Gifford Pinchot National Forest

	USDA Forest Service Gifford Pinchot National Forest Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
For Immediate Release: April 27, 2006
Contact: Kristie Cochrane (360) 449-7840

Johnston Ridge Observatory to Reopen May 5; Mount St. Helens Visitor Centers Shift to Summer Hours

VANCOUVER, WA –Johnston Ridge Observatory at the eastern terminus of State Route (SR) 504 will reopen for the season on Friday, May 5. On the same day, Mount St. Helens visitor centers will shift to summer hours.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory, located at the end of SR 504, 52 miles east of Castle Rock, will open for the summer on May 5, and will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until October 29. The Johnston Ridge Observatory brings visitors within five miles of Mount St. Helens. This vantage point north of the volcano offers spectacular views of the new and old lava domes, crater and pumice plain. This facility focuses on the geologic history of Mount St. Helens.

The Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center, 43 miles east of Castle Rock on SR 504, focuses on the story of how some plants and animals survived the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. It also highlights how other types of plants and wildlife have returned to the area since 1980. Staff at the Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center present interpretive programs each day. On May 6 the Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center will extend hours of operation to 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

The Mount St. Helens Visitor Center, five miles east of Castle Rock near Silver Lake, features theater programs and exhibits which interpret the history of Mount St. Helens. Interpretive staff is on duty each day to answer visitor questions. The, Mount St. Helens Visitor Center, managed by Washington State Parks, is already operating on extended spring hours and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Starting Monday, May 25, this center will operate on summer hours and be open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Labor Day.

Thursday, May 18 will be a free day at the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in remembrance of the 26th anniversary of the 1980 eruption. No fees will be charged on the Volcanic Monument, including the visitor centers on SR 504.

Daily admittance to one visitor center for those 16 or older is $3 per person; and admittance to all three centers will be $6 per person. Golden Passports are honored at Mount St. Helens visitor centers.

Forest visitors near the volcano need to be prepared for a potential ash fall.

For the latest information about volcanic activity and closures, Monument programs visit www.fs.fed.us/gpnf

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US Forest Service
Gifford Pinchot National Forest - Vancouver, WA
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Amboy, WA
Last Modified: Wednesday, 03 May 2006 at 18:35:13 EDT