13 Best Sights in Washington Cascade Mountains and Valleys, Washington

Jutting into Commencement Bay, this 760-acre park surrounds Five Mile Drive with hilly picnicking fields and patches of forest. Hiking trails, bike paths, and numerous gardens draw crowds year-round, particularly during summer festivals such as the Taste of Tacoma, in late June. The park begins at the north end of Pearl Street as you drive toward the Point Defiance Ferry Terminal, where vehicles depart for Vashon Island just across the Sound, but you can also walk or bike here via a new pedestrian bridge that connects with the new Point Ruston waterfront development. The park's one-way road meanders past a lake and picnic area, a rose garden, a spectacular 22-acre rhododendron garden, and a Japanese garden, finally winding down to the water. Here you can explore the driftwood-strewn, pebbly sands of Owen Beach—it's a wonderful place for beachcombing and sailboat-watching. Kayak rentals and concessions are available in summer. Cruise slowly to take in the scenes—and watch out for joggers and bikers.

The only public access in Bellingham to rippling, 14-mile-long Lake Whatcom is at its north end, in this park about a 10-minute drive east of downtown. Locals swim in the sheltered, if rather brisk, waters of a cove. Keep an eye out for beavers, river otters, ducks, great blue herons, and yellow pond lilies at Scudder Pond, which is another 100 feet west (reached by trail from the parking area at Northshore and Alabama).

With a long pier, a boardwalk over an old rail trestle, and a paved trail that skirts the waterfront overlooking the islands of Bellingham Bay, this leafy community park between downtown and Fairhaven is one of the loveliest spots in the area to stroll, jog, read a book, or watch the sailboats. At the center of the park is a branch of the popular local café Woods, which offers sweeping water views. Other amenities include a playground, a small beach, barbecue grills, and picnic tables.

This 15-acre swatch of towering evergreen trees is bisected by the roaring Deschutes River and set around the late Victorian buildings that once housed Olympia Brewery. At the south end of the park, you can visit a small salmon fish hatchery and then follow wooded paths and cross foot bridges as your make your way north alongside the rushing cascades. The path leads to Tumwater Historical Park and then under Interstate 5 to downtown Olympia's Capitol Park. Owned by the nonprofit Olympia Tumwater Foundation, this stretch of greenery offers an interesting mix of historical industrial architecture and nature, including local birdlife.

Given the rapid growth of Seattle's Eastside suburbs, it's a little hard to believe you can still find completely wild and secluded woodland trails less than 10 miles southeast of downtown Bellevue. This 3,115-acre county park centered on 1,614-foot Cougar Mountain is indeed wonderfully peaceful and undeveloped, with nearly 40 miles of hiking trails connected by four different trailheads. You can discover everything from lush wetlands to sheer cliffs here—even a few caves. Near the park's northeast border, the 11-acre Cougar Mountain Zoo ( www.cougarmountainzoo.org) is home to lemurs, Siberian reindeer, Bengal tigers, and many other species; it's well worth a visit if you're in the area.  

One of the best-known dive sites in Puget Sound, Edmonds Underwater Park is immediately north of the ferry landing and offers 27 acres of sunken vessels, man-made reefs, and developed dive trails at no charge. Adjacent Brackett's Landing Park—where there's parking—has trails, picnic areas, and restrooms.

Atop the eponymous mountain at the southeastern edge of town, this 522-acre park, which rises to nearly 1,000 feet above sea level, has great views of the Skagit Valley (especially in March and April, when the daffodils and tulips are in full bloom), the San Juan Islands, Mount Baker, and the distant Olympic Mountains. It's a lovely spot for a picnic.

With a curving modern pier, paved pathways lined with park benches, an imaginatively designed playground, a small sandy beach, and impressive views of the Seattle skyline in the distance, this 7-acre park within a short walk of downtown Bellevue is one of the prettiest spots along the Lake Washington shoreline for a picnic, a stroll, or a swim. From May through October, you can rent kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards from the REI Boathouse at the park.

Get your dinner to go and watch the sun go down behind Whidbey Island and the Olympic Mountains at this lovely waterfront park. The Olympic Beach fishing pier attracts anglers all year and public art dots the landscape. In summer, a beach ranger station (open weekends noon–5) is a great place to pick up local info; kids like exploring the marine touch tank.

Framing nearly 4 acres of landscaped desert gardens and bird-watching areas, this lovely waterfront spot stretches along a 1-mile boardwalk through a beachy section of the West Bay shoreline. The park overlooks yachts bobbing in the water at several marinas, and its amenities include beach pavilions and a playground. You can see it all from three stories up by climbing the winding steps of the viewing tower at the north end of the complex, in Port Plaza, where open benches invite visitors to relax and enjoy the outlook.

During the town's early years, Gig Harbor's waterfront was lined with wooden structures set on pilings over the water; fishermen used these netsheds to store gear and tackle. Today just 17 of these structures remain, with the town's still active commercial fishing fleet still using some of them. This 3-acre park preserves the historic home and netshed once owned by the Skansie Brothers, lifelong fishermen and boat builders. Festivals and a summer farmers' market are held on the grassy lawn, which includes a pavilion, picnic tables, and a platform overlooking the harbor.

This leafy 314-acre tract, called Priest Point Park until 2022, is a beautiful section of protected shoreline and wetlands. Thick swaths of forest and glistening bay views are the main attractions, with picnic areas and playgrounds filling in the open spaces. The 3-mile Ellis Cove Trail, with interpretive stations, bridges, and nature settings, runs through the Squaxin Park area and around the Olympia coast.

On upper Whatcom Creek, Whatcom Falls Park (reached via Lakeway, east from I–5) features a creek with a number of pretty waterfalls; one has a popular local swimming hole, although the water is very cold. Trails lead down creek and up the creek to Scudder Pond and Bloedel Donovan Park.