Volcano closes Mt. St. Helens hiking

The U.S. Forest Service closed several hiking trails on the north and east face, prohibited overnight camping in the Mt. Margaret backcountry and canceled climbing permits last week in anticipation of a major eruption at Mt. St. Helens.

The 8,363-foot St. Helens, a relatively easy volcano climb in Washington state’s Cascades, attracts 13,000 peak-baggers annually on foot, snowshoes, skis and snowboards. But authorities prohibited climbers from going beyond 4,800 feet.

On Friday, the Forest Service also closed the last six miles of its road leading to the Windy Ridge viewpoint and to trailheads to the Spirit Lake area northeast of the summit -- the region devastated when Mt. St. Helens ruptured in 1980, killing 57 people.

On Saturday, as seismic rumblings intensified, authorities closed the popular Johnston Ridge Observatory and the last nine miles of Washington Highway 504, the main access to Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument from Interstate 5.

Forest Service officials say the areas will remain closed until seismic activity decreases. Trails remain open in other areas.

-- John C. Ryan