Hoffstadt Bluffs Mount St. Helens Helicopter Tours

A once in a lifetime opportunity awaits you at Hoffstadt Bluffs. See Spirit Lake and the crater of Mount St. Helens by air! Through our great partnership with Hillsboro Aviation, we are able to offer this great attraction that will complete your adventure to Mount St. Helens! Several trip options are available to you and tickets are sold right in our gift shop. Crater Tour: 20-24 minutes With the mountain in sight from our paved helipad, the helicopter departs with an incredible descent into the Toutle River Valley which is buried by more than 150 feet of debris from the eruption. Following the mudflow from the eruption, the tour passes the elk-viewing area, Elk Rock, Castle Lake and Coldwater Lake and takes you over Hummocks Fields to the moonlike plains of pyroclastic ash at the foothills of Mount St. Helens straight into the active steaming crater. Mount Rainier and Mount Adams, two other volcanoes forming the “Ring of Fire,” are the backdrop, on clear days, for a spectacular panoramic view over Spirit Lake and the devastated area that reveals all the destructive power of this mountain. Devastated Area Tour: 20-24 minutes With the mountain in clear view from the paved helipad, the helicopter takes off with a spectacular descent into the Toutle River Valley which is blanketed by more than 150 feet of debris from the eruption. Following the mudflow from the eruption, the tour passes Elk Rock, Castle Lake and Coldwater Lake and then the flight takes you over Hummocks Fields to the famous “Ghost Forest”. Blown-down trees are lined up as if the eruption happened yesterday. We pass by the north side of the Johnston Ridge Observatory and Mount St. Helens is the spectacular backdrop for this surreal scenery. After flying over Spirit Lake, which is half covered with floating logs from the surrounding hills, the tour takes you over the moonlike plains of pyroclastic ash at the foothills of Mount St. Helens back into the Toutle River Valley passing by the elk-viewing area back to the helipad. Devastated Area & Crater Tour: 28-32 minutes This tour combines the experiences and spectacular views from the Crater and Devastated Area Tours. This is the most comprehensive exposure to the devastation and nature’s recovery in this area. This flight offers ample time and multiple different perspectives and backgrounds ideal for taking pictures or video of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Summit, Crater & Devastated Area Tour: 38-42 minutes Over the top! This tour takes you to the summit of Mount St. Helens. You look down at the lava dome from the crater’s rim. The 360-degree view from the summit through the crater to Spirit Lake to the neighboring volcanoes, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams and Mount Hood, over the devastated area and beyond cannot be adequately described – it is simply breathtaking! The flight follows the route of the Devastated Area Tour before initiating the climb to the summit over Spirit Lake. After exploring the summit, the flight descends into the actual crater to examine the lava dome up close and returns on the same route as the Crater Tour. Valley & Sediment Dam Tour: 12-14 minutes This tour is offered when Mount St. Helens is obscured with clouds as a fun and affordable helicopter ride that allows passengers to look for wildlife and experience the devastation of the mudflow in the Toutle River Valley.