Just what I needed....a vista of Mount Saint Helen's, a restroom, a free movie of the 1980 explosion, and a gift shop with Big Foot t-shirts. What else is needed!? Located about 10-15 miles before Cascade Lake (the end of the road), this rest stop is a 'must stop!' I took some beautiful pics to mark this sunshiny day. There are plenty of parking stalls, accessible bathrooms, and the gift shop sells snacks, too! The next time you head out to the mountain, stop here and take a load off! read more

See all

This is a great spot to learn at. No Charge and willing docents that want to share their knowledge. And a short video included. read more

This is as close as you can get to the mountain on a reliable road as the National Park Service facility is closed because the road is washed out. This center is operated by the Weyerhaeuser Company and they do a good job pointing out sustainable forestry practices. The guides pointed out a herd of elk across the river and answered our questions. It was worth the stop. read more

Mount St. Helens Forest Learning Center - There are 20+ elk at the top of this photo. - Hiking Near Me - Toutle, Washington

See all

Great learning center to learn some of the history of Mount St. Helens. They have a really nice gift shop, clean restrooms, friendly staff, tons of parking, a good angle for a picture of Mount St Helens and really nice 3/4 mile forest hike. Also adding, keep driving! They have 3 more way better peaks to take better angles of St Helens. read more

See all

Mount St. Helen's is a park with two attractions: mountains and lakes with miles of trails, similar to what's found in other Washington national parks, and the volcano. We did a short walk around one of the lakes. It had the same feeling and terrain I found in New Mexico. It was dry, the leaves were yellow, yet the temperature was very mild. It made me think of New Mexico because I have only been to New Mexico in the Fall. We would've explored more of the trails while we were there, but Washington was still struggling through forest fire smoke after a dry summer. I can drive around smoky areas, but I can't hike in them. The volcano is more impressive as a piece of history and a geological force than as a picture. The area around the volcano is still barren but it was fascinating to understand the force of the eruption. Instead of a shower of lava, the force of the eruption broke off half of the mountain and pushed it toward the coast, demolishing everything in its path. read more

See all

Excellent time We looked through everything and my daughter left pleased. Definitely would come back read more

I only stopped here because I had to turn around on my way to Johnston Ridge. I have never driven into a cloud before by let me tell you, it was scary as all get out when you can't see the road in front of you. I was going uphill and the road was surrounded by a thick cloud. Everyone was going well under the speed limit because no one could see. I went with my gut and decided to turn around as the clouds seemed to not be looking as if they would be going anywhere anytime soon....typical pacnw, am I right? I thought that maybe the cloud would just blow over and I could keep on truckin' to my destination. This was not the case, so rather risk getting in an accident or driving off a cliff I turned around. I'm glad I did because the Mt St Helens Forest Learning Center is a great place to stop and get some great views of Mount St. Helens, buy some gifts from the gift shop, and learn a little bit about the Mount Saint Helens landscape area. Don't forget to bring your camera or cellphone because if you go around the back of the learning center there is a little paved trail where you can walk up to two viewpoints and get a gorgeous view of the valley below. This also helped me see even further that the clouds weren't going anywhere since I could see huge clouds in the distance. Oh well! Maybe next time I'll make it to Johnston Ridge. read more

See all

08/28/11 (Last Visited) On the drive up to St. Mt. Helens, you can stop off and see the views of the volcano and the river valley. Very informative. I watched the film containing the news coverage of the Mt. St. Helens eruption. We found the information very well presented, and the film had the most actual footage of the eruption and its aftermath. There are three visitor centers on spirit lake highway. This one is by Weyerhaeuser and is free. The hands on exhibit are great for children and adults. They have some good exhibits on the local history of the area. Great displays of wildlife and the volcano impacts. There is a nice playground outside. I don't know that this visitors center is any better then any others, unless you have small kids. There is no charge for this facility which makes it an even better place to enjoy if you have a large family. Free to park and enter, and needn't cost a cent for your whole visit as spend is optional. Yes, the gift shop is expensive (aren't they all?). Just stop in and check it out! *The Mt. St. Helens Forest Learning Center is located inside the blast zone of the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens on Highway 504. It is a partnership between Weyerhaeuser Company, Washington State Department of Transportation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The Visitor Center is open to the public free of charge. Walk through a life-like forest and experience the Eruption Chamber. Learn about forest recovery, reforestation and conservation of forest resources. read more

