The new and improved exhibits provide a more comprehensive look at Mount St. Helens
Set to reopen after receiving its first major renovation since it originally opened in 1986, the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center in Castle Rock will begin welcoming visitors on Saturday (May 31).
The new and improved exhibits provide a more comprehensive look at Mount St. Helens, Lawilátɬa in the language of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, from pre-eruption days to the present. Its displays show the powerful role the mountain has had in transforming the region over thousands of years.
The Cowlitz Indian Tribe was a close partner in this work. For millennia, the mountain has played a central role in the customs and culture of the Cowlitz and other Indigenous people across this region. State Parks has been honored to work with the Cowlitz to share their culture and history with the public at this facility.
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is also grateful to the numerous partners who lent their expertise to this project, including the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Mount St. Helens Institute, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the Cowlitz County Museum and the White Pass Country Historical Museum.
What’s new at the visitor center
Several of the new exhibits take a hands-on approach to learning through interactive displays and storytelling. New features include:
- An updated feature film and a series of featurettes developed in partnership with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe
- Exhibits about the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, their connection to this area and a Cowlitz Coast Salish audio exhibit
- A fun “Make-a-Quake” exhibit that lets you create your own shockwaves with a seismograph
- A new and improved “walk-in” volcano that takes you inside the mountain
- A “Volcano Blasters” pinball machine
- Several video displays
- Volcanic rocks, a wetland exploration area and model plants and animals for tactile learning
- Three-dimensional relief map of Mount St. Helens
- Over 80 historic artifacts, including an eruption blasted Weyerhaeuser logging truck door
The updated visitor center also offers a new Junior Volcano Explorer activity booklet and badge program for kids.
How to visit
The Mount St. Helens Visitor Center is located five miles east of I-5 in Castle Rock. Beginning May 31, it will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission for children seven and under is free. Youth ages seven to 17 costs $2.50 and adult admission costs $5.
Also read:
- With more state financial stress on horizon, Ferguson signs WA budget
Washington’s latest $79.4 billion state budget taps rainy day funds, reduces child care provider payments, and defers big tax collections, setting up a deficit in 2028. - Gov. Ferguson signs controversial law tightening standards for WA sheriffs
Sheriffs must now meet strict standards or risk removal, with local officials appointing replacements instead of voter recall, amid ongoing debate over constitutionality. - Opinion: Stalin would be proud – Clark County Socialists gathered for ‘No Kings’
Reform Clark County’s Rob Anderson criticizes local and national groups for organizing protests that featured Auditor Greg Kimsey as a keynote, raising concerns about public trust and political partisanship. - Higher payroll taxes may hit workers as eligibility rules broaden
Elizabeth New argues the state’s paid family leave system drains paychecks from lower-income workers and gives more to frequent and high-income users, urging repeal or major reform. - Clark County Sheriff’s Office completes extradition in homicide case
Dariel Nunez-Montero was transferred from Kentucky to the Clark County Jail and is being held as the investigation into the death of Courtney Clinton moves forward. - Letter: Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle makes several serious and incorrect engineering statements
Bob Ortblad critiques engineering claims by Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, highlighting cost and safety advantages of an immersed tunnel for the I-5 crossing. - Opinion: The beginning of the end of anchor babies
Lars Larson argues the Constitution excludes children born to non-legal residents, as the Supreme Court debates birthright citizenship and public opinion data shows limited support.
