| Why
Travel to the Pacific Northwest?
This is the home
of Seattle and Portland, two very visitable cities, both set in
beautiful locations.
There is a huge interest in the outdoors and wildlife in the region
and many places to satisfy the urge to explore wilderness.
Downside:
Rain is a running joke, running down your back most of the time.
When
to Travel to the Pacific Northwest:
Best: June-September [least
rain], except for winter sports October-February, April-May east
of the mountains for flowers.
Worst: Nov-March [cold, windy and wet]
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** towering skyscrapers, big bills in trendy restaurants, a sleepless
electric nirvana of high technology set in a beautiful landscape, more info
Olympic Peninsula** north west from
Seattle is this popular recreational area of mountains and forests.
The Olympic National Park covers most of the area, offering great
hiking and lake activities amongst the mountains and rain forests.
Popular parts 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 of Puget Sound is Vancouver Island in Canada and in between
it and the Washington State mainland 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* this part of the range runs from the bottom of British Columbia
in Canada to Columbia Gorge on the border with Oregon.
The northern parts make for excellent mountaineering and climbing,
while the North Cascades National Park is perfect for hiking.
Lake Chelan is popular 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.
Consider also:
Yakima for Native American Culture and wine country; Walla Walla
for historic architecture and more wineries.
Oregon**
Well known for its forward thinking politics and laid back style,
Oregon has a great cityin Portland, arguably the most beautiful
coastline on the west coast, and some big wilderness areas of both
mountainous and desert 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
sandcastles at beautiful Cannon Beach - where they are taken very
seriously.
Coastal Wilderness** watch sea creatures
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 benefits
from this hiker friendly mountain range which rises to the highest
peak in the state, Mt Hood.
Recreational
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.
Offroading: 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.
Major
Festivals and Events:
Oregon
Country Fair, Oregon
Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, Oregon
May-Aug, Portland Rose Festival, Portland, Oregon
June,
Sand Castle Day, Cannon Beach, Oregon
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