See all

Of the three visitor centers off the main highway leading up to Mt. St. Helens, this one is the must see. It has the best gift shop and a nice visitor center that focuses on the forests surrounding Mt. St. Helens. I liked that they taught about forest renewal and addressed environmental concerns of maintaining forests for generations to come. The view of Mt. St. Helens from the parking lot was fabulous and has a spectacular visual down the mountain to the valley floor. Stunning and FREE admission inside and out!!!!! read more

Great Views! The displays were not open and we were not interested in the gift shop, so the indoor portion of our visit was limited to the restrooms. That wasn't a problem, because the real reason to stop here is to enjoy the amazing views. Yes, there that volcano that blew its top a few years back, but the valley is worth a good long look. If you have a pair binoculars, you may be able to spot elk and other wildlife going about their wildlife business. It is easy to spend an hour here just taking in everything there is to see. read more

We stopped here on our drive up to Mt. St. Helen's mostly because we saw "scenic viewpoint" signs and wanted a nice lookout. There's a little movie to start with some history of the mountain and actual news footage of the event. Then it leads you through a museum of the history of the area which was great. The gift shop was small but a lot of people commend it apparently. We ended up driving all the way to Johnston Ridge Observatory to get as close to Mt. St. Helen's as we could, but we didn't go inside so I can't compare it to Forest Learning Center. You still get a great view of the mountain from here and it was a nice little stopping point on the drive to stretch your legs and see the views. read more

See all

A good stop to relax and enjoy the view. Mountain, vast landacape and what the power of the volcano can do to the land. read more

Mount St. Helens Forest Learning Center - Hiking Near Me - Toutle, Washington

See all

What is there not to like about this place? It is located within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest within view of Mount St Helens. No admission fee. There are two short movies ( like 5 minutes each) about St Helens, a "discovery room" for the kiddies, some interactive displays, and some informational displays. It's not large building, and it doesn't take much time to get through everything. There are some hiking trails and a observation area with free telescopes to view the Mount. I think it is operated by one of the logging companies. It has a well stocked gift shop with friendly staff, and the bathrooms are clean. Most of all, the view is gorgeous! read more

Mount St. Helens Forest Learning Center - A view of Mount St Helens from the parking lot. - Hiking Near Me - Toutle, Washington

We stopped here on the way back from Johnston Ridge because we heard they had a good gift shop (they do). We were surprised at how nice the museum part was! The short movie was even better than the one at Johnston Ridge (which was good, but the graphics are really outdated). There were plenty of kid friendly parts and enough to keep the adults entertained. We all learned quite a bit and spent more than we had planned to at their well stocked gift shop. Afterwards the kids got some of their energy out at the nice little playground outside. They all promptly fell asleep once we got back in the car. Definitely recommending this to anyone who makes the trek out to Mount St Helens. read more

Very friendly staff. Nice little forest museum showing the development of the area as well as the recovery after the 1980 eruption and mud slide. Short walk up to a view point. Well worth the steps up the hill. In a way this stop was more valuable than the later stop at the Science Learning Center a few miles further up the road. read more

It's an ok spot. We preferred the observatory better which is further up the road. The learning center seems outdated and run down. My kids got splinters too easily from the playground equipment. It was ok but not the best experience. read more

I went to the Mount St. Helens Forest Learning Center couple summers ago. The forest learning center was a neat experience. You will learn about the local history and the 1980 eruption. Of course, I will be coming back someday!! read more

This is a very interesting museum! There were lots of interactive things for the kids to do, a couple of great movies that explained all about the eruption in 1980 and the reforesting in subsequent years. Everyone in the family learned a lot! There is a lot of information packed in to a small museum. Outside, there was a nice playground area for the kids, too, which was nice because driving up to the volcano and back is about 50 miles in the car each way, so they were able to stretch and run and play. There are also beautiful views of the volcano from this spot. I felt that this had better information than the observatory next to the volcano. read more