I was saddened to hear that the Coldwater Ridge Visitors Center is closing on Mt. St. Helens, due to lack of federal funding.

http://www.katu.com/news/local/10718831.html

This was a most informative visitor's center, focusing on the recovery of plants and animals from the eruption. Our kids loved the displays and so did we!

The trio of federal visitors centers at Mt. St. Helens were masterpieces, well planned and well-executed. They were state of the art. We took many visitors, young and old, American and foreign, to Mt. St. Helens and they were always amazed with the mountain and impressed by the visitors centers. They were very special.

In the article, I learned the State of Washington has taken over the lowermost Visitors Center at Silver Lake. This center tells the human story of the eruption, with fasinating slide shows, plus compares Mt. St. Helens with other volcanoes.

Coldwater Ridge was the central visitors center and was about the rebirth. The uppermost, Johnston Ridge, is on the geology.

The three visitors centers complemented each other. These were demonstrations of government at its best. We were so proud of to share them with our guests.

Mt. St. Helens is designated as a National Monument. How shortsighted of our government to throw away this investment in our education, our future, our pride. Blowing it off like this is a national disgrace.

That really is sad. When we did a trip to Pacific Northwest with our kids, middle and high school age at the time we spent far longer than we had planned at that visitors center. Something about the center makes you almost feel the actual eruption and sense the natural renewal going on.

Don't get me started on governmental spending priorities or I will be banned from Fodors forever because of inappropriate language.

We always liked the East side, it took a much longer drive to get there. Less people. Back in the late 80's hiked down to Spirit Lake. That was an adventure, little vegetation had grown back at that time however the flowers were on the comeback. We were there two summers ago and it was amazing how nature heals its wounds.

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Jpg/M...-13-06_med.jpg

I agree. We have visited it, along with all the other centers, many times and it was always a learning experience.

How very disappointing, and disturbing! Truly one of the nicest visitor centers we've seen.

We explored mt. st. helens on our first trip to the PNW. I vividly recall sitting on the center's terrace/patio while our kids explained to us what had happened there; one of their best educational experiences that summer.

Makes you wonder what will be closed next!?

This closing is an absolute shame. Our family has travelled the US National Parks/Monuments extensively in the past three years. Coldwater Ridge Visitors Center is a standout among visitors centers. Our boys were 11 & 12 when we visited. They were so entrhalled that we had to "drag" them out of there.

I think that it did not make a lot of sense to operate two centers so close to each other (Coldwater Ridge and Johnston Ridge are 9 miles from each other). Personally, I was not impressed with the displays at Coldwater Ridge, particularly the scary robotic ranger girl (well, she wasn't really a robot, just a mannequin with a blank face - and a video projected onto the face). I preferred the interpretive displays at Johnston Ridge Observatory, and think that the view of the crater from there is superior as well.

I'm with RedRock - I too prefer the east side. The drive up through the blast zone is still impressive even after all these years; and the view from Windy Ridge is great (although you can't see directly into the crater). If you want to take some walks, this is the best area too. You can make the short climb to the top of Windy Ridge, or you can descend from the nearby Harmony Overlook, down to Spirit Lake.