Mt St Helen is a reminder of the awesome power of Mother Nature. On May 18th, 1980 Mt St Helen lost over 1000 feet of its height in an eruption that blew down over 230 square miles of forest in less than five minutes. The blast and the resulting mudslides forever changed the area even creating new ecosystems including 2 new lakes. We recommend hiking around Coldwater Lake to discover the rebirth of the area, including a great display of wild flowers in July!  See Mt St Helen on our Washington Coast to Cascades tour!