View the steaming volcano just miles from the crater, witness how the ecosystem is recovering from its powerful eruption, and walk through the park with a naturalist guide to learn about how volcanoes are monitored and how events transpired on that fateful day in 1980.
On this tour, visit both the forested south slopes of the volcano and the barren landscapes of the blast zone. While driving along Spirit Lake Highway, guests are welcome to stop to spelunk in the cool darkness of Ape Cave, and may take a peaceful walk along the Hummocks Trail or pause to reflect alongside the blue waters of Coldwater Lake. After enjoying a picnic lunch, the tour will arrive at the Johnston Ridge Observatory to embark on an interpretive walk along the Eruption Trail. The trail offers sweeping views into the crater, and teems with purple lupine and other wildflowers in the mid-to-late summer. Throughout the day guests will hear incredible stories of survival and science, and experience the unrelenting resilience of nature exemplified by this rebounding ecosystem.
Duration: 12 hours