The Forest Learning Center at Mount St. Helens, Washington, United States
4.5 (94 reviews) Thursday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Ranking #1 in Toutle Speciality & Gift Shops • Visitor Centers
Forest Learning
Inside our FREE Mount St. Helens Forest Learning Center, you’ll feel like you’re walking through a forest moments before the eruption of Mount St. Helens. The sights, sounds and "feel” of the forest — yes, the floor even feels spongy — set the stage for one of the most powerful volcanic blasts in North America. A highlight of the learning center is the “Eruption Chamber” where visitors experience the sights and sounds of the eruption through news footage and eye-witness accounts. The multi-media event surrounds visitors with the blast that forever changed the landscape of the Pacific Northwest. Learn about the massive destruction caused by the eruption and the amazing return of plants, fish and wildlife. Take a virtual helicopter tour to soar above Mount St. Helens and surrounding forests. Experience salvage, recovery and reforestation efforts through hands-on displays and interactive exhibits. The learning center sits on a bluff above the Toutle River with breathtaking views.
Address
17000 Spirit Lake Highway Highway 504 milepost 33 -Spirit Lake Hwy, Toutle, WA 98649
Mobile
Website
http://theforestreturns.com
Working hours
Monday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Current local date and time now
Thursday, May 09, 2024, 20:16
User Ratings
4.5 based on (94 reviews)
Reviews
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5Colin Archibald 5:00 PM Aug 24, 2020
Tons of Great Information
A wonderful and educational place to stop and see how they have managed the forest since the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. We were amazed at the great work that Weyerhaeuser has done reforesting areas that were wiped flat by the eruption.
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5TravelingMan446 5:00 PM Oct 22, 2008
Not-to-be-missed educational center
You've got to love a place that has FREE admission, is at a beautiful scenic location, has great educational displays and a friendly staff! It's difficult to categorize this place. It is not really a museum. It's an educational center that is specifically focused on the impact of Mt. St. Helens on the forestry industry. The displays are excellent and there is plenty to keep every age interested. The center is built just above the Toutle River which experienced incredible devastation from the mudflows which followed the Mt. St. Helens eruption. Plan to spend 1-2 hours here on your way up to the Johnston Observatory. The displays are very complementary to each other, with very little overlap of information between the two sites. One extremely fascinating display explained how the people living close to Mt. St. Helens didn't actually hear the explosion at all whereas people tens of miles away had their windows rattled by the boom. The latter part of the educational center explains all of the ways that the forest products from trees growing in the Pacific Northwest are used. That was pretty eye-opening too.
