Explore rugged trails which lead to clear lakes, steep ridges and flowered, mountain slopes. View downed and standing dead trees killed during the 1980 eruption by a sizzling, lateral blast that pummeled the pristine forest, and see the plants and wildlife that have returned. The backcounty offers spectacular views of the crater, blast zone, and log-strewn Spirit Lake, as well as Mount Rainier and Mount Adams.