The Great American Road Trip Challenge~4.5 years · 48 states · one loop
The Pacific Northwest

Stop 9 · Days 489–490

Mount St. Helens

Mount St. Helens, WA

The volcano that blew its top in 1980 — a still-recovering blast zone with a gaping crater and a superb ridge-top observatory.

Where to stay

  • A Castle Rock or Kelso motel

    At the foot of the Spirit Lake Highway.

    Open in Maps

You gotta eat this

  • A hearty diner breakfast

    Fuel before the drive up the mountain.

The days here

Each day opens its own hour-by-hour page

  1. 489Day 489 — The Blast ZoneFull day · 5h planned
  2. 490Day 490 — Northeast to RainierDrive day · 2h 30m drive

What this stop is made of

  • National Parks & Forests