Mount St Helens Visitor Center

Group tours

Group tours should contact the Interpretive Center early with proposed tour dates for the year.  *All groups, both Educational and Non-education requesting a tour should register their visit with park staff by emailing Silver.Lake@parks.wa.gov or calling Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at 360-274-0962. This allows park staff to update our activity calendar and ensure all groups are provided a meaningful visit and accommodations/requests are met.

Educational group tours

Educational groups are encouraged to register in advance. To request a visit, please contact the park directly at (360) 274-0962 or complete the registration form and email to Silver.Lake@parks.wa.gov.

Click here for the registration form (PDF, 124KB).

Upon approval, a confirmation email will be sent. Preregistered educational groups are not subject to admission and Discover Pass fees. In order to receive the fee waiver, we request students complete an assignment during their visit. Site-specific assignments are available below, otherwise teachers are encouraged to bring their own activity. The Junior Ranger and Junior Geologist program is not intended for students, this is for paying patrons only.

Landscapes of Change Field Trip

We have partnered with the Mount St. Helens Institute to design a new opportunity for school groups, a self-guided excursion on our 0.6-mile accessible Wetland Haven Trail. Follow this link to learn more: Landscapes of Change: Free curriculum for the Washington State Parks Mount St. Helens Visitor Center.

Teachers are welcome to download the pre-trip activities, student journal pages, the facilitator activity guide and the post-trip activity. Please contact us directly if you have any questions or would like to check out supplies to support your field trip.

Educational materials

Pre-visit lesson, grades K-2 (PDF, 96KB)

Activity sheet, grades K-2 (PDF, 346KB)

Pre-visit lesson, grades 3-5 (PDF, 310KB)

Activity sheet, grades 3-5 (PDF, 223KB)

Pre-visit lesson, middle and high school (PDF, 82KB)

Activity sheet, middle school (PDF, 247KB)

Activity sheet, high school (PDF, 314KB)

Non-educational group tours

*All groups are asked to contact park staff to register their group for a visit.  *All non-educational tour groups must have a valid Commercial Use Permit to visit the center. The cost is $200 per bus load, not the number of people per bus. *A Commercial Use permit waives the per person and Discover Pass fees at this location.

For additional information and to apply, visit the Commercial Use Permit webpage. Please allow up to 30 days to process your permit.

Holidays and Winter Operation

Nov. 1 - Mar. 26, the center is open 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday. 

Observed holidays:

The center is closed for the following holidays:

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Presidents' Day
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving Day and Friday after
• Christmas Day

Additional Area (non- Washington State Park entity) Visitor Centers

The Forest Learning Center, operated by Weyerhaeuser is located at milepost 37. For additional information, visit Weyerhaeuser’s Mount St. Helens webpage.

The Science and Learning Center, operated by the Mount St. Helens Institute, is at milepost 43. For additional information, visit The Science and Learning Center’s webpage.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory, operated by the U.S. Forest Service, is at milepost 52. For more information about their facility please visit the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument site. For field trip planning, visit their Teacher's Corner page.

**Due to a landslide in May 2023, the Johnston Ridge Observatory is CLOSED until further notice.

Overnight accommodations

Connected by a short pedestrian tunnel is Seaquest State Park. Reserve a campsite, group camp or yurt to enjoy more of the area. 

Amenities

The park offers Wi-Fi service, in limited coverage areas. For more information, visit our Wi-Fi in the Parks page.