johnston ridge observatory

Johnston Ridge Observatory is very nice. There are a few exhibits and a 3D light up map board and all are free. The theater costs $8 but it is well worth it. You can hang around and view all 3 movies which are about 12 minutes each and they play back to back so no waiting an hour or 30 minutes until the next show.They also have a very small gift shop (of course) but I am into walking medallions and they had the very best ones here! I also liked the postcards best here as well.You can get great up close pictures of the crater blast site from here. There is also a trail leading all the way to Spirit Lake but it is a long hike so make sure you have sun screen and plenty of water. I suggest driving the east entrance to get great views of the lake strewn with logs not to mention 360 views of the area!They had a lunch wagon in the parking lot and offered a large burger with chips for $8.50 and was actually pretty good. They do have hot dogs. That price did not include drinks (but you can buy them here - I just brought my own). BTW, it is a good idea to bring your own drinks as you won’t find drinks at the visitor centers or at least I never saw any. There are a couple of gas stations around the beginning of the west entrance. It gets HOT here - water up.

Went with family in October 2014. Be prepared for the slightly thinner air if you are from the Midwest. Had a nice semi clear day. Neat experience to walk through a cloud on the trail. If you are going to do the 12 miles hike I would take snacks and water. Park rangers patrol the area but are not super available. One of those places you hated to leave. Worth the extra trip to see this mountain range.

Magnificent place to visit!The Observatory features multimedia exhibits, and a couple of movies for those who are interested. Examples of the types of volcanic rocks were present, and panels with descriptions of some of the people and places that both survived and didn't survive told vivid stories of that May day were as moving as informative. The view itself is beyond great. You get a great sense of the proportion of the volcano and the events that occurred in 1980. Plenty of opportunities for photographs, and if your lucky, and informative chat with one of the Observatory's volunteers.This was an easy day trip out of Portland, and well worth the time.

Observatory is fantastic. Awesome view ... great exhibits ... Rangers were helpful and informative.Cost was $8 when I went. Attended 2 movies ... 1 Ranger exhibition ... and viewed all the exhibits. Spent probably 3 ~ 4 hours doing everything. View is AMAZING ... hiking and walking outside just shows you how powerful nature is.Easy to get to ... off I-5 take WA-504

Mt. St. Helens has several visitor centers and vista points. The two most popular (due to easiest access and most advertisements and signage) are both along WA-504, east of the Castle Rock exit on I-5. The first one you come to is the Mt St. Helens Visitor Center by Silver Lake (6.9 miles -12 minutes - from I-5) and is a Washington State Park. Many commercial tour buses stop here as it’s close to I-5 and on those busses are many disappointed tourists who saw “Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center” in the itinerary and thought they’d get a good view of Mt. St. Helens and be somewhat close to it. Neither are the case. If you only have an hour or two on your journey up or down I-5 by all means stop there, but if you have more time continue on to the Johnson Ridge Observatory.The Johnson Ridge Observatory is also along WA-504 (aka Spirit Lake Highway) and is 52 miles (a bit over an hour) from I-5 in Castle Rock WA. Along the way you’ll pass several vista points, each one closeer to the volcano than the one before. We stopped at Mt. St. Helens Forest Learning Center which is free and has several exhibits (we stopped to take photos of the volcano from the parking lot but didn’t go in). We also stopped at Elk Rock Vista overlook for some photos and on the way back also stopped at the Loowit vista overlook.The Johnson Ridge Observatory is run by the US forest Service and is inside the Mount St. Helens National Monument (also run by US Forest Service). This is the main visitor center for the park (monument). As I understand, it was originally set up as a scientific observatory of the mountain to monitor it’s activity and over the years evolved into a full blown visitor center. It has the best view of the mountain looking directly into the side that gave way. From here you can see a bit of Spirit Lake, the blast zone, and into the crater (from the side). You’re still a few miles away across a valley from the crater but you are well within what they call the “blast zone”. The “Blast Zone” is the area around the mountain where the trees were completely obliterated or knocked flat by the debris filled hurricane force wind that exploded out of the side of the mountain when it blew up in 1980.The visitor center has exhibits which are nice, and a movie but mostly a grand view of the volcano through floor to ceiling windows. They also have a large patio facing the mountain where they give ranger talks on various related subjects and an outdoor amphitheater where they also give lectures. The ranger led activates are quite interesting and informative and I suggest listening in on one or more of them. If you have kids check out the ranger led activities for “Jr. Rangers” as it is geared for the younger set, but many parents participate along with their kids. There is no restaurant or snack bar here, but when we were there in early September, there was a food truck in the parking lot. It looks like they set up there every day as they have several parking spaces blocked off with those big cement barriers you see in construction zones and the truck pulls inside those barriers. Don’t expect much other than hot dogs and hamburgers type food. But, at least it’s foodUp on the crest of the ridge where the visitor center is can be quite windy and cold, so bring jackets – even if it’s nice and toasty at the parking lot which is a bit lower on the hillside and somewhat sheltered from the wind.If you found this information useful in your decision making process, you gleaned information you may not have otherwise discovered, or you just enjoyed reading it and appreciate the time I put into writing it, please give me a "helpful" vote. You’re welcome to contact me through danhartfordphoto dot com (where you can see photos of my travels) or through the “Ask Caifdan69 about .........” button at the bottom of this review

This place is the crown jewel of the monument. If you are visiting the north side of Mt. Saint Helens, this is a must see place even though it is about 50 miles from I-5. Stop at the first visitor center in Silver Lake to get weather conditions. The JRO is built into the side of a mountain and looks solid. They have a number of interesting presentations and tours that are very informative for all ages. We hiked the Boundary Trail for about 7 miles and got some amazing photos from there. The JRO has a small book store and a huge parking lot. There is a small food cart in the parking lot. The JRO closes at the end of this month for the season. Dogs are not allowed in the JRO or on any of the trails.

