Mount St Helens - Windy Ridge Area

The east side of Mount St. Helens is usually open by the first weekend in July. More effort is required to drive to this side but it offers the best glimpse at how beautiful the forests and mountains were before the blast. Forest Road 99 goes up to Windy Ridge, Spirit Lake and many viewpoints along the way. There are some long trekking trails or some short tourist trails to choose from. The easiest is a short paved interpretive trail to Meta Lake. The famous Miners Car is on this road. There is no large interpretive center like Johnson Ridge at the end, just a large parking area and a staircase to an exceptionally good viewpoint on Windy Ridge.