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Castle Rock, "Gateway to Mount St. Helens", is on the Cowlitz River directly off Interstate 5 at Exit 49. In addition to restaurants, motels, stores and gift shops. Other cultural activities include the Castle Rock Exhibit Hall displaying carvings, photographs and exhibits relating to the Mountain. Tours of Mount St. Helens are available. For visitors interested in watching competition sports, motorcycle racing takes place on weekends during the months of May to September At Exit 39 is the city of Kelso. Established by a native of Kelso, Scotland in 1847, the city of Kelso was incorporated in 1889 and became the Cowlitz County seat in 1923. The Mount St. Helens Volcano and Information Center, located at the Kelso Chamber of Commerce, provides visitors with many displays and exhibits of the mountain for their enjoyment. Kelso offers shopping, lodging and dining, plus the Three Rivers Golf Course, the only 18 holegolf course constructed on volcanic ash from Mount St. Helens. Cultural offerings include the Cowlitz County Historical Museum displays photographs, artifacts and exhibits, visually depicting the development of Cowlitz County. In September, Kelso celebrates its Scottish heritage with the annual Highlander Festival. The Kelso airport supports small private aircraft while the Kelso train depot is a point of arrival and departure for Amtrak passengers.
Over the Cowlitz River and directly adjacent to Kelso is the city of Longview, the largest city in the Lower Columbia River Region. Resting on the northern bank of the mighty Columbia River, Longview was founded on the 1805 encampment site of the Lewis & Clark Western Expedition. Incorporated in 1924, Longview was named for R. A. Long, a lumberman who dreamed and built this first "Planned City" in the western United States. Longview also offers a variety of shopping, lodging and dining options. Recreational activities include an 18 hole golf course, tennis courts, baseball fields, sturgeon fishing and year around boating. Cultural items of interest include the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts, registered historical buildings, art exhibits, lecture series, summer community concerts, as well as an annual County Fair hosting the Thunder Mountain Pro Rodeo.
Kalama can bereached from Exit 32. Began in 1853, Kalama is a quaint little town overlooking the Columbia River and offers a plethora of unique and antique shops. Kalama offers Native American folklore and displays, including one of the tallest single tree totem pole in the world, carved by the late Chief Don Lelooska of Ariel, Washington. The boat ramp and 222 slip Kalama marina makes for easy access to the waters of the Columbia River. Whether looking for antiques and collectibles, fly fishing the nearby Kalama River, or watching the ships navigate the Columbia River from the waterfront park, visitors always find the friendly atmosphere of Kalama enchanting.
| Woodland is located off Interstate 5 at Exit 21 and is the "Gateway to the Lewis River Valley" --- an area noted for some of the finest fishing and hunting in the state. Woodland is the home of the famous Hulda Klager Lilac Garden and the celebration of Lilac Week, during the last week of April - first week of May, allows public access to the Klager Museum. The Woodland Tourist Information Center prepares visitors for another perspective on the mountain as Woodland is also the southern access point to Mount St. Helens along the Lewis River Highway (SR-503). Sights along the eastward trek of the Lewis River Highway include the 1876 Grist Mill historic site on the south side of the Lewis River and the 18 hole Lewis River Golf course bordered by the north fork of the Lewis River. | | | | Three smaller communities rest along the Lewis River Highway on the journey from Woodland towards the Mountain. Ariel, "Home of Cooper Capers", where the annual Thanksgiving weekend brings people from all over the world --- the search is still on for the $200,000 D. B. Cooper jumped with from the Boeing 727. And the Lelooska Gallery featuring traditional and contemporary Indian and Western Art, Artifacts and Jewelry. The Lelooska Foundation Museum & Gallery, can be reached at 165 Merwin Village Rd, Ariel, 98674, (360) 231-4454, call ahead. The Lelooska Foundation also presents "Masks, Myths and Magic from the Northwest Coast Indian Culture" during the year. Yale has several Mount St. Helens view locations and is the starting point for exploring Ape Cave. Camping, trailer sites and motels are available. Yale and Cougar are also known as places where the search for Big Foot centers. Cougaris home to the Cougar Store and the Bronze Cougar created by R.W. Bane. Cougar is the community closest to both Mount St. Helens and the Cedar Flats Research Natural Area - a short loop trail through old-growth Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar. |
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