Washington Cascades - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 354

well-trodden 'southside' via the town of Cougar from Rte 503 to Forest Rd 83 and
the remote 'eastside' from Forest Rd 99 off of Forest Rd 25. Note that while the
southside and eastside entrances link up (but only in summer months when the
passes are open), the westside entrance ends shortly after the Johnston Ridge Ob-
servatory, so it's impossible to drive a loop around the mountain. There is also no
public transportation to Mt St Helens unless you take an organised tour.
Sleeping & Eating
Good chow can be found at Fire Mountain Grill in the Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center
and the Backwoods Café at the Eco Park Resort.
Eco Park Resort CAMPGROUND, CABIN$
( 360-274-6542; www.ecoparkresort.com ; 14000 Spirit Lake Hwy; campsites $20, yurts $75, cab-
ins $100-110) The closest full-service accommodations to the blast zone offers campsites
and RV hookups, basic cabins and rather incongruous Genghis Khan-style yurts. Shared
bathrooms are known as 'wilderness comfort stations.' Owned by the family whose Spir-
it Lake Lodge was swept away by the 1980 eruption, the resort also features the Back-
woods Café, which serves anything as long as it's beef.
Seaquest State Park CAMPGROUND$
( 206-274-8633; Hwy 504; tent/RV sites $23/32; year-round) Directly across from the
entrance to the Mt St Helens Silver Lake Visitors Center, Seaquest has 90 wooded camp-
sites, including a separate hiker/cyclist camp area, with flush toilets and showers.
Blue Heron Inn INN$$$
( 360-274-9595; www.blueheroninn.com ; Hwy 504; d/ste $169/235; ) A welcome B&B in
an accommodation-lite area, the Blue Heron offers seven rooms, including a Jacuzzi
suite, in a large house almost opposite the Silver Lake Visitor Center on Hwy 504.
Rooms are clean if unspectacular, but the views of Silver Lake and Mt St Helens -
weather permitting - are spellbinding.
Southside Entrance
Sights