Coldwater Lake, 43 miles east of Castle Rock, was created in 1980 when water backed up behind a dam caused by debris left behind by the Mt St Helens eruption. The recreation area here (restrooms, phone, boat launch) is the starting point of the 0.6-mile Birth of a Lake Trail, a paved interpretive hike that demonstrates the vegetation's regrowth in the area.
Coldwater Lake
Washington Cascades
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
13.24 MILES
Ape Cave is a 2-mile-long lava tube formed 2000 years ago by a lava flow that followed a deep watercourse. It's the longest lava tube in the western…
6.67 MILES
Windy Ridge Viewpoint is a highlight of the remote eastside entrance to Mt St Helens. Here visitors get a palpable, if eerie, sense of the destruction…
2.49 MILES
Situated at the end of Hwy 504 and looking directly into the mouth of the Mt St Helens crater, the observatory has exhibits that depict the geologic…
Mt St Helens Silver Lake Visitor Center
27.05 MILES
Situated 5 miles east of Castle Rock, this center is the best introduction to Mt St Helens National Volcanic Monument. There's a classic film and various…
Mt St Helens Forest Learning Center
6.69 MILES
Situated at Mile 33 on Hwy 504, the learning center is basically a showcase for the lumber industry (it was built by timber company Weyerhaeuser), though…
Nearby Washington Cascades attractions
2.49 MILES
Situated at the end of Hwy 504 and looking directly into the mouth of the Mt St Helens crater, the observatory has exhibits that depict the geologic…
6.67 MILES
Windy Ridge Viewpoint is a highlight of the remote eastside entrance to Mt St Helens. Here visitors get a palpable, if eerie, sense of the destruction…
3. Mt St Helens Forest Learning Center
6.69 MILES
Situated at Mile 33 on Hwy 504, the learning center is basically a showcase for the lumber industry (it was built by timber company Weyerhaeuser), though…
13.24 MILES
Ape Cave is a 2-mile-long lava tube formed 2000 years ago by a lava flow that followed a deep watercourse. It's the longest lava tube in the western…
5. Mt St Helens Silver Lake Visitor Center
27.05 MILES
Situated 5 miles east of Castle Rock, this center is the best introduction to Mt St Helens National Volcanic Monument. There's a classic film and various…