3029 Spirit Lake Highway (Highway 504 Milepost 5)
Mount St. Helens (In Castle Rock), WA , 98611-8706 Phone: (360) 274-0962 Website The Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake, located within Washington State Seaquest Park, incorporated into the state park system in October 2000. A pedestrian tunnel connects lush, forested Seaquest State Park with its more well-known neighbor across the road, the Silver Lake Mount St. Helens Visitor Center. Functioning as a gateway to the mountain over 30 miles away, the Visitor Centers goal is to educate visitors on the historical significance of the landscape before and during the eruption and also focus on the resulting impact on nearby ecosystems. The Visitor Center and walking trail vantage points offer a view of the Western slope of the mountain. This unique building features expansive windows providing a glimpse of towering second-growth forest all around. A high archway and elaborately carved wooden columns contribute to the feeling of magnificence. Inside, visitors can enjoy a variety of interpretive displays that include comprehensive information on local history, geology, and re-growth and recovery of the land in the years immediately after the eruption. From I-5 take Exit 49 to Highway 504 (Spirit Lake Memorial Highway) and continue east to Milepost 5.
Hours of operation: March 1 to May 15, daily 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. May 16 to September 15, daily 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. September 16 to October 31, daily 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. November 1 to February 28, Thursday through Monday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Closed in observance of the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day,
Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and the Friday after (Family Day) and Christmas.
No admission cost to visit the gift shop. Admission cost: Family (two adults plus accompanying children) $15, 18 years and older $5, 7 years to 17 years $2.50, 6 years and younger Free. Tour groups $200 per bus.
Plenty of free parking.
There are now four penny machines located in the Mount St. Helens area. One at Silver Lake, one at Forest Learning Center, and two at Johnston Ridge. The two machines at Johnston Ridge are the only ones that require an admission fee to access.
If you want to mail in for pennies the mailing address is: 3029 Spirit Lake Hwy (Hwy 504 Mile Post 5) Castle Rock, WA , 98611-8706.
Machine 2 is in the gift shop on the right. Cost to press: 51¢ each design. Designs all have a beaded border:
1. (H) Standing Elk with 'SeaQuest State Park Washington'.
2. (V) Spirit Lake in front of Mount St. Helens venting steam with 'Mount St. Helens Visitor Center'.
3. (H) Spirit Lake in front of Mount St. Helens venting steam with 'Mount St. Helens Washington'.
Retired image from Machine 2 design is:
1) (H) Spirit Lake in front of Mount St. Helen venting steam with 'Mount St, Helens 30th Anniversary 1980 - 2010'.
Token 1 in gift shop:
Obverse: Sasquatch walking in the forest with 'Sasquatch I Believe'.
Reverse: Sasquatch footprint in front of the moon and a tree with 'Bigfoot I Believe'.
Token 2 in gift shop in gold and silver colors:
Obverse: Spirit Lake in front of Mount St. Helens pre-eruption with 'Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument'.
Reverse: Spirit Lake in front of Mount St. Helens post-eruption venting steam with 'Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument'.
b>Machine 1 - Moved to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Johnston Ridge Observatory.
G.P.S. coordinates: Latitude: N46° 17' 40.221" Longitude: W122° 49' 20.3088"
Google Maps coordinates: 75VH+Q4 Silver Lake, Washington
9/08/18: New Scan added. GSY
11/20/22: Still rolling short on copper. Very difficult to turn crank at points, moving the whole machine at points. TSB |
