Johnston Ridge/ Mount St. Helens Drive
Come along for a drive through the colorful forests and farmlands of southwest Washington, then up through the foothills to Johnston Ridge and a close up look into the heart of Mount St. Helens.
Our plan is to have a picnic lunch at our 3rd stop in Toledo so we can make a continuous run up to the top and make stops at some of the viewpoints if space allows.
We will begin our trip in the West Olympia Safeway where we have gas, food, coffee and restrooms.After a short drivers meeting at approx. 8:45 am, we will head out of the parking lot west on Harrison Ave , then start heading south, skirting Capitol forest down to Hwy. 12.
After a brief rest stop at the local Shell station on Hwy 12, we will continue south to the town of Adna for a brief rest stop at the park.
We will then keep heading south going through the bustling communities of Vader and Toledo.
We will then make our 3rd stop at South County Park in Toledo where we will also enjoy a lunch break before we make the final leg of the trip up to the mountain.
After lunch we will head east on Hwy 505 and connect with the Spirit Lake Hwy. (Hwy 504)
We will try to take advantage of as many of the viewpoints for photo ops as we can on the way up if traffic allows, some are smaller so we may not be able to fit a large group into them.
At the top you can enjoy the Johnston Ridge Observatory, there is a fee of $8.00 a person to enter the observatory or free entry if you have an interagency pass or you can simply stroll around outside for free and enjoy the views from the trails. We should be at the top around 2:00 pm so that you will have plenty of time to explore as you wish.
If you are interested in the interagency annual pass you can find the information on the national park site or the US forest service site. Passes cost $80 and are good for one year from the month of purchase.
There are numerous hotels/motels in the Castle Rock/Kelso area and in Chehalis/Centrailia area if you would like to make it a weekend event and explore this area further.
So bring your camera, pack a lunch, bring a friend, bring your wife, or pick up a stranger and come join us for some fun Miata roads and a very awesome, educational place to view the mountain!!