Washington State is one of the best states in the United States that is worth everyone’s visit. The location provides you with outstanding outdoor recreational activities that you and your entire family will enjoy.
With the wide range of activities and places Washington State offers its visitors, it can be challenging to choose which destination you must go to first. Here are the top ten destinations that you must prioritize on visiting on your trip to the Pacific Northwest Region of the United States.
The Mount Baker Highway
The Mount Baker Highway is a long stretch of scenic view with areas allocated for outdoor recreational activities. The highway stretches out from Bellingham on State Route 542.
As you drive through the highway, you will pass through Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, home to many recreational sites.
On your journey through the Mount Baker Highway, you will also pass by Rifugio’s Italian Cuisine, where you can enjoy various Italian wines and cuisine. The restaurant also offers the best espresso in town, best enjoyed with the area’s cold weather.
Rifugio’s is the only Italian restaurant in the Mt. Baker area, which is why you shouldn’t forget to stop by and enjoy the mouth-watering Italian food we offer.
After a hearty meal at Rifugio’s, you can then go to the tourist attractions in Mount Baker. You can go skiing at the Mount Baker ski resort, or you can go trekking or hiking on one of Mt. Baker trails.
Another great place to visit within the vicinity of Mount Baker is Baker lake. You can camp at one of the campsites located at the edge of the lake and enjoy fun activities such as fishing, boating, and even swimming.
You can cook and enjoy your freshly caught fish from the lake and taste its freshness.
Mount Baker is amongst the five volcanoes in Washington State and is the most visited of them all. Maybe because Mount Baker alone already gives tourists many activities to choose from which will satisfy their outdoor adventure needs.
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park offers you a lot of incredible scenery to see and experience. You can camp on one of the campsites in Olympic National Park, whether you are on an RV, a trailer, or just your good-old tent.
Moreover, do not forget to enjoy the star of the show, the Olympic Mountains, with a glacier-clad summit that most climbers love.
The Olympic National Park also has a diverse wilderness preserve appointed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During your stay at the Olympic National Park, you will experience various ecosystems such as rain forests, ocean beaches, and mountains that are best for nature lovers.
Furthermore, you must also try to visit the Sol Duc hot springs within the heart of the Olympic National park. It is only an hour’s drive from Port Angeles and is operated by a concessionaire.
The Sol Duc hot springs resort offers accommodations to their guests in the form of rooms, cabins, and suites.
If you are staying at the resort, you can enjoy the benefit of having free access to the mineral pools and spas that every guest is interested in experiencing. In addition, if you travel in an RV or bring a tent, there is a campground nearby the resort where you can stay for the night.
The North Cascades National Park
Another destination in Washington State that will drown you with nature is North Cascades National Park. It lies peacefully on the northern part of the Washington State that holds a vast wilderness of conifer mountains.
You can hike along with its dense evergreen forest or explore the alpine wilderness. The location is also suitable for a whole family car-camping. There are so many places to go and activities to do in the North Cascades National Park. You will indeed never have a dull time during your stay.
Aside from the breathtaking landscapes the North Cascades National Park can offer, it is also home to many wildlife that tourists can observe while they are in their natural habitat.
You can enjoy all the beautiful things the North Cascades offer without paying a single dollar. Entering the North Cascades National Park is free of charge so enjoy your stay.
Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens is a popular active stratovolcano in Washington State. It is why it should be one of the top places to visit in Washington State. The historic volcano is a fascinating sight to see, which is why many tourists visit the site every year.
Experience the thrill of being close to an active volcano provides you. Plus, you can travel back in time as you drive through the vast destruction Mount St. Helens has created during its eruption in the year 1980.
The volcano occasionally still shoots ash plumes into the air, which can be a great and exciting experience for you. Mount St. Helens will offer an extraordinary nature view and share its history with its visitors. You will surely enjoy the unique experience this destination will give to you that you will treasure forever.
The Mount Rainier National Park
Another best place to visit in Washington is Mount Rainer National Park. Located 47 miles from Seattle, Washington, the Mount Rainier National Parks offers tourists hiking areas and different regions to experience Mount Rainer from different angles.
