South Coldwater Slide Information

On Sunday evening, May 14, 2023, around 9 p.m. a saturated deposit of material from the 1980 volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens gave rise to a gravity-driven debris flow that released thousands of tons of debris into South Coldwater Creek.

The debris flow, referred to as the South Coldwater Slide, caused significant damage to the upper portion of State Route (SR) 504 near milepost 49 leading up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory north of Mount St. Helens. The event followed a recent warming trend and significant snowmelt that had saturated the ground. The debris flow washed out the Spirit Lake Outlet Bridge, an 85-foot structure, damaged the roadway, and severed power to Johnston Ridge Observatory. See news updates.

Recreation Information

Closures

Road Closures: Upper State Route 504/Spirit Lake Memorial Highway is closed between mileposts (MP) 45.2 and 51 until further notice.

*Johnston Ridge Observatory will remain closed in 2023.

A South Coldwater Creek Closure has been put in place in the vicinity of the slide to protect the public and allow contractors to clean up material from the debris flow and repair the road and other damaged infrastructure.

The area closure will not impact any trail access in the area and is described as the area bounded from the point of beginning at the South Coldwater Trailhead, northeast along the South Coldwater Trail #230A to the junction with the Coldwater Trail #230, then south/southeast on the Coldwater Trail #230 from the junction with the South Coldwater Trail #230 to the junction with the Boundary Trail #1, then south on the Boundary Trail #1 to the junction the Truman Trail #207, continuing west on the Boundary Trail #1 to the Hummocks Trailhead on State Route 504, then east on State Route 504 to the South Coldwater Trailhead and point of beginning.

What's Open?

Several visitor centers, trails, and viewpoints remain open to visitors on State Route 504 including: Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake, the Forest Learning Center, Elk Rock & Castle Rock Viewpoints, Science & Learning Center at Coldwater, Coldwater Lake Recreation Area, Hummocks Trail, and the South Coldwater Trailhead.

Visitor Services

Visitor Information:

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument Headquarters
42218 N.E. Yale Bridge Rd.
Amboy, WA 98601
(360) 449-7800

Visitor Centers Currently Open:

Mount St. Helens Science and Learning Center at Coldwater
Interpretive information, maps, books, passes & more.
Along State Route 504 near milepost 43.
(360) 274-2131

Forest Learning Center (Weyerhaeuser. Open May 18-Oct 1, 2023)\
*Amenities and exhibits that tell the story of Mount St. Helens.
17000 Spirit Lake Hwy, Toutle, WA 98649

Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake (WA State Parks. Open year-round; hours vary by season.)
*Interpretive displays include info. on local history, geology, and re-growth/recovery of the land post eruption.
3029 Spirit Lake Highway
Castle Rock, WA 98611
(360) 274-0962