Checklist

Things to Learn About Washington Before You Die (or Leave)

Our bucket list of museums, historic sites, and oddities.

08/13/2025 By Allison Williams

Detours

How to Actually Visit Our National Parks This Year

Primary access points and visitor centers are closed. Here's where to go instead.

05/15/2025 By Allison Williams

Destination Gude

Mount St. Helens: The Big Boom

Welcome to nature at its most dynamic.

09/16/2024

The worst luck

How to Visit Mount St. Helens While the Visitor Center Is Closed

The volcano's observatory is off-limits thanks to—what else—a natural disaster.

05/17/2024 By Allison Williams

Guide to Mount St. Helens

Washington's Next Volcanic Eruption

When? Where? Are we ready?

05/06/2020 By Allison Williams

Guide to Mount St. Helens

Mount St. Helens Wildlife: Don’t Call It a Comeback

Flora and fauna have more than returned to the destruction zone—they're thriving.

05/06/2020 By Allison Williams

Guide to Mount St. Helens

Art St. Helens: Creations Inspired by a Volcano's Destruction

Forty years on, the eruption still fuels evocative work. Plus: What's up with ash glass?

05/06/2020 By Allison Williams

Guide to Mount St. Helens

Mount St. Helens is Not a National Park

The volcano’s unique status makes upkeep complicated.

05/06/2020 By Allison Williams

Guide to Mount St. Helens

Visiting the East Side of Mount St. Helens: Otherworldly Escape

Intrepid explorers head to a quiet region to score views of a hidden landscape, plus a chance to view remnants of the eruption.

05/06/2020 By Allison Williams

Guide to Mount St. Helens

Visiting the South Side of Mount St. Helens: On Top of Old Smokey

Take a walk on the adventure side of the volcano. Keen athletes can spelunk underground, ski gentle slopes, or climb to the crater rim.

05/06/2020 By Allison Williams

Guide to Mount St. Helens

Visiting the North Side of Mount St. Helens: Crater Crash Course

A road trip down a stunning highway leads to a well-appointed visitor center and easy hikes. Never been to the famous mountain? Start here.

05/06/2020 By Allison Williams

Guide to Mount St. Helens

A Timeline of Mount St. Helens

An explosive history of a volcano that’s over the hill.

05/06/2020 By Allison Williams

Guide to Mount St. Helens

Bill Nye, the Volcano Guy

Don’t underestimate the bow tie.

05/06/2020 By Allison Williams

Guide to Mount St. Helens

Journey Into the Crater of Mount St. Helens

A visit to the inner sanctum of a fitful volcano, as Bill Nye the Science Guy tags along.

05/06/2020 By Allison Williams

Get Out of Town

Northwest Travel Destinations, Spring 2016

Where, why, and how to take a spring vacation.

02/29/2016 By Allison Williams

Mountain Adventures

Washington's 6 Signature Mountains Are Waiting

Where to find them, how to climb them. This is how you reach the top of the world.

06/08/2015 By Allison Williams Illustrations by Eric Larsen

The Explainer

Mount St. Helens, 35 Years Later

Mount Saint Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. This month, as we mark the 35th anniversary of the blast, let’s revisit what happened and remember those lost.

04/28/2015 By James Ross Gardner