Mount Saint Helens
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Mount Saint Helens rises to 2,549 m in Washington. Dogs Head Peak stands 2,481 m to the east-northeast, 1.1 miles off. The nearest named place is Lava Dome, a peak 0.7 miles away. White Pass Scenic Byway passes 22 miles off.
The story
Mount St. Helens (known as Lawetlat'la to the local Cowlitz people, and Loowit or Louwala-Clough to the Klickitat) is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It lies 52 miles (83 km) northeast of Portland, Oregon, and 98 miles (158 km) south of Seattle. Mount St. Helens takes its English name from that of the British diplomat Alleyne FitzHerbert, 1st Baron St Helens, a friend of explorer George Vancouver who surveyed the area in the late 18th century. The volcano is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, a segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire. The mountain's eruption on May 18, 1980 is the most economically destructive volcanic event in U.S. history. 57 people were killed and 200 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles (24 km) of railways, and 185 miles (298 km) of highway were destroyed. A massive debris avalanche, triggered by a magnitude 5.1 earthquake, caused a lateral eruption that reduced the elevation of the mountain's summit from 9,677 to 8,363 ft (2,950 to 2,549 m), leaving a 1-mile-wide (1.6 km) horseshoe-shaped crater. The debris avalanche was 0.6 cubic miles (2.5 km3) in volume. The 1980 eruption disrupted terrestrial ecosystems near the volcano. By contrast, aquatic ecosystems in the area greatly benefited from the amounts of ash, allowing life to multiply rapidly. Six years after the eruption, most lakes in the area had returned to their normal state. After its 1980 eruption, the volcano experienced continuous volcanic activity until 2008. Geologists predict that future eruptions will be more destructive, as the configuration of the lava domes requires more pressure to erupt. However, Mount St. Helens is a popular hiking spot and it is climbed year-round. In 1982, the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was established by Congress.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q4675, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 2,549 m
How to reach it
- 21.9 mi off the White Pass Scenic Byway, National
Overlooks nearby
- Loowit Viewpoint · 6 mi
- North Fork Toutle River Viewpoint · 7 mi
- Castle Lake Viewpoint · 9 mi
- Castle Lake Viewpoint Observation Site · 9 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Lava Dome: 0.7 mi
- Dogs Head Peak: 1.1 mi
- Butte Camp Dome: 2.1 mi
- East Dome: 2.1 mi
- Alpine Butte: 2.8 mi
- Step Falls: 2.3 mi
- Loowit Falls: 2.3 mi
- Lower Step Falls: 2.4 mi
- Chocolate Falls: 2.5 mi
- Middle Loowit Falls: 2.7 mi
- Kalama Horse Camp: 7.1 mi
- Beaver Bay: 9.8 mi
- Cedar Flats Natural Area: 10.5 mi
- Cougar Park: 10.6 mi
- Eagle Cliff Park Recreation Area: 12.0 mi
- Windy Ridge Interpretive Site: 4.9 mi
- Lahar Viewpoint Interpretive Site: 5.3 mi
- Moss Spring Observation Site: 5.3 mi
- Lava Canyon Interpretive Site: 5.5 mi
- Trail Of Two Forests Interpretive Site: 6.4 mi
- Smith Creek Interpretive Site: 5.6 mi
- Coldwater Lake Picnic And Boating Site: 7.7 mi
- Lower Falls Day Use Area: 15.2 mi
- Iron Creek Picnic Area: 19.1 mi
- Kalama Spring: 4.4 mi
- Soda Spring: 13.4 mi
- Cold Spring: 22.6 mi
- Johnston Ridge Observatory: 5.9 mi
- North Clark Historical Museum: 23.0 mi
- Lelooska Cultural Center: 24.3 mi
- Mount St. Helens Eruption Memorial: 6.0 mi
- Kosmos Bridge: 20.9 mi
- Flagpole: 24.6 mi
- Eagle Cliffs: 12.1 mi
- Breezy Point: 12.9 mi
- Point 3670: 14.5 mi
- Elk Rock Viewpoint: 10.0 mi
- Forest Learning Center Rest Area: 12.5 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 17.0 miles of Mount Saint Helens. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dogs Head Peak | ENE 58° | 2,481 m | 1.1 mi |
| Lava Dome | NNE 29° | 2,180 m | 0.7 mi |
| Mount Whittier | NNE 18° | 1,793 m | 9.7 mi |
| Mount Teragram | NNE 20° | 1,786 m | 9.1 mi |
| Mount Margaret | NNE 19° | 1,786 m | 8.8 mi |
| Strawberry Mountain | NNE 30° | 1,749 m | 15.3 mi |
| Craggy Peak | ENE 73° | 1,745 m | 16.9 mi |
| Coldwater Peak | N 5° | 1,743 m | 7.6 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:13 | 18:42 | 19:21 |
| June solstice | 05:18 | 20:18 | 21:05 |
| September equinox | 06:56 | 18:29 | 19:08 |
| December solstice | 07:49 | 15:35 | 16:26 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 40 | 42 | 45 | 50 | 57 | 61 | 68 | 68 | 63 | 54 | 45 | 39 |
| Precip in | 17.7 | 12.0 | 13.2 | 9.7 | 5.2 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 4.3 | 10.5 | 17.8 | 18.8 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Cougar 6 E, 9 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/356546327
Day trips start here
- Mount St. Helens · 1 mi
- Toutle · 26 mi
- Mossyrock · 27 mi
- Southwest Washington · 28 mi
Take the scenic way to Mount Saint Helens.
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