CASTLE ROCK, Wash. — The Mount St. Helens Visitor Center in Castle Rock will reopen on May 31.
The center just finished its first major renovation since it opened in 1986. The project began in September 2024.
Washington State Parks says it features new and improved exhibits that provide a more comprehensive look at the mountain from pre-eruption days to present day.
Mount St. Helens is known as Lawilátɬa in the language of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. Washington State Parks says the tribe was a close partner in the renovation.
“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,” a news release from the parks department said.
What’s new at the visitor center
- 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
- New and improved “walk-in” volcano that takes you inside the mountain
- “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
- New Junior Volcano Explorer activity booklet and badge program for kids
How to visit
The Mount St. Helens Visitor Center is five miles east of I-5 in Castle Rock.
It’ll be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Admission for children seven and under is free. Children ages seven to 17 cost $2.50 each, and adult admission costs $5.
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