Mount Rainier is one of the active volcanoes east of Seattle. It stands for over 4.300 meters above Washington. Therefore, you should experience one of the most popular trails in this area: the Mount Rainier Naches Peak Loop Trail.
If you follow the said trail, you will witness abundant vegetation with beautiful fall colors and the subalpine meadows that you will pass through as you hike. This destination is something that you can never afford to miss.
San Juan Islands
Visiting the San Juan Islands will give you a change of scenery. From the Mountainous part of Washington State, let us go to its oceans. The San Juan Islands is located in the northern part of Puget Sound and near British Columbia.
Even though San Juan Island is very close to Canada, it still belongs to the United States. This destination offers various outdoor activities, including whale watching, boating, and enjoying delicious seafood dishes.
If you love orca whales, then there is more reason why you must visit San Juan Island. It is where you can see a lot of orca whales playing in the water. If you plan to visit the island for the orca whales, it is best to schedule your travel between March and October.
This the best months where tourists see the whale majority of the time of their tour. However, the orca whale is here to stay all year round, but they tend to be more friendly from March to October.
Seattle
If you couldn’t stay away from the hustle and bustle of city life, then you can stop by Seattle, Washington. Seattle is a beautiful city to explore and experience while you are in the Washington area. In addition, you can shop at the Pike Place Market, where you can buy fresh local produce.
You can also enjoy exploring museums within the city, especially the Museum of Pop Culture. Afterward, you can go to the center of Seattle and appreciate the view of the city through the Space Needle and take your vacation to the next level.
Seattle lets you enjoy the modernity of this generation. If you love art and modernism, then you will enjoy what Seattle can give.
Speaking of art, did I mention that Seattle is the home of the beautiful Glass Artwork, a masterpiece of an American sculptor Dale Chihuly? You can adore this artwork when you visit Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit.
Lake Chelan
You can find Lake Chelan at the foot of the North Cascade Mountains range. It is a great place to see the beautiful scenery, do some outdoor recreational activities, and do a wine tasting. The region also boasts vineyards that produce local wine grapes where you can also visit.
A seaplane is available on the lake for you to ride to have a closer look over the beautiful natural terrain. Then, the seaplane takes off and lands back unto Lake Chelan, which is an excellent experience for your entire family.
If you wanted to experience the natural beauty of Washington, then Lake Chelan is the best place to visit. You will surely see how beautifully crafted the State of Washington is when it comes to natural landscapes.
The City of Leavenworth
The City of Leavenworth started to become busy when their logging industry boomed. As a result, the city’s leaders decided to change their image and be recognized as a Bavarian Village. It is what you will experience if your visit Leavenworth today. You will see people wearing lederhosen or blowing an alphorn.
Festivals are also celebrated in the city every year, including the holiday lights celebration every December. In addition, there are outdoor recreations that are offered to tourists within Leavenworth. It includes destinations such as the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and the Icicle Gorge.
By visiting the City of Leavenworth, you can experience the Bavarian ambiance while still having access to the beautiful outdoor of Washington State.
Spokane
The east part of Washington is distinctively different from its west side part. You can notice a difference in the weather, the population, and the landscapes.
If you are curious enough and wanted to experience this difference, you can visit Spokane, located in the eastern part of Washington State.
This east side of Washington offers sunny weather, which can be a great break from the cold weather of the west. The culture of the east will be significantly felt during your visit to Spokane. There are also many attractions that you can visit in Spokane, which makes it one of the must-visit destinations in the State.
One of these attractions is the Riverfront View, which features a hand-carved carousel created in 1909. It also has a Ferris wheel and all the other amusement park rides that are available on the location.
You can never go wrong with choosing to visit Washington State as the destination for your vacation. Countless activities are waiting for you there.
Plan Your Vacation Now
You already have an idea of what destinations you can prioritize during your Washington State visit, so you can now start planning your vacation. With all the suggestions you read and all the others that were not mentioned, a one-week trip to Washington will not be enough. You should pick the destinations that you love the most, and that can fit into your schedule.