Seeing Mt. St. Helens (Seattle, Rainier: area, restrictions, flooding)

[gnab gib]

We're planning on seeing Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier on our drive from Portland to Seattle. I'm thinking of driving up the east side of MSH, since that looks like a more direct shot on up to Rainier.

So my questions are:

What are the views of MSH like from the east side? I've seen some pix on Google Maps, and it looks like all you see is forest, no mountain.

Also, what are the roads like on the east side? I'm thinking of taking NF-90 to NF-25 up to US-12. I know there was some bad flooding out there recently ... are these roads passable?

Given our time restrictions, we probably won't take any side roads in closer to the mountain.

Thanks!

[cdelena]

Originally Posted by YoAdrian

We're planning on seeing Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier on our drive from Portland to Seattle. I'm thinking of driving up the east side of MSH, since that looks like a more direct shot on up to Rainier.

So my questions are:

What are the views of MSH like from the east side? I've seen some pix on Google Maps, and it looks like all you see is forest, no mountain.

Also, what are the roads like on the east side? I'm thinking of taking NF-90 to NF-25 up to US-12. I know there was some bad flooding out there recently ... are these roads passable?

Given our time restrictions, we probably won't take any side roads in closer to the mountain.

Thanks!

The roads were fine last time I was up that way. Without taking a side trip you won't see all that much of the mountain, but I think the east side is a more enjoyable drive (a slower pace). You will see more forest area and less civilization.