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.