Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center

Aerial view of Coldwater Lake. Looking north across North Fork Toutle Valley debris avalanche hummocks. The Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center overlooks the lake from the ridge to the left.
USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, January 13, 1984

Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center invites visitors to discover the fascinating ways that plants and animals have reappeared throughout the blast zone. Visitors to Coldwater enjoy panoramic view of the volcano, the newly formed lakes, and the debris-filled Toutle River Valley. The interactive exhibits, the paved, 0.25 mile Winds of Change Interpretive Trail, and live interpretive programs offer insights into the many ways life emerged from the ashes of the 1980 eruption. Coldwater's restaurant includes a selection of sandwiches, soups, salads, and drinks, as well as an expresso coffee bar. The gift shop offers Mount St. Helens T-shirts and gifts, many crafted by Northwest artists. In the central hallway, the Northwest Interpretive Association's bookstore offers a variety of books, cards, and posters of Mount St. Helens and the Pacific Northwest. With over one million visitors coming to Coldwater Ridge each year, it's important to remember to stay on the trails and to help keep the area litter free. Thank you for your cooperation!

-- Excerpts from: U. S. Forest Service, Volcano Review: A Visitor's Guide to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument: Summer/Fall 1995

Coldwater Lake

The Coldwater Lake area is one of the best places to get views of the hummocky 1980 debris-avalanche deposit. The spectacular valley that extends to the north was carved by Pleistocene valley glaciers originating in the granitic highlands to the north.

-- Excerpt from: Pringle, 1993, Roadside Geology of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and Vicinity: Washington Department of Natural Resources Division of Geology and Earth Resources Information Circular 88, p.42.