Mt. St. Helens road closed by landslide but local businesses say still much to do, see nearby

SKAMANIA COUNTY Wash. (KPTV) - Washington State Route 504 heading up to Mount St. Helens remains closed Wednesday at milepost 45 after a landslide took out part of the road and the bridge toward the Johnston Ridge Observatory on Sunday night.

While the road closed means less tourism which can hurt local businesses in the area, local businesses say there are still many activities from the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center to Coldwater Lake, which can help keep them alive.

RELATED: 11 people, dog rescued by helicopter after landslide near Mount St. Helens

“Hiking around the lake, boating kayaking. It’s all still intact. The only piece that’s missing is the viewpoint in the visitor center and the interpretive center up at Johnston Ridge,” says Joe Bongiovanni, the Co-Owner of North Fork Survivors Shop. “Coldwater Visitor Center, spectacular view over Coldwater Lake landslide deposit blast effects, lot of good geology, volcanology in that area, ELK Rock viewpoint, Castle Lake viewpoint, all of that is still there.”

Bongiovanni’s shop, open through the end of October, has already seen a significant drop. He says he’s had six visitors this week, while he normally sees 30 or more people a day.

If visitors don’t come, he’s prepared to make hard decisions to stay open, he says. Otherwise, they could be gone.

“Number one employees are laid off, it’s just not gonna happen, number two probably would close the property.”

SEE ALSO: Portland apartment building on brink of collapsing after fire, officials say

He also says if business continues the way it is now, he may have to close; something he’s never done before.

“We ran through COVID, we ran through the Columbia River Gorge Fire, we ran all the time we keep adapting, offering different things to our guests. Create a really good experience so when they do come here, they leave really happy,” says Bongiovanni.

Copyright 2023 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.