3 Best Sights in Washington Cascade Mountains and Valleys, Washington

Vintage railroad cars line a paved path along Railroad Avenue, with signs explaining the origin of each engine, car, and caboose, with more history and memorabilia inside several different buildings, including the former waiting room of the stunningly restored Snoqualmie depot. The Railway History Campus, located in the train shed a mile south of the depot at 9312 Stone Quarry Road, displays photographs, documents, and exhibits related to the region's rail history. Several times a day on weekends, a train made of cars built in the mid-1910s for the Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railroad travels between Snoqualmie Depot and North Bend. The two-hour round-trip excursion passes through woods, past waterfalls, and around patchwork farmland, and it includes a stop at the History Campus. Families pack the winter Santa Train journeys and the mid-August Snoqualmie Days rides; the latter event features an annual parade.

Winter through early summer, rain and snowmelt turn the Snoqualmie River into a thundering torrent at Snoqualmie Falls, although the view is pretty astounding even during dry periods. These sweeping cascades, which the region's indigenous residents consider sacred, provided the backdrop for