Washington

Overview

Washington State is an excellent destination for those in search of outdoor pursuits. Whether you want to sail in the Puget Sound, windsurf on the Columbia River, go white-water rafting or prefer winter sports, recreational activities abound.

The state lies to the south of Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Canadian border, in the Pacific Northwest. Like Oregon, to the south, most tourists will concentrate on the western parts of the state, which have both spectacular mountains and a dramatic coastline. The heavily forested region attests to a damp climate.

The Olympic Peninsula, in the north, has a wealth of natural wonders. The wild coast has monumental sea stacks, topped with coniferous trees, apparently enjoying the salt laden air, and wide sandy beaches are strewn with driftwood tree trunks. Inland, the glacier covered mountains are surrounded by the world's largest temperate zone rain forests, in an enormous area of wilderness.

Visitors can hardly miss the snow capped peaks of the Cascades, especially those to the south. Mt. Rainier, the highest peak in the range at 4392m., is a towering ice clad volcano. Paradise, on its slopes, is aptly named with stunning displays of wildflowers from late June to mid August. It also boasts one of the longest skiing seasons in the USA. Further south, the flora and fauna of Mt. St. Helens are making an amazing comeback after the devastating earthquake of 1980, when it lost nearly 400m. in height. The Columbia River gorge, along the southern border with Oregon, is also...more

History

Native Indians resided in the Pacific Northwest for thousands of years and the names of towns and reservations show a lingering heritage. The first European, known to have reached the Washington coastline, was Sir Francis Drake in 1579, but it was not until 1792 that Captain George Vancouver arrived at the Puget Sound, while seeking the Northwest Passage. Fur trapping and trading grew and the Hudson?s Bay Company set up at Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River, near the junction with the Willamette across the river in Oregon.

In 1889 Washington became the 42nd. State of the Union, but it was not until the Klondike gold Rush of 1897 that large numbers of pioneers arrived. It became an outfitting point for prospectors on their way to northern Canada. Unlike earlier travellers, they had been able to make the long journey west on the Great Northern Railway, which was only connected to Seattle in 1893. Farming produce from the eastern parts of the state found new markets in the provisioning needs of the prospectors, communities grew and the timber industries flourished.

When to Go

Essentials