There is so much more here than you'd realize. It's an absolute must-stop if you're in the area, ESPECIALLY if you're on your way to Mount St Helens. What this place has is amazing and so much more than you might expect.
The eruption of Mount Saint Helens has taken on an almost legendary status in the public psyche. We've seen the documentaries, and heard the stories of survivors and victims alike. But after 42 years, those stories may seem...distant. If you like. This place is where that changes. It takes the almost mythic stories of what transpired that day...and makes them real, tangible, relatable, and human. It's a direct connection to the disaster that is unique and captivating all at once. You'll come away feeling like you know the people involved that day. It's a unique experience, and I highly recommend it.
North Fork Survivors is many things at once. It's perhaps most famously known for the "Buried A-Frame" house which sits on the property. This nearly-completed vacation home was partially buried by the May 18, 1980 lahar produced by the eruption of Mount St Helens, which rushed down the Toutle valley - producing all of that famous footage you may have seen of houses floating down the river, and bridges giving way. Here, you can see a structure that survived the mudflow, but wound up buried several feet deep in it.
The interior of the A-frame is not safely accessible to the public. But there is a fenced area just in front of it where you can safely peer inside to the interior. You can make out the old floor, an electric stove, and various other furnishings that were all buried in the mud, with the mud line still clearly visible on the doorways and walls. The owners will happily come out to meet you and tell you the story of the A-frame and its interesting history.
But what's new and immediately noticeable as soon as you pull up to the A-frame, are the collection of mangled, twisted, and crushed vehicles out front. Those vehicles, only recently acquired here, each contain a very personal story about someone who was affected by the eruption that day. As you walk between them, it may not be immediately clear which story they are connected to...but the owners are there to provide you with that connection, to tell you the story of the brave individuals connected to those vehicles, and what they endured that day so long ago.
As the devastated area around Mount Saint Helens continues to recover and continues to gradually cover over the devastation, the memory of what transpired might understandably fade, especially for those who are too young to remember the disaster. But seeing these vehicles up close, seeing what the power of the mountain was capable of doing to these vehicles that only moments before had been occupied by people...it brings the entire scale of the disaster into focus, and makes it real. Makes it human.
I highly recommend stopping here before traveling the rest of the way up to Johnston Ridge. After learning the stories of the disaster...it just really hits you to follow that up by seeing the mountain and the area around it in person. It gives you more appreciation for what it is you're really looking at after all this time.
Give yourself plenty of time to explore this place. You can even rent a camp site here to use as a base as you explore the area. There's lots to learn. Explore the gift shop as well, you'll find items that haven't been in print or available for sale for decades, proudly displayed and some even for sale here. You'll also get to take home some Mount St Helens ash, and see items that were destroyed, melted, or strangely altered during the eruption.
The expansion of this facility is going to continue, with more and more stories to be told. Ensuring that every time you visit, there will be something new and interesting to see. This is the place to go to experience the human connection to the Mount St Helens disaster. You'll come away from it with a new reverence, and a new understanding, of the mountain and what transpired.
Oh, and say hi to Bigfoot,...
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