Spirit Lake, Gifford Pinchot National Forest Photo

A scenic picture taken of Spirit Lake which is located right by Mount St. Helens which is in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington. This picture is taken looking in the opposite direction of Mount St. Helens towards Mt. Rainier which you can see the tip of over the hill in the right corner. Spirit Lake is situated across the blast path of Mount St Helens and is one of the enduring features of the devastation of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. Floating over the surface of the water is a forest of destroyed trees. Just over two decades after the eruption, Spirit Lake has seen drastic changes. Once, it used to be a recreational outpost for children and adults of all ages. Now, due to the floating forest and other factors, the lake has become a tourist attraction that remains evidence of the Mount St. Helens eruption. Spirit Lake was once part of an ideal picture-postcard setting, with Spirit Lake in foreground and snowcapped Mt. Saint Helens as a backdrop. The scene at Spirit Lake changed dramatically on May 18, 1980, when the Mt. Saint Helens volcano erupted after being dormant for 123 years, sending a deep blanket of ash upon the lake and destroying the beautiful scene.