Here the beautiful Stehekin Valley, with a portion of fjordlike Lake Chelan, adjoins North Cascades National Park. Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (62, 000 acres, 24, 800 hectares) rests in a glacially carved trough in the Cascades Range.
The Upper Columbia River is rich in cultural and natural significance. For more than 9000 years, people have gathered along the banks of the river to fish and trade with each other.
Ross Lake National Recreation Area is the most assessible part of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex.
Orca whales and bald eagles abound here, as do more than 200 species of birds navigating the Pacific flyway. But the park was created in 1966 based upon an idea: that individuals and nations can solve their problems peacfully without resorting to violence.
This site commemorates the courage of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, the role the Whitmans played in establishing the Oregon Trail, and the challenges encountered when two different cultures meet.
Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve provides a vivid historical record of Pacific Northwest history, including the first exploration of Puget Sound by Captain George Vancouver in 1792; early settlement by Colonel Isaac Ebey, an important figure in
Fort Vancouver was the administrative headquarters and main supply depot for the Hudson's Bay Company's fur trading operations in the immense Columbia Department.
In 1897 news of a gold strike in the Canadian Yukon reached Seattle, triggering a stampede North to the Klondike Gold Fields.
Established in 1899. 235, 625 acres (97% is designated Wilderness). Includes Mount Rainier (14, 410'), an active volcano encased in over 35 square miles of snow and ice. The park contains outstanding examples of old growth forests and subalpine meadows.
Few fully know the intense and rugged beauty of the North Cascades ? jagged peaks, deep valleys, cascading waterfalls and over 700 glaciers.
Glacier capped mountains, wild Pacific coast and magnificent stands of old-growth forests, including temperate rain forests -- at Olympic National Park, you can find all three.
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is located where the freshwater of the Nisqually River meets the saltwater of south Puget Sound, creating the Nisqually River Delta.
Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge is located on the shore of the Lower Columbia River, 10 miles downstream from the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area.
Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge is located in northeastern Washington on the eastern edge of the Columbia River Basin in Spokane County. The refuge sits in the unique geological area known as the Channeled Scablands.
Willapa National Wildlife Refuge is located on the shores of Willapa Bay near the Pacific Ocean. The bay is one of the most pristine estuaries in the United States. From the protected bay, Chum, Chinook, and Coho salmon move to refuge streams to spawn.
Formed by Grand Coulee Dam and part of the Columbia Basin Project, this lake contains over 60, 000 water-surface acres and 500 miles of shoreline.
Grand Coulee Dam, Columbia Basin Project, located on the Columbia River in Washington State, is one of the largest concrete structures in the world. The dam is almost a mile long and 550 feet high.
The Turn Point location combines areas of grassy bluffs and coastal forest with the historical buildings of the Turn Point Lighthouse Station.
Over 1.5 million visitors come annually to the Lake Washington Ship Canal to watch boats and migrating salmon, or stroll through the spectacular botanical garden.
The visitor center features a view within the nation`s largest straightline powerhouse as well as interpretive displays. Bridgeport State Park, including the Lake Woods Golf Course, is adjacent to the project.
Lower Granite Lake, located in extreme southeastern Washington and central Idaho along the lower Snake and Clearwater Rivers, provides for a wide spectrum of outdoor recreation fun.
Visitors will find a spectacular, sparsely populated, and undeveloped shoreline for nearly the entire length of the sanctuary. Forty-eight miles of the sanctuary are adjacent to wilderness beaches of the Olympic National Park.
Most of the 11, 000 acres of the reserve encompasses extensive seagrass meadows, tidal flats and sloughs, salt marshes, and upland forests and meadows.