St. Helens

St. Helens is the largest city and county seat of Columbia County, Oregon and had a population of 14,000 in 2019. In October, the town embraces the Halloween spirit with a month-long celebration of spooky events and decorations geared toward entertaining crowds of families.

Understand

The town is named for its view of Mount St. Helens, roughly 39 miles (63 km) away in Washington state.

The city sits on the banks on Columbia River, about 30 miles north of Portland and 24 miles south of Longview, Washington.

Several films have been partially shot in St. Helens, notably Twilight and Halloweentown.

Get in

By car

St. Helens is easily accessible only by U.S. 30 which connects the city to Portland, Longview, and Astoria. The nearest Columbia River crossings are in Rainier and Portland, respectively.

By bus

The Columbia County Rider provides regular weekday service from St. Helens to Portland, Hillsboro, and Longview An additional route provides service between St. Helens and nearby Scappoose.

Get around

The majority of attractions and businesses are concentrated in downtown and along Columbia Boulevard. St. Helens, therefore, is easily walked.

See

• 1 Nob Hill Nature Park. (updated Jul 2019)

Buy

• 2Cs Vendor Mall, 215 S 1st St, ☏ +1 503-410-5280, info@2CsVendorMall.com. Antique, collectable, and handmade items from more than 70 vendors. (updated Feb 2021)

Eat

Restaurants

• Lotus of Bangkok Restaurant, 295 Strand, ☏ +1 503-410-5157. 
• SunShine Pizza, 2124 Columbia Blvd, ☏ +1 503-397-3211. M-W 7AM-9PM, Th-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 7:30AM-9PM. Thin-crust pizza and a variety of pasta, bread, and salads in a family/large group friendly environment. Pizzas vary in price from approximately $10 for small to $25 family size. Other dishes generally $5-10.. 

Food carts

• Noi's Thai Kitchen, 524 Milton Way, ☏ +1 971-222-4817. (updated Feb 2021)

Fast food

• Dari Delish, 1680 Columbia Blvd, ☏ +1 503-397-2129. A 1950s-themed fast food restaurant with a walk-up window and outside seating. Burgers, hot dogs, and, of course, ice cream treats are the specialty. Keeping with the retro style, credit and debit are not accepted. 

Other

• Bertucci's, 2017 Columbia Blvd, ☏ +1 503-366-9602. 9AM-5PM. Specialty chocolates, sandwiches and coffee. 

Sleep

• Best Western Oak Meadows Inn, 585 S Columbia River Hwy, ☏ +1 503-397-3000. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM. (updated Feb 2021)

Go next

Routes through St. Helens

Astoria ← Rainier ←

W  E

→ Portland → The Dalles