84 pages with 95+ photographs (1.2 MB PDF)

The unusual history of Seattle, three National Parks, and the explosive Mount St Helens give this itinerary an enviable variety.  The climate varies between lush green of the temperate rain forest on the Pacific coast, to the inland heat.

Massive beaches, with gigantic logs strewn like matchsticks, provide wonderful areas to relax.  Outstanding scenery is contrasted with 'Bavarian' and 'Wild West' towns.  Interesting museums tell of a bygone age, with some trails visiting areas of old pioneers' homesteads.  As with all the itineraries, photographic opportunities abound.

Visit up to 3 National Parks:

Mount Rainier	a dormant volcano, and the highest mountain in Washington State.  It has about 75 glaciers, and the whole area has wonderful views, trails, waterfalls, and wildlife
North Cascades	an area with over 320 glaciers, deep valleys, jagged peaks and lakes.  The road through is considered to have some of the USA's most spectacular scenery
Olympic	a World Heritage Site, with the world's only coniferous temperate rain forest.  Moss drapes from gigantic trees, and huge logs are strewn over the Pacific beaches all with a backdrop of the inspiring Olympic Mountains.  There are also beautiful lakes and hot springs

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Visit up to 6 National areas:

Mount St Helens	see the devastation of the 1980 volcanic eruption, and how the area is regenerating with wildlife and trees.  Also explore the USA's longest lava tube, at nearly 2·5 miles
Ross Lake	the whole area has three lakes (reservoirs), each having a different colour.  There is ample scope for hiking here
Ebey's Landing	27 square miles of National Historical Reserve preserve land and buildings - almost unaltered for over 100 years
Skagit River Bald Eagle Natural Area	the USA's national bird is common here, often seen feeding from the river
Mount Baker Wilderness	with exceptional mountain vistas, good trails, lakes and the famous view of Mount Shuksan
Dungeness Wildlife Refuge	good for bird-watching.  Over 250 species of birds have been seen here and 40 species of mammals

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Visit Seattle, and other towns, including:

Seattle	famous for its Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square, 'Skid Row', and its unusual history of the Great Fire of 1889 - visit parts of the original underground city.  It is a city of many unexpected delights - there is even a Russian submarine to tour
Chelan	poplular for water sports, set on the edge of beautiful Lake Chelan
Winthrop	the 'Old West' still lives here, with false-fronted buildingsand boardwalks
Centralia	a favourite place for its variety of factory outlet stores, and malls of antiques
Cashmere	take a free tour round its famous candy factory, and see its pioneer village next to the excellent museum
Toppenish	this famous 'City of Murals' has over 60 giant murals.  It also calls itself the 'City where the West still lives'
Leavenworth	a Bavarian-style town, with architecture, cuisine and shops all giving the feeling of being in Germany

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Visit other fascinating places, including:

Whidbey Island	a beautiful area within Puget Sound.  It has two attractive State Parks, and quaint historic towns on the waterfront
Makah Cultural and Research Center	houses artefacts from the village of Ozette, which had been buried under a mudslide for over 500 years
Cape Flattery	the USA's most northwestern point with outstanding scenery
Museum of Flight	with over 50 full-size original aircraft, including the first Presidential Air Force One jet, an SR-71 Blackbird spy-plane, and the only remaining M/D-21 Blackbird.  It covers the beginnings of aviation to space travel
Boeing factory tour	in the world's biggest building to see aircraft being assembled
North Cascades Smokejumper Base	have a free tour round the 'Birthplace of Smokejumping', and see smokejumpers training for parachuting close to forest wildfires
Bigfoot or Sasquatch	visit the area where more sightings of this legendary creature have occurred than anywhere else
Flying saucers	this name was coined in 1940, after a formation of flying objects was seen over an area covered by the itinerary
Ohme Gardens	landscaped alpine gardens cut into the rocks with pools, woods and paths - high above the mighty Columbia River
Columbia River	visit Rock Reach Dam on the world's most developed hydroelectric river system.  See the powerhouse, spillway, and the fish ladder for salmon and trout migration

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Suggested walking/hiking: In addition to visiting the many interesting places on this itinerary, separate walks are also described, where appropriate back to top