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Highways Day Trips Espresso Washington WA Cities State Page Ocean Beaches Wine Cities along I-5 North to south Bellingham Mt.Vernon Everett Seattle Tacoma Olympia Chehalis Kelso Vancouver, WA Eastern WA NW Washington US-101 NW Highways Cascade Loop Mt. Baker Scenic Byway SW Washington SW Highways	Washington State Some facts about Washington State: Became a State in 1889 Capital: Olympia Population: 5.7 ± million Area: 70,637 square miles Nickname: The Evergreen State Named after George Washington The only State named after a President Mt. Rainier at 14,411 feet is the tallest point Has 157 miles of coastline on the Pacific Ocean Mt. Rainier is the second highest point in the lower 48 States World’s largest tulip fields are located in Skagit Valley around Mount Vernon. Olympic Rain Forest, wettest place in lower 48 States, over 140 inches of rain Seattle’s Pike Place Market is oldest farmer’s market in the nation Puget Sound is the largest inland seaway in the nation
	It rains in Washington State As you probably know, and if you don’t you should know, it rains in Washington State. The rain is what makes our State “The Evergreen State.” The great thing about the rain in the State of Washington is that it rarely rains hard. Most of the time you can walk a block in the rain and only have damp shoulders, then go inside and be totally dry in 15 minutes. If you want to avoid rain on your vacation to Washington State the best time is from mid-July through September. In Washington most of us don’t vacation in June because it rains often in June and most July 4^th’s also have rainy weather. The benefits of our rain Because it rains a lot in Washington State we have thousands of square miles of lush forests and hundreds of rivers and streams full of recreational opportunities. There are thousands of campgrounds in our forests, both private and public. In the public sector not only do we have wonderful State Parks, we also have campgrounds provided by the National Forests, State Department of Natural Resources, County Parks, and National Parks. If water is your thing, there are endless opportunities for white water river rafting, canoeing, kayaking, and tubing in our rivers and Puget Sound offers yachting, sailing, kayaking, and other water sports. The Greater Puget Sound The inland waters of the Pacific Ocean are separated into two separate areas. The San Juan Islands are the Washington Waters north of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound is the waters south of the Straight. The remainder of the inland waters to the north are in Canada. The cities of Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Bremerton, and Port Townsend are all located on the Puget Sound. The Washington State Ferry System crosses the Puget Sound at several points. The cities of Bellingham, Blaine, Anacortes, Friday Harbor are all located in the San Juan Islands area but those who consider all inland seaway waters in Washington State as Puget Sound also say they are located on Puget Sound. For simplicity we are not going to follow the technical names of the different areas, we are going to call all inland tidal waters, even the Canadian waters, the Greater Puget Sound For more information about ferries and access to the Greater Puget Sound visit our Greater Puget Sound page by clicking the button below. For information about the San Juan Islands click on that hot link below. Puget Sound The San Juan Islands
	Interstate-5 Washington State has two main Interstate Highways. Interstate-5 begins at the Canadian Border and runs south, in the valleys east of Puget Sound and the Coastal Mountain Range, all the way to the Columbia River and beyond that to the Mexican Border. A majority of the population in Washington State live along the Interstate-5 corridor. Interstate-5 begins in Blaine at the Canadian Border continues south through Bellingham, Burlington, Mount Vernon, Everett, Lynnwood, Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia (the State Capital), Tumwater, Centralia, Chehalis, Kelso, and finally Vancouver, WA to the middle of the Columbia River at the Washington / Oregon state line. Interstate-90 Washington’s other major highway is Interstate-90. It begins in Seattle and goes east over the Cascade Mountains through Snoqualmie Pass into eastern Washington, terminating near Spokane at the Washington / Idaho state line. Interstate-90 continues east from there. Interstate-90 is the main east / west highway to the Midwest and Eastern United States. Interstate-90 begins in Seattle at Interstate-5 and goes east over the world’s first floating bridge then through Mercer Island, Bellevue, Issaquah, North Bend, over Snoqualmie Pass, then through Ellensburg, Moses Lake, Ritzville, Spokane, and to the Washington / Idaho state line.
Washington’s Ocean Beaches North South	Washington’s Ocean Beaches We’ve separated Washington’s Ocean Beaches into two areas. The southern Pacific Ocean Beaches and the northern Pacific Ocean Beaches. We have chosen to do this because the two areas are separated by over 50 miles of driving around Willapa Bay. The Southern Pacific Ocean Beaches This area lies just north of the Columbia River’s inlet into the Pacific Ocean, which is the border between the states of Washington and Oregon. The area has many names including; The Long Beach Peninsula, The North Beach Peninsula, Cape Columbia, and the Discovery Coast. This is were Lewis & Clark and the Discovery Corps first saw the Pacific Ocean up close and personal. There are several communities on the Long Beach Peninsula including; Ocean Park, Long Beach, Seaview, and Ilwaco. There are 28 miles of hard sand beach on the ocean side of the peninsula that runs parallel to the ocean. On the east side of the peninsula is Willapa Bay, a protected harbor. Oyster farming and seafood processing are some of the main activities on Willapa Bay. Washington's southern Pacific Ocean Beaches The Northern Pacific Ocean Beaches Our northern Pacific ocean beaches area includes the 60 north-most miles of coastline from Cape Flattery, the farthest northwest point of Washington State along the ocean, to the Quinault Indian Reservation. Except for the Quileute and Makah Indian reservations all of this part of the Pacific Coast is in the Olympic National Park and is only accessible to hikers. The two exceptions are La Push where you can drive to the ocean and Kalaloch where US-101 runs right along the ocean. Both of these areas have wide sandy beaches. The next 20 miles of ocean beaches are in the Quinault Indian Reservation and are basically inaccessible to the public. Those areas that can be accessed require a beach use permit from the Quinault Tribe. From the south boundary of the Quinault Indian Reservation to the Columbia River and Oregon State are held publicly and all of the ocean beaches have public access. You can drive on much of the beach. The area from the Quinault Indian Reservation to the mouth of Grays Harbor is probably the busiest part of Washington’s Pacific Coast. This area includes Ocean Shores with its wide variety of accommodations. It also includes the communities and areas up WA-109 north of Ocean Shores. The area south of Grays Harbor and north of Willapa Bay we like to call the Cranberry Peninsula. This area is known for its Cranberry bogs and cranberry industry which is an important part of the local culture. However, the 12 mile long stretch of beautiful ocean beach can’t be ignored. This area is quieter and very relaxing. If it gets too quiet you can drive up a peninsula off of the Cranberry Peninsula to Westport for some deep sea fishing or a little shopping. Washington's northern Pacific Ocean Beaches. Washington’s newest ocean front community Seabrook
	Washington State Maps The Washington State Department of Transportation has a great website for printable maps of Washington State http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/publications/highwaymap/locator.htm
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