Windy Ridge (Mount St. Helens)

Windy Ridge is a ridge and eponymous Forest Highway in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. The ridge goes between Windy Pass and Independence Pass, 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Spirit Lake.[1] Several road guides list Windy Ridge Road (NF-99) as one of the best roads in Washington State due to its good pavement, good views, and winding "sweeper" curves enjoyable to many drivers and motorcycle riders.[2][3][4][5] At the end of the road at 4,200 feet (1,300 m) elevation,[6] at 46°15′00″N 122°08′14″W above Spirit Lake, there is a viewpoint into the St. Helens crater.[7]

Mount St. Helens seen from the Windy Ridge Viewpoint in 1985
Windy Ridge is at the center of this map of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

NF-99 meets Forest Road 25 near Wakepish Sno-park running to Windy Ridge and other Spirit Lake overlooks past places such as Bear Meadow Viewpoint, Miner's Car, Meta Lake and Cascade Peaks. This is one of the most popular back-country destinations on the Forest and Monument.[8]

In early June 2023, access to Windy Ridge from the south was prohibited for an indeterminate time due to a landslide on Forest Service Road 25. The natural hazard coincides with the South Coldwater Slide in the prior month that prevented access to the Johnston Ridge Observatory.[9][10]

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Windy Ridge (Skamania County, Washington)
  2. Bosworth & Sanders 2003 "Washington's twistiest road coated in a lacquer of smooth, dreamy pavement..."
  3. National Geographic 2018, p. 400.
  4. Bruce Hansen (April 7, 2011), "Washington's Top 5", Rider, [T]he twistiest roads in the whole of the Pacific Northwest
  5. Hansen 2016, pp. 252–259.
  6. Vielbig 1997, p. 66.
  7. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Windy Ridge Viewpoint
  8. Forest Road 99 official website, U.S. National Forest Service, accessed 2018-09-12
  9. Day, Hayley (June 10, 2023). "Second landslide restricts access to more Mount St. Helens destinations". The Daily News (Longview, Washington). The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  10. The Chronicle staff (May 23, 2023). "Forest Service Hopes to Provide 'Alternative' Recreation at Mount St. Helens as Surveys of South Coldwater Slide Continue". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 20, 2023.

Sources
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Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from Forest Road 99. United States Forest Service. Retrieved 2018-09-12.


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