Oregon and Washington States Guide
Pacific Northwest USA

Why Travel to the Pacific Northwest?
This is the home of Seattle and Portland, two lively cities set in beautiful locations surrounded by a wilderness of water, mountains, forests and the beasts that inhabit them.

Downside:
Rain is a running joke, running down your back most of the time.

Climate:
Best: June-September for least rain, except for winter sports October-February; head east of the mountains for flowers in April-May.
Worst: January-May, October-December for rain/drizzle/sleet/drizzle/downpours/drizzle/damp/drizzle.

Main Attractions:

Highway 101** runs through California and then continues its twisted way north through Oregon and Washington State to the Canadian border. It remains scenic and interesting all the way, so this could be part of an epic West Coast self-drive adventure.

Washington State**

Seattle: damp nirvana for high technology and caffeine addicts set in beautiful surroundings. More Seattle

The Olympic Peninsula, north west from Seattle this popular recreational area consists of mountains, forests and occasional sightings of Zeus. The Olympic National Park covers most of the area, offering great hiking, mountain biking and lake activities among the natural splendour.
Popular regions are Hurricane Ridge, Mt Anderson, Hoh River and Queens River.
Other than the wilderness of the park, Port Townsend - a coastal harbour - offers 19thC architecture.

Coastal Islands: north-northwest of Puget Sound and Seattle is Canada's Vancouver Island and in between are several noteworthy islands good for hiking, sea kayaking, marine wildlife and some traditional culture.
Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands are separated by a narrow bridged shoreline, hike in or paddle in Deception Pass State Park and visit history rich Coupesville.
Orcas is the largest island and has good hiking around Mt.Constitution and the lakes of Moran State Park.
Lime Kiln Point State Park is a whale watching mecca.

Cascades Mountain Range: running south from British Columbia to Columbia Gorge on the border with Oregon the northern section offers excellent mountaineering/climbing, while the Cascades National Park is perfect for hiking, Lake Chelan for camping and Methow Valley for cross-country skiing.
Below Seattle the range is more volcanic and has parks and recreational areas such as Mt Rainier National Park, and infamous Mt St Helens National Volcanic Monument.

Oregon**
Well known for its forward thinking politics and laid back lifestyle, Oregon has a great city in Portland, arguably the most beautiful coastline on the west coast and not-totally-unexpected wilderness areas of both mountainous and arid terrain.

Coastal Seaside Resorts: from the mouth of the Columbia river on the Washington border in the north, to the California border in the south are some excellent seaside escapes. Check out the Maritime Museum, Fort Clatsop and historic 19thC buildings in Astoria, humour yourself with the seaside at Seaside, and build sand castles at beautiful Cannon Beach - where they are taken very seriously.

Coastal Wilderness: watch marine life at Newport and cave dwelling sea lions near Yachats, with more wildlife to be seen at Cape Arago near Coos Bay, birds and migrating whales at Bandon.
Miles and miles of sand dunes can be hiked, biked or buggied at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, or kick off from Gold Beach up Rogue River and visit one of the many state parks around Brookings, especially Samuel H Boardman State Park for the spectacular shoreline.

Wallowa Mountains: these Alps-like glaciated mountains lie between the valley of the Grande Ronde River and the Snake River on the border with Idaho. Hells Canyon National Recreation Area is the main draw on the eastern edge of the range, with the deepest canyon in the country dropping into Snake River at around 8,000 ft below.

Portland, a relaxed city in a beautiful setting with some old volcanic peaks, good architecture and surrounded by forests. Some attractions include the Tom McCall Waterfront Park for summer entertainments; the Portland building - the world's first post modern building; and the Classical Chinese Garden and the equivalent Japanese Garden.
Shoppers may be interested to know that the Lloyd Center was the USA's first shopping mall.
Hikers can avoid this mother of all malls by heading off to Forest Park.

Cascades Mountain Range: Oregon also benefits from this hiker-friendly mountain range which rises to the highest peak in the state, Mt Hood.

Activities:
Hiking: Olympic Peninsula, Coastal Islands and Cascades range, Washington State; Coast Range, Cascades Range, Wallowa Mountains Oregon.
Mountainbiking: San Juan Islands, Washington State; Coast Range, Oregon.
Whitewater Rafting and Canoeing: Yakima, Wenatchee, and Skagit rivers, Washington State; Rogue and Deschutes rivers, Oregon.
Off-roading: beach buggies and dirt bikes on the extensive sand dunes of Oregon Dunes Recreation Area, Oregon.
Whale Watching: migrating whales along the extensive coastline and islands.
Skiing: Crystal Mountain, and Methow Valley Washington; Mt Bachelor and Mt Hood, Oregon.

Washington State Map | USA Map

Seattle Guide | USA Travel Guide | California Travel Guide | USA Tours