Mount St Helens National Monument Small Group Tour

This haunting but beautiful journey takes you into the heart of Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. View the steaming volcano just miles from the crater, experience how the ecosystem is recovering from its powerful eruption, and walk through the park with your naturalist guide to learn about how volcanoes are monitored and how events transpired on that fateful day in 1980. On your way to Mt. St. Helens you may stop at Lewis & Clark State Park to bask in the shadow of the old-growth forests that once covered the blast zone or at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge to explore estuary wetlands among a symphony of birdsong. Once in the Volcanic Monument, you’ll traverse the barren landscapes, stopping for a peaceful hike along the Hummocks Trail or to take in the still blue waters of Coldwater Lake. After enjoying a picnic lunch, you’ll arrive at the Johnston Ridge Observatory where you’ll embark on an interpretive walk along the Eruption Trail. The trail offers sweeping looks into the blast zone and crater, and teems with purple lupine and other flowers in the mid-to-late summer. Throughout your day you’ll hear incredible stories of survival and science, and experience the unrelenting resilience of nature embodied in this rebounding ecosystem. Our Mt. St. Helens Tour includes pick-up/drop-off from downtown Seattle hotels with transport in Mercedes vehicles, all entry fees, an expert naturalist guide, and a fresh, family-style lunch with local wine!