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Spirit Lake Memorial Highway Washington Tourism |
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It’s the newest alpine highway in the Northwest and one of the most spectacular. It’s also visitor center alley, with an overwhelming variety of places to stop and many viewpoints on the way.Spirit Lake Memorial Highway is the road to take for volcano sightseeing. The first rough wagon track to Spirit Lake was built in the first few years of the twentieth century. In the 1930’s, a paved road was established to the beautiful kidney-shaped body of water below Mount St. Helens. That all changed in a few seconds on May 18,1980. Mount St. Helens’ eruption obliterated the upper end of the highway and mud flows ruined miles of roadway lower down. But the state rebuilt the highway, which reopened in 1992, with “Memorial” added to the name. To avoid the unstable valley floor, the new highway cut high along hillsides offering sweeping views of the Toutle River. The U.S. Forest Service built visitor centers and recreation facilities. Weyerhaeuser Co. and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation teamed up on another center, and Cowlitz County built its own facility. As the crowds came, so has commercial development. The lower areas of the highway are getting more motels and restaurants. It’s a stunning drive through forest into the very heart of the devastated blast zone. Take a camera and binoculars and enjoy your trip. |
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