Northwestern United States Vacations

While the northwestern United States may not interest the tropical vacation crowd, for those who prefer to vacation in more temperate climates, Seattle and many cities in Oregon and Washington offer spectacular outdoor scenery and a wide range of activities.

As the only state named after a U.S. president, Washington is a land of coastal splendor and evergreen rainforests. From the coffee houses of Seattle to the Cascade Mountains in the east, Washington offers something for everyone.

Seattle, Washington's largest city, is ground zero for the nation's obsession with specialty coffee and coffee houses. Located in the middle of Puget Sound, Seattle is a city of parks, music and theaters (New York City is the only U.S. city with more professional theater venues than Seattle). Even Seattle's setting is a dramatic mix of mountainous vistas and ocean estuaries.

While Seattle is one of the most beautiful cities in the northwestern United States, it is certainly one of the wettest. Seattle gets such large amounts of rain each year due to the way in which the warm air from the Pacific piles against the Cascade Mountains. The rain explains how green and lush Seattle's surroundings are (and goes a way to explaining the citywide habit of warming up with hot, steamy coffee).

While much of the northwestern United States receives frequent rainfall, not all of Washington state experiences such copious rainfall. Because the cascades trap rain on their west slopes, the area of Washington east of the Cascades and west of the Rocky Mountains is drier, with colder winters and warmer summers.

Puget Sound is a body of ocean water separating Washington and the northwestern United States from the southwest of British Columbia, Canada. Puget Sound extends 50 miles inland and includes:

The Sound provides Washington with ports safe from the rigors of the Pacific coast and is a playground for vacationers who enjoy water activities.

Visitors to Washington can kayak, boat and scuba dive as they explore Puget Sound. Orca (killer whales) are often seen in Puget Sound, and Washington whale-watching includes the annual migration of grey whales up and down the Pacific coast from their winter feeding grounds in the north to their breeding grounds in the south.

Running along the southwest shores of Puget Sound lies Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Home to the million-acre Olympic National Park, the Olympic Peninsula is covered with temperate rainforests with mist-filled valleys that call out to be explored.

In addition to rainforests, the Olympic Peninsula offers visitors the opportunities to visit glaciers. Taking a trip to see Washington's glaciers is a great way to cool off during the summer months, although the peninsula's temperate climate means the weather is rarely unbearably hot.

South of Puget Sound, the Olympic Peninsula coastline is a maze of inlets and glacial carved bays. Beachcombers searching the shores may be rewarded with glass Japanese fishing balls, which may wash up on shore after traveling across the Pacific.

Located just below Washington state on the coast of the northwestern United States, Oregon is rich in history. Oregon is where Louis and Clark wintered before making their return journey from the Pacific coast.

The famous Oregon Trail runs through the east of the state. In some parts of eastern Oregon, it's still possible to see ruts left by the thousands of pioneer wagons that arrived in the Pacific Northwest.

If the history of Oregon fascinates you, consider visiting the Thomas Cardon Paleontology Museum, where exhibits showcase Oregon as it was 44 million years ago. Similarly, you can visit the John Day Fossil Beds, where you can search for saber-toothed tiger remains.

Oregon's climate is diverse. Along the west coast, the climate, rainfall and temperature resemble the Washington coast, and most of north Oregon is forested. In the east, however, the landscape turns to dry desert, including such spectacles as the painted hills and Hell's Canyon, the deepest river gorge in all of North America.

For Oregon vacationers with more urban inclinations, Portland offers museums, art galleries and professional symphonies. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, one of the largest art events in the northwest, occurs every year in Ashland.

 

 

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Olympic Peninsula. (n.d.). Welcome to the Olympic Peninsula. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from the Olympic Peninsula Web site.
 
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