ButterGinn

Come for the view, stay for the goats... Since the SR 504 bridge was destroyed by a landslide in May of 2023, the U.S. Forest Service Johnstone Ridge Observatory (JRO) at Mount St. Helens has been inaccessible to vehicles. Although people can access the area by hiking trail, no drive-up access has resulted in very low human visitation. But, mountain goats are another story. The 1980 eruption killed the few resident mountain goats around Mount St. Helens. However, 46 years later, the blasted rocky hillsides are full of shrubs and wildflowers, creating the perfect mountain goat habitat, and the population is thriving. Scientists were recently up at JRO and were startled to see five goats watching them from the roof of the building. Don't worry, mountain goats are very good at balancing on high ledges. Cascades Volcano Observatory Weekly Update for November 6, 2026: All Cascade volcanoes were at normal background levels of activity for the last week. Over the past week, small earthquakes were detected at Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Three Sisters. Field crews performed maintenance at Mount St. Helens. 📹: The video starts with an unseasonably clear view of Mount St. Helens with a fresh coat of snow, then pans to the east and zooms in on several mountain goats standing on the roof of the Johnston Ridge Observatory. Credit: H. Weiss-Racine USGS