The Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center is located 27 miles east of Castle Rock on SR-504. It was built by Cowlitz County at a cost of $3.2 million.  The building , a very attractive lodge like wooden structure was built using mortise-and-tenon solid wood and peg construction.   This is the largest timber framed building built on the West Coast since the Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood was built in the 1940's. The center has a big deck with views of the lower end of the state wildlife refuge which is adjacent to the property in the valley below. Mt. St. Helens and the devastated, but rapidly recovering Toutle River Valley, form a spectacular, panoramic backdrop to the Center.  The entrance area features a 20-foot-tall version of a  Pulitzer Prize-winning eruption photo.  In addition to featuring a family-dining restaurant, catering to both large and small groups, you will also find a gift shop with Mount St Helens and Pacific Northwest products. Mount St. Helens Restaurant is open year round. Their specialty is Volcano Bar-B-Que & Grill from BBQ Baby Back Ribs to the Chicken and Rib combo. Slow cooked tender and juicy with their famous BBQ sauce. Other menu items include hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, deli sandwiches, fish 'n chips, garden salads and homemade soups. Helicopter tours are available to the crater of the volcano and to Spirit Lake. Picnic sites and hiking trails are available, and ample parking has been  provided for RVs and buses. Hours: 10 to 8 daily May-October, 10-5 November-April. Admission is free.