If you could go back in time and watch the Mt. St. Helens eruption, where would you go for a really good view? (Centralia: hotel)

[Gaylenwoof]

A place with a really good view of the mountain, but far enough to be safe.

I'd be especially interested in state parks/recreational areas with campgrounds, or perhaps an interesting hotel with a good view of the northern face of Mt. St. Helens. I'm thinking roughly 25 miles North, NW or West? For example, maybe Packwood State Park? Or Mt. Adams Recreational area? I don't know the area or the terrain, so I'd like to hear from people who live in the area or have spent time there.

[Diana Holbrook]

Of course, before it blew, we wouldn't have known for sure which direction and what distance would be safe. You could see the mountain from lots of places as far away as Centralia. Still can.

We watched several smaller eruptions of ash and steam before the big event. So had David Johnston. Of course he knew he was close to the mountain, but I doubt he thought he'd be wiped out without a trace.

[jacqueg]

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

Of course, before it blew, we wouldn't have known for sure which direction and what distance would be safe. You could see the mountain from lots of places as far away as Centralia. Still can.

We watched several smaller eruptions of ash and steam before the big event. So had David Johnston. Of course he knew he was close to the mountain, but I doubt he thought he'd be wiped out without a trace.

No one did. Even though volcanoes have been known to blow out laterally, everyone expected MSH to blow upwards. Johnston would probably be telling his story today if MSH had blown vertically. His observation site was chosen specifically to be close, but with a margin of safety. And I believe it WAS about 20 air miles from MSH.

Mt Adams does not have a face-on view of MSH's north side. Maybe Rainier would, I dunno, never been high enough on it myself to see.

[Gaylenwoof]

Originally Posted by jacqueg

Mt Adams does not have a face-on view of MSH's north side. Maybe Rainier would, I dunno, never been high enough on it myself to see.

I'm thinking that a side-view from the east - such as the the Mt. Adams area - might be more interesting (and safer) than a head-on view from the north. I'm wondering about Takhlakh Lake, for example.

For some reason I'm having trouble finding photos of MSH from the Mt. Adams area. I'm using various search phrases like "view of Mt. St. Helens from Takhlakh Lake" (for example), but I keep getting photos that I believe are Mt. Adam, rather than MSH. And, as far as I can tell, I can't get Google street views from the roads on that area. I really like to be able to identify a specific place (e.g., a particular scenic overlook or campground, or hiking trail, etc.) with an awesome view of MSH that is somewhere in the area of Mt. Adams, but not much closer that 20 miles (although, as long as I'm to the east, and not directly in the path of the explosion, I suppose I could get a bit closer. Maybe even 10 miles?)

Keep in mind this is a "time travel" type of question, so my time-traveler has the advantage of knowing exactly which way the mountain erupts, etc.