Day Trips: Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens

The curious shape of Mt. St. Helens, one of 160 active volcanoes in the Cascade Range, is the result of the mountain's 1980 eruption that lowered its elevation by approximately 1,300 feet. Visitors are welcome to the 110,000-acre Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, with its paved highways, visitor centers, nature walks and jaw-dropping views into the mouth of the crater. There is even a permit system under which hikers can climb the back (south) side and peer into the crater.