Visit One of America’s Most Explosive Volcanoes

Mount Saint Helens was once one of America’s most beautiful mountains. Soaring 9,677 feet, this perfectly symmetrical snow-covered mountain was often called “America’s Mount Fujiyama.” Century old fir forests lined her mountain side. The beautiful, blue shimmering waters of Spirit Lake reflected her image perfectly. Thousands of people came to enjoy hikes, fish, and climb the mountain. But, this beautiful mountain was hiding her darker side. She was a volcano just waiting to erupt.

Most Americans had never witnessed a volcano erupt. People in the Pacific Northwest had been warned that the mountain could erupt at some point. Most just shrugged off the warnings. They never could have imaged the utter destruction that was about to be unleashed in May 1980.

It all started rather innocently. On March 20, 1980, a 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck directly below the mountain. Seismologists were rather alarmed, but were not too overly concerned. On March 27, 1980, Mount Saint Helens erupted. It wasn’t a major eruption, just a little ash and steam. But it was a big deal. The lower 48 hadn’t seen an eruption since Mount Lassen erupted in the early 1900’s.

People began flocking to Mount Saint Helens. She erupted on and off throughout April and it was quite a show. Brief bursts of ash and steam blocked an otherwise beautiful view of the Pacific Northwest. Then, scientists grew increasingly concerned. Mount Saint Helens was literally bursting at the seams. The mountain was bulging out, at a rate of about five feet per day. She had turned into a larger than life pressure cooker. Scientists predicted a huge eruption, but weren’t sure when.

On May 18, 1980, the unimaginable happened. At 8:32AM PST, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake shook the mountain. That was all it took to loosen the bulge and start the largest recorded landslide in history. The mountain was literally tearing herself apart. The avalanche tore down her northern side at record speed. The pressure inside the mountain was too much - she began to erupt laterally – not vertically. Ash, rocks, and glacier debris filled the ash cloud, which was travelling at the speed of sound. Nothing in her path was safe. The beautiful fir forests that lined her slopes were blasted away. Trees were stripped of their leaves or snapped like toothpicks. Mudflows raced down the mountain slopes and flowed into Spirit Lake. The intense speed created a tidal wave, causing the lake to rise and become a churning pool of mud. She wasn’t even close to being done. A vertical eruption shot up 15 miles into the atmosphere sending rock and ash across the Pacific Northwest. By nightfall, the eruption had subsided.

When the eruption was over, Mount Saint Helens was over 1,300 feet shortly. Before the eruption, she had been Washington State’s fifth highest mountain peak. On May 19th, 1980, she was the state’s thirtieth highest peak. Her beautiful landscape now resembled the surface of the moon. Everything within a 17 mile radius northeast of the crater was destroyed or pulverized. Scientists had never before witnessed such an event. They had no idea how long it would take the area to recover.



A visit to Mount Saint Helens National Monument is absolutely amazing. You are able to stand in front of the mountain wondering when she will erupt again. You can walk down to the shore of Spirit Lake and imagine just how beautiful this area once was. You can explore lava tubes below the mountain. And you can see just how amazing Mother Nature truly is. Green shrubs now covers hillsides that were stripped bare. Elk saunter by the crater. Birds chirp and perch themselves on tree trunks. Fish now swim in Spirit and Meta Lake.

Next week, we will tell you how to make the most of your trip to Mount Saint Helens National Monument. We’ll give you hiking suggestions, tell you where the best viewpoints are, and let you know how to keep tabs on America’s most explosive volcano!