Cascades of Oregon

Oregon is home to a large portion of the cascade range of mountains. The two most notable is Mt. Hood and Mt. St Helens ( St. Helens is technically in Washington), both of which are visible on a clear day from Portland. Mt. Hood is an extremely popular destination for winter sports enthusiasts. The glacier there is accessible all year round, which means skiing even in the summer.

The other major mountain is Mt. Saint Helens. In 1980 a major eruption took place here. Large amounts of ash was thrown into the air, some of which traveled as far as Japan. The explosion from the eruption was so violent it drastically changed the ecosystem of the mountain. Spirit lake was completely filled in with trees and debris. The blast blew away virtually all things in its path for a 17 mile area in a fan shape from the epicenter(Carson 39)

Other notable Oregon Cascadian mountains include Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, MT bachelor and Three sisters.(pictured above) The range extends from northern California all the way up into British Colombia, but Portlanders are familiar with our two favorite mountains on our doorstep.

If you are naive to the area, or simply a curious out-of-towner, make sure to visit the museum on Mt. St. Helens, because it has a large bevy of information, as well as a cool movie theater and lots of samples and engaging picture exhibits from when the blast happened.