visitor Center is open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., seven days a week through Sept. 29, 2024. 

Sept. 30, 2024 through mid-May 2025, the center will be closed for renovations. 

Neighboring visitor centers

Located at milepost 37 is the Forest Learning Center operated by Weyerhaeuser. For additional information, visit Weyerhaeuser’s Mount St. Helens webpage.

U.S. Forest Service operates The Science and Learning Center at milepost 43. For additional information, visit The Science and Learning Center’s webpage.

The Mount St. Helens Institute is a nonprofit partner that operates school programs, events and rentals at the Science and Learning Center. For more information, visit the Mount St. Helens Institute website or email info@mshinstitute.org.

Due to a landslide in May 2023, the Johnston Ridge Observatory is closed until road repairs are completed in 2027. They are not accepting school visits at this time. Johnston Ridge Observatory operated by the U.S. Forest Service is located at the end of highway 504. For more information about their facility, please visit the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument site. 

Overnight accommodations

Connected by a short pedestrian tunnel is Seaquest State Park. Reserve a campsite, group camp or yurt to enjoy more of the area. 

Amenities

The park offers Wi-Fi service, in limited coverage areas. For more information, visit our Wi-Fi in the Parks page.