Slide Wipes Out Spirit Lake Highway 2 Miles Away From Johnston Ridge

A Sunday night debris slide is blocking the highway to Johnston Ridge, with no estimated time for reopening.

A Sunday night debris slide is blocking the highway to Johnston Ridge, with no estimated time for reopening.

Chad Taylor / The Chronicle

A Sunday night debris slide is blocking the highway to Johnston Ridge, with no estimated time for reopening.

A Sunday night debris slide is blocking the highway to Johnston Ridge, with no estimated time for reopening.

Chad Taylor / The Chronicle

A Sunday night debris slide is blocking the highway to Johnston Ridge, with no estimated time for reopening.

A Sunday night debris slide is blocking the highway to Johnston Ridge, with no estimated time for reopening.

Chad Taylor / The Chronicle

A Sunday night debris slide is blocking the highway to Johnston Ridge, with no estimated time for reopening.

A Sunday night debris slide is blocking the highway to Johnston Ridge, with no estimated time for reopening.

Chad Taylor / The Chronicle

A Sunday night debris slide is blocking the highway to Johnston Ridge, with no estimated time for reopening.

A Sunday night debris slide is blocking the highway to Johnston Ridge, with no estimated time for reopening.

Chad Taylor / The Chronicle

A Sunday night debris slide is blocking the highway to Johnston Ridge, with no estimated time for reopening.

A Sunday night debris slide is blocking the highway to Johnston Ridge, with no estimated time for reopening.

Chad Taylor / The Chronicle

A debris slide blocked both directions of State Route 504/Spirit Lake Memorial Highway near Coldwater Lake on Sunday night.

A debris slide blocked both directions of State Route 504/Spirit Lake Memorial Highway near Coldwater Lake on Sunday night.

Washington State Department of Transportation

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Chad Taylor / For The Chronicle

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Chad Taylor / For The Chronicle

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Chad Taylor / For The Chronicle

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Chad Taylor / For The Chronicle

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Chad Taylor / For The Chronicle

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Chad Taylor / For The Chronicle

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Chad Taylor / For The Chronicle

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Washington State Department of Transportation and members of the Washington State Patrol respond to the scene of a landslide along Spirit Lake Highway on Monday, May 15.

Chad Taylor / For The Chronicle

Posted Monday, May 15, 2023 10:00 am

By The Chronicle staff

The King County Sheriff’s Office air support unit was called up to Mount St. Helens early Monday morning after 12 people and a dog were caught at Johnston Ridge Observatory after a mudslide wiped out a bridge.

Both directions of state Route 504, also known as the Spirit Lake Highway, near Coldwater Lake are now closed with no current estimated time for reopening, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) reported Monday. Crews closed the seasonal gate to Mount St. helens at milepost 45 until further notice.

The northern access point to the mountain, Windy Ridge via Randle, is not yet open for the season, but the slide is unlikely to affect access there.

“Based on what crews are seeing this morning from the ground, a significant amount of debris is blocking both directions of SR-504 near Coldwater Lake. There may be significant structural damage along the roadway. Travelers should plan for an extended closure of the highway,” WSDOT Southwest stated on Twitter.