USA Guide
The Pacific Northwest
Washington
Likeable and vibrant, Seattle's greatest asset may be its proximity to the glorious Puget Sound, the deep-water inlet around which much of the population of Washington lives. Some of the islands here serve as stepping stones to the Olympic Peninsula to the west, whose mountains are home to rare elk and lush vegetation that merges into rainforest, and whose rustic beaches have remained pristine and protected. Not quite as rainy as the mountains to the northeast, the southern coast is flatter and more accessible but not as appealing. The nearest real attraction lies a few hours south, where you can marvel at the eye-opening volcanic scenery of Mount St Helens.
Dry and desolate, the sprawling prairie-plateau and flood-scoured "channeled scablands" that make up most of eastern Washington are a great, bleak expanse enlivened by the pleasant burg of Spokane and the colossal Grand Coulee Dam, along with much fascinating geology. Otherwise you're only likely to come out here if you're travelling the Cascade loop, a memorable four-hundred-mile roundtrip drive through the stunning Cascade Mountains.
Read more ▼
- Practical Information ▼
- Region(s) ▼
- City/Town ▼