Silver Lake

Silver Lake and Mount St. Helens
USGS Photo by Lyn Topinka, September 15, 1980

Silver Lake is shallow (maximum depth about 16 feet or 5 meters) and was formed and is partially underlain by lahar deposits. About 2,500 years ago during the Pine Creek eruptive period, a series of very large lahars traveled down the Toutle River from Mount St. Helens. The lahars flowed into Outlet Creek (east of the lake) and dammed its valley to produce Silver Lake. These lahars were generated by the catastrophic draining of a lake (presumably an older Spirit Lake) or lakes that had been dammed by debris avalanches from Mount St. Helens. The level of Silver Lake is now controlled by a dam.

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.

Silver Lake Visitor Center

The Mount St. Helens Visitor Center is the western gateway to the National Volcanic Monument. Located five miles east of Castle Rock on the shores of Silver Lake, this center offers you an excellent introduction to the events of the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Services include award-winning theater presentations, walk-through interpretive exhibits, a staffed information desk and a Northwest Interpretive Association book sales area. A nature trail and magnificent views of the Silver Lake wetlands provide the curious visitor year-round opportunities to observe waterfowl, wildlife, and native vegetation. Across the highway from the Visitor Center is Seaquest State Park which offers picnic, camping, and recreational facilities.

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