Mount St Helens Volcanic Monument
The Mount St Helens Volcanic Monument is a vast, gray landscape where once the forested slopes of Mount St. Helens grew. In 1982, the President and Congress created the 110,000-acre National Volcanic Monument for research, recreation, and education. Inside the Monument, the environment is left to respond naturally to the disturbance.
Open Water Swimming
The Mount St Helens Volcanic Monument is near the Mount St Helens Classic, a 4-day 4-lake 58 km stage swim held in Mayfield Lake, Riffe Lake, Lake Merwin, and Yale Lake. The 12.5-mile course in Riffe Lake and the 6.2-mile course in Mayfield Lake are north of Mt. St Helens on the Cowlitz River. The 7.4-mile course in Yale Lake and the 10-mile course in Lake Merwin are south of Mt. St Helens on the Lewis River.
