Washington

The state of Washington in the far northwest of the USA shares nothing with the nation's capital on the East Coast but its name. A trip to Washington takes you to glacier-clad volcanoes like Mount Rainier, into temperate rainforests draped in moss, across the islands of Puget Sound, and into the dry, sunny wine country in the east. Right in the middle lies Seattle, home to Boeing factories, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Landscape: From the Pacific to the Steppe

The Cascade Range divides the state into two completely different worlds. To the west it is damp and green, with dense forests of Douglas fir and western red cedar. The Olympic Peninsula holds the Hoh Rain Forest, one of the few temperate rainforests in the world, along with wild Pacific beaches and snow-capped peaks. Puget Sound, a branching inlet of the sea, is dotted with islands, including the San Juan Islands, where you can watch for orcas. East of the Cascades lies the rain shadow: wheat fields, orchards, and the bizarre basalt canyons of the Channeled Scablands, shaped by Ice Age megafloods stretch out here.

Cities: Seattle and Surroundings

Seattle sits between Puget Sound and Lake Washington. The 1962 Space Needle, Pike Place Market with its flying fish, the Museum of Pop Culture, and the glass art of Dale Chihuly are all part of the program. Neighborhoods like Capitol Hill, Fremont, and Ballard each have their own character; this is where the grunge sound and the Starbucks coffee chain were born. Across the lake lies Bellevue with its glass towers and tech companies; to the south are Kent and the port city of Tacoma with the Museum of Glass. Everett to the north is home to one of the largest buildings in the world, the Boeing factory, and Bellingham is a laid-back college town near the Canadian border. Vancouver, Washington lies on the Columbia River directly across from Portland, and Spokane in the east sits on the Spokane River, with waterfalls in the middle of the city.

Sights in Washington

At around 14,400 feet (4,400 meters), Mount Rainier is the highest peak in the state and is covered by more than two dozen glaciers; in summer, lupines and lilies bloom in the meadows of Paradise. Mount St. Helens, which lost its summit in a devastating eruption in 1980, can be viewed from the Johnston Ridge Observatory. North Cascades National Park, with turquoise lakes such as Diablo Lake, is among the wildest Washington destinations. Ferries run from Seattle to Bainbridge Island and to the San Juan Islands. Leavenworth in the Cascades is styled as a Bavarian village and celebrates Oktoberfest and a Christmas market.

History and Culture

The coast was home to numerous Indigenous peoples such as the Duwamish and Suquamish, whose chief Seattle gave the city its name. Totem poles and wood carvings recall these cultures. In the 19th century, loggers and fishermen arrived, and the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 made Seattle the departure port for Alaska. Washington became a state in 1889. In the 20th century, Boeing, and later Microsoft and Amazon, brought prosperity. The state is considered liberal, outdoorsy, and coffee-loving. Olympia, the small capital at the southern end of Puget Sound, stands clearly in the shadow of the metropolis.

Food and Drink

Salmon, often grilled on cedar planks, is the culinary symbol of the Northwest, along with Dungeness crab, oysters, and clams from Puget Sound. Washington is the largest apple producer in the USA and, after California, the second-largest wine producer; robust red wines come from around Walla Walla and the Yakima Valley. The Yakima Valley also supplies a large share of America's hops, which is reflected in numerous craft breweries. Seattle itself is hard to imagine without espresso.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) has direct flights from several European cities; Spokane has a regional airport. The Amtrak Cascades connects Vancouver, Canada, with Portland via Seattle, and state ferries serve Puget Sound. The best time to visit is July through September, when it is usually dry and the mountain roads to Mount Rainier and through the North Cascades are open. Fall and winter bring plenty of drizzle in the west, and snow in the mountains for ski areas like Crystal Mountain.