3029 Spirit Lake Highway (Highway 504 Milepost 5)
Mount St. Helens - Castle Rock, WA , 98611-8706

Phone: (360) 274-0962

Website

The Mount St. Helens Visitor Center at Silver Lake, located within Washington State Seaquest Park, incorporated into the state park system in October 2000. A pedestrian tunnel connects lush, forested Seaquest State Park with its more well-known neighbor across the road, the Silver Lake Mount St. Helens Visitor Center. Functioning as a gateway to the mountain over 30 miles away, the Visitor Centers goal is to educate visitors on the historical significance of the landscape before and during the eruption and also focus on the resulting impact on nearby ecosystems. The Visitor Center and walking trail vantage points offer a view of the Western slope of the mountain. This unique building features expansive windows providing a glimpse of towering second-growth forest all around. A high archway and elaborately carved wooden columns contribute to the feeling of magnificence. Inside, visitors can enjoy a variety of interpretive displays that include comprehensive information on local history, geology, and re-growth and recovery of the land in the years immediately after the eruption. From I-5 take Exit 49 to Highway 504 (Spirit Lake Memorial Highway) and continue east to Milepost 5.

Hours of operation: April through October Monday through Sunday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. November through March Wednesday through Sunday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Closed in observance of the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and the Friday after (Family Day) and Christmas.
Admission: You do not have to pay admission to access the machine. Family (two adults plus accompanying children) $15, Adult (18 years and older) $5, Children (7 years to 17 years) $2.50, 6 years and younger free. Tour groups $200 per bus.
Plenty of free parking.

There are now four penny machines located in the Mount St. Helens area.
One at Silver Lake, one at Forest Learning Center, and two at Johnston Ridge.
Due to a landslide in May 2023, the Johnston Ridge Observatory is closed until road repairs are completed in 2027 and the machines have been moved.
The two machines at Johnston Ridge are the only ones that required an admission fee to access.

If you want to mail in for pennies the mailing address is: 3029 Spirit Lake Hwy (Hwy 504 Mile Post 5) Castle Rock, WA , 98611-8706.

Machine 3 is inside the front doors to the left. Cost to press: 51¢ each design. Designs all have a beaded border:
1) (H) Standing Elk with 'SeaQuest State Park Washington'.
2) (V) Spirit Lake in front of Mount St. Helens venting steam with 'Mount St. Helens Visitor Center'.
3) (H) Spirit Lake in front of Mount St. Helens venting steam with 'Mount St. Helens Washington'.
4) (H) Hiker overlooking Mount St. Helens with 'Hike Mount St. Helens'

Token 1 in gift shop:
Front: Sasquatch walking in the forest with 'Sasquatch I Believe'.
Back: Sasquatch footprint in front of the moon and a tree with 'Bigfoot I Believe'.

Token 2 in gift shop in gold and silver colors:
Front: Spirit Lake in front of Mount St. Helens pre-eruption with 'Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument'.
Back: Spirit Lake in front of Mount St. Helens post-eruption venting steam with 'Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument'.

Retired/ Moved machines:

Moved 1: 1) 'Mount St. Helens National Monument', Volcano, 2) 'Mount St. Helens Washington', image of state, 3) 'Mount St. Helens Washington', image of the Volcano, 4) Mount St. Helens NVM', image of the volcano.
Retired 2: 1) (H) Standing Elk with 'SeaQuest State Park Washington', 2) (V) Spirit Lake in front of Mount St. Helens venting steam with 'Mount St. Helens Visitor Center', 3) (H) Spirit Lake in front of Mount St. Helens venting steam with 'Mount St. Helens Washington'.

G.P.S. coordinates: Latitude: 46°17'50.7"N Longitude: 122°16'00.0"W
Google Maps coordinates: 75VH+Q4 Silver Lake, Washington

9/08/18: New Scan added. GSY

Moved 1 went to to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Science and Learning Center Coldwater Lake 37.8 miles further up Highway 50.

March 15, 2026. A new four design machine has been added that utilizes 3 of the dies from the old machine. The penny machine is rolling excellent images on 95% copper pre-1982 pennies. MWHTH