We will be leaving Cottage Grove, Or on Sunday June 8th driving to Mt Rainier for Mon, June 9th stay at Paradise Inn. We would like to overnight on the 8th along the way and see Mt St Helens too.

Should we overnight north of Portland and enter MSH from the west or head east from Portland and go to the east side of MSH? Scenic route and decent hotel recommendations are appreciated.

We have been to Portland and Columbia River Gorge before so they are not important.

We will continue on to SEATAC on the 10th. Any scenic routes?

Thanks

We went to MSH--Johnston Ridge 2-3 years ago..We turn off I-5 and went east--It seems like it took us over an hour. Now there is a viewpoint beyond Johnston Ridge
when we went the eastern approach--was not available.
Our round trip from I-5 was about 3-4 hrs.
It is well worth thw time..

dmtc, I think you will find it better to stay o/n in Portland and then take the 504 (Spirit Lake Memorial Highway) to MST as far as Johston Ridge (I wasn't aware you could go further?) and then backtrack and, perhaps, take highway 12 all the way to Paradise. You should check that this road is clear of snow first though. We were there 2 years ago, in mid June and it had only just opened (and there was plenty of snow still around). Otherwise, you will have to turn off at Morton and continue on highways 7 and 706.
All these roads are scenic routes - enjoy!

I would stay in Portland, Kelso or Longview for that night. Then in the morning just head up I-5 and get off at Castle Rock at exit #49. From there, head east and hit a few of the visitors centers. The best one is at the very end of the road, about 45-50 miles up, and is Johnston Ridge. You must see the short movie there! The east side of the mountain is great too, but for fist time visitors I think the west side is best with all the information at the visitors centers. You can still see much of the destruction.

If you are going to both Mt Rainier and Mt St Helens it would be best to take I5 to SR503/FSR90 to FSR25 and go north to FSR99. You then must go back to 25 and go north to US12 and east to Rainier. There is a small visitors center just across from Johnson's Ridge on the east side accessible via FSR99. If you go to Johnson's Ridge v 504 its a good 50 miles that you must backtrack to be on your way to Rainier. You may want to check the local road conditions prior to starting your trip.

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/

I would suggest overnighting in Portland or Vancouver, then taking the scenic route along the east side of St. Helens. While very scenic, some of these roads are very twisty, and if you do everything, it will be a long day. Here's a map:
http://www.seeyououtside.com/map_to_st_helens.jpg

From I-205, take Rte 500 to Rte 503, going through Brush Prairie, Battle Ground, and Amboy. Rte 503 becomes Forest Rd 90, and goes past Yale Lake to Swift Reservoir.

Just before Swift Reservoir, you could take a side trip on Forest Rd. 83 to Ape Cave, Lahar Viewpoint, and Lava Canyon. Ape Cave in particular, is an interesting lava tube that is easy and fun to explore. Bring a flashlight/lantern, or rent them at the little visitor center.

Continuing on Rd. 90, at the east end of Swift Reservoir, turn onto Forest Rd 25, which goes up the east side of St. Helens.

Take another side trip up Forest Rd 99, which traverses the blast zone and ends up at Windy Ridge, a good viewpoint. From there, you can walk up to the top of the ridge for better views. Just before Windy Ridge is the Harmony Viewpoint, where you can hike down to Spirit Lake.

Forest Rd 25 continues up the east side of St. Helens to the town of Randle. Turn east onto Rte 12, passing through Packwood, then turn onto Rte 123 north, which enters the southeast corner of Mt. Rainier.

After Ohanepecosh, turn onto the Stevens Canyon Road, which leads up to Paradise. Check road conditions, as this road is scheduled to open only a week before you arrive, and it has been a very snowy winter. If not, then you will have to detour westward on Rte 12 to Rte 7 north to Rte 706 in order to enter the southwest side of Rainier.

There are lots of great viewpoints along the Stevens Canyon Rd. One place that is commonly bypassed is Box Canyon, a short walk to a bridge over a very deep and narrow gorge.

Of course, you could go up the west side of St. Helens instead, but (IMO) the drive will be less scenic. To be sure, the view of the St. Helens crater from Johnston Ridge is better than the view from Windy Ridge, but you won't get to visit the cave or drive through the blast zone.

Looks like you're covered for the St. Helens visit....

For the drive from Cottage Grove, my first thought is to head to the coast on hwy 126 from Eugene. The stretch of coastline between Florence and Newport is arguably the most scenic in Oregon. Be a shame to miss it if you have the opportunity and haven't seen it before.

Another thought would be to head east on hwy 126 along the McKenzie River, then north to its junction with hwy 22, and west again past Detroit Lake along the Santiam back to I-5 at Salem. Besides numerous places where you'll want to get out of the car just for a look, stops could include Bellknap Springs and the covered bridge nearby, and Silver Falls St. Park: http://www.silverfallspark.org/.

A third option would be a drive through Oregon's wine country.