My first visit - wow, so glad that I made this trip. I found out that there are different approaches and different Mt. St. Helen's visitor's centers. Call ahead as Johnston closes in bad weather. Johnston Ridge Observatory is not close to the main highway at all, and it is a full day trip from Olympia, Washington. Bring your own picnic lunch, snacks and drinks as there is no place to buy them after you leave the highway. Don't count on using your cell phone at all. And you won't be able to use your smart phone for navigation - most of this area has no cellphone receptionl. After getting to Johnston Ridge observatory, we used the facilities. When we entered the building we were surprised to find that there is a fee of $8 per person to enter. There are no signs as you walk up that this is the case - and there should be as many people aren't prepared to pay and are disappointed after travelling all that way. We decided to pay.Inside the center we watched a short movie about the volcano, and the vista of Mt. St. Helen's that you see at the end of the movie made it worth the price. I bought an excellent book on Mt. St. Helen's in the gift shop there, and it was such a good book that I should have bought three books and not just one. Everyone wanted to read it at the same time and it is well written and includes great photographs too.

This observatory is immediately across from the crater. On a clear day the view is spectacular. Definitely see the movie and attend a ranger talk or two.There is great hiking so leave plenty of time for that. No water or food.

What an amazing place! To see what has come back after 34 years and what is still highly effected by the blast of Mt St Helens. This was a beautiful drive, informational in the presentations and movies and just to see all that has been touched by nature..... We really enjoyed our time here and would love to go back when snow is on the mountain. Great place for interaction with rangers and display boards, hiking trails, outdoor ranger talks.... a must if you are up in this area.

Interesting piece of local history. You have to pay to go into the observatory - which I didn't do and probably missed out, but the group I was with wasn't planning on staying long. They also have a trail that must go out to another viewpoint but no joke, you have to pay to walk down it. I wandered around outside and overheard a little of one of the ranger's presentation - I think I was supposed to have paid for that too. Had a pretty nice view the day I went, it was a little hazy, you will definitely want to check the local weather before making the trek out to the observatory to make sure you will have a good view. Oh, and don't forget to bring your wallet if you want to do anything once you arrive.

We took family from Canada up to see the volcano and stand on Johnston Ridge. 34 years after the blast and the devastation is still quite obvious. It is also interesting how much wild life and vegetation has returned. It is definitely a worthwhile trip, even though it's more than a 2 hr drive from Seattle and there is a small $8 fee per person to visit the observatory. There is a short film that runs 2 times an hour that is a must see as well. We have come 3 times over the 10 years we've lived in the Seattle area and it never gets boring.

Traveled up here this weekend (9/13) and had a great time. First time up near St. Helens and decided to chat to the rangers. All of them were quite helpful and informative on everything to do with the mountain and really put what i was seeing in to perspective. Was absolutely amazing and will be back.

We were Amazed at the Mt St. Helen's site....this experience is Top Notch☆ The films are very informative. ..the view deck is great....& there are several people positioned throughout the center to answer any & all questions you might have☆The theater design is WOW....you will be amazed at the end of the film!!!!

I visited on a weekday an hour before their visitors center closed at 6:00 pm. There were very few people at the time of my visit, but I would imagine that the weekends are quite busy. They have a large parking area that should easily accommodate over one-hundred vehicles. There are bathrooms in the visitors center, but if you stay later you can use one of the port-o-potty's in the parking area.I was mainly there to capture some sunset photos, but I was still able to participate in their last ranger-lead discussions as well as watch a video program in their fantastic theater.After checking with one of the rangers, I was informed that the observing area was opened until dusk, so I could stay to get some sunset photos without any special permission.All-in-all I would highly recommend a trip to the Johnston Ridge Observatory.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory provides the closest and most direct views into the crater of Mt St Helens. It is high on a ridge directly in the path of the blast zone that blew out the top and north side of the mountain in the 1980 eruption. I have visited here a few times since the eruption and it is fascinating to see the changes as plants and animals begin to repopulate this area that was completely wiped out in the eruption. On clear days, you can see the growing lava dome in the center of the crater and may see steam rising. There is a trail along the ridge that you can hike a short way up to a higher viewpoint or continue on along the ridge for several miles. From here you can still see how the trunks of giant trees are all laying down pointing away from the volcano. Inside the visitor center, there are a few displays and harrowing stories of some of the few who survived after getting caught in the eruption. There are multiple films shown in the center's theatre. One highlights the eruption, another highlights the rebirth of plants and animals in the area. The center also offers ranger talks and Junior Ranger activities for the kids. This visitor center offers different displays from the one at Coldwater Creek and the Washington State Park's visitor center near be the beginning of the highway that leads into the Mt St Helens National Monument. Each is worth a stop. (Note: there are separate visitor fees for these visitor centers because Johnston Ridge and Coldwater are federal and other is run by the state.) Coldwater is only open on weekends. The 50 mile highway between these visitor centers is a spectacular drive. You can see sections that have been replanted as well as sections that are naturally recovering. You drive through the blast zone and can see how the effects intensify as you get nearer to the volcano. It is about a 3 hour drive from Seattle to the first visitor center on the West side, so you'll need to plan on spending a whole day there and back. If you stay overnight near Mt St Helens, you'll have time to also visit the east side's Windy Ridge which also offers short trails, viewpoints, and ranger talks (but no visitor center). Windy Ridge is a 2.5 - 3 hr drive from the west side. If you are visiting the region, Mt St Helens is a great place to visit and learn about the power of volcanic activity.