Live cameras in Mount St. Helens, United States

Mount St. Helens rises in Skamania County in southwest Washington, about 52 miles northeast of Portland and close to 100 miles south of Seattle. It is the most active volcano in the Cascade Range in modern times. On the morning of May 18, 1980, an earthquake set off the collapse of its bulging north face, the largest landslide in recorded history, and a sideways blast and eruption followed. Fifty-seven people died, forests were flattened across a wide fan to the north, and the summit lost about 1,300 feet. A new lava dome grew inside the open crater from 2004 to 2008. Since 1982 the area has been protected as the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

The cameras on this page belong to the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) and partners, shown through the USGS AshCam system. One classic view looks south from Johnston Ridge straight into the crater; others watch the mountain from different sides. CVO uses them for situational awareness: spotting steam or ash plumes, rockfall dust and changes on the dome, along with seismometers and GPS. USGS volcanoes carry an alert level (Normal, Advisory, Watch, Warning) and an aviation color code (Green to Red). As of early October 2026, Mount St. Helens was at Normal/Green.

Visitors should know that Johnston Ridge Observatory has been closed since a May 2023 landslide took out a stretch of State Route 504. Washington State DOT began building a permanent bridge in 2026, and the observatory is not expected to reopen before 2027.

When to look

The mountain keeps Pacific Time (UTC-8, UTC-7 in summer). July to September brings the clearest days; from late fall through spring, rain and low cloud often hide the crater for days, and snow can coat the lens. Early morning light on the north side shows the crater and dome in sharp relief.

Mount Rainier, about 50 miles to the northeast, has its own page on our map with more CVO cameras.

Sources: Mount St. Helens - Wikipedia · Cascades Volcano Observatory webcams (USGS) · Rebuilding SR 504 and reconnecting visitors to Mount St. Helens (WSDOT) · USGS AshCam.