This year climbing permits for Mount St. Helens will be available for online purchase beginning March 18 at 7:00 am PDT through Recreation.gov. Find more details here.
Climbing permits are required year round, but are limited in number and sold first-come, first-served April- October. Permits are free and self-issued during the winter season Nov.- March.
Winter conditions in higher elevations could exist on forest service roads. Please be prepared for winter driving conditions when visiting the these areas. Carry chains, extra food, blankets, shovel and water in your vehicle when traveling the forest roads in winter and spring.
Johnston Ridge Observatory is closed for the winter season and will re-open in mid-May. Visitors can still experience Mount St. Helens from State Hwy 504 at the Coldwater Learning Center, open weekends 10:00am- 4:00pm.
The Mount St. Helens Visitor Center, operated by WA State Parks, is open Thursday- Sundays through the winter and is about 5 miles east of I-5 on Hwy 504.
Hwy 504 is gated and closed at the Hummocks Trailhead, just past the Coldwater Learning Center.
ATVs must remain on designated trails and in areas specifically designated for their use in the Motor Vehicle Use Map or MVUM, which is available free at all forest offices and online.
As part of a larger effort to reduce invasive species on national forest lands the US Forest Service now requires the use of weed-free feed within all Pacific Northwest National Forest land (2009). Weed-free feed includes commercially processed pellets, steamed and rolled grains, or state certified weed-free feed. More information.
Subscribe to this feed
