As you begin the drive into the park from Castle Rock it is worth the time to stop at the Silver Lake Visitor Center located at milepost five on Hwy 504. The center contains presentations on the historical and cultural significance of the area along with a chronology of events leading up to the eruption plus several interactive exhibits.

The next visitor center along Hwy504 is the Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center, which is located at mile marker 27. Unlike the other two centers, this visitor center is free, though much more commercialized. The Hoffstadt Visitor Center has a large restaurant, and helicopter tours of the mountain are available from this site weather permitting.

The last of the visitor centers and clearly the most impressive is the Johnston Ridge Observatory, which is only five miles from the summit of the mountain and is as close as you can get in a car. The Johnston Ridge Observatory is located on Johnston Ridge, which was named in honor of U.S.Geological Survey volcanologist David A. Johnston who was on duty at the USGS, Coldwater observation post during the May 18, 1980, eruption. David Johnston was the first person to announce that the eruption had begun and certainly had to have known that he was about to lose his life as he witnessed the north face of the mountain begin to collapse.

This visitor center has trials for exploring the area and rangers available for interpretive talks and hikes. There is also a large theater at this center and the film shown on the eruption is a must see and a fitting climax to your visit to Mount St. Helens. The view from here into the crater of Mount St. Helens is very impressive and certainly worth the ride.