Where to stay near Mt. St. Helens?
 

I'm finalizing our itinerary for a 13-night trip in Oregon and Washington in mid-July...traveling with our 10-year-old daughter...we are seeing Mt. St. Helens the day before we fly home to Iowa and would like to stay somewhere near Mt. St. Helens the previous night so we can maximize our time there. Prior to Mt. St. Helens, we are spending 2 nights in a Port Townsend B&B. I have looked on Tripadvisor at length for something close to Mt. St. Helens but can't seem to find anything other than older, musty, thin-walled hotels; or, the Eco Park, which sounds kind of interesting but I'm not sure I want to pay $100+ a night for a cabin without a bathroom in the room, only a full-size bed, and no restaurant during the week! Thank you for any ideas....

Unfortunately, what you found pretty much sums up the area around there. Centralia, Kelso and Longview all have more options and would be fairly convenient.

Last year, after visiting Mt. Rainier, we stayed one night at Seasons Motel in Morton so, the next day, we could visit Mt. Saint Helens from the east side. It is a standard motel managed by a very pleasant couple.

If you stay there, don't eat at the Mexican restaurant which looks like it must be the best place in town but which isn't up to snuff.