Spoiler Alert ...

This is the view of from the Johnston Ridge Observatory revealed as the drapes open at the conclusion of the visitor center film.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory (JRO) is located at the terminus of the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway, on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Southwest Washington State. This vantage point brings visitors within five miles of the north side of the volcano and offers spectacular views of the still-steaming lava dome, crater, pumice plain and landslide deposit. JRO is located on Johnston Ridge which was named in honor of U.S.Geological Survey (USGS) volcanologist David A. Johnston who was on duty at the USGS, Coldwater II observation post during the May 18, 1980, eruption. David Johnston was one of 57 people who lost their lives in the eruption. JRO is the third visitor center to be constructed by the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and it's completion marks the end of a 12-year $100 million capital investment program. The one-story, 16,000 square-foot concrete and glass structure is set back into the ridge and has special, non-refective glass to blend into the surrounding blast zone terrain. The building was constructed at a cost of $8.9 million with $1.65 million of interpretive exhibits for a total cost of $10.5 million. Of this amount, $5 million was contributed by the State of Washington. The observatory will house seismic, deformation, and other monitoring equipment that will be relayed to the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver for analysis.