Situated just inside Mount St Helens’ blast zone, the Forest Learning Center and is found alongside the wondrous Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. It was built by the Weyerhaeuser Company with the intention of keeping the story of the forest’s destruction by the 1980 eruption, and its subsequent rebirth, alive. It offers a highly immersive walk-through experience, where visitors can get a real feel for the events that panned out that day. The first room features the moments immediately prior to the eruption, and the second then shows the ravaged landscape that was left in the aftermath. A real-life account from a local news reporter brings the entire experience to life. Meanwhile, the second half of the experience shows how the forest recovered, with life sized models and exceptional photography depicting the scale of the recovery project.

17000 Spirit Lake Hwy, Toutle, WA 98649, Phone: 360-414-3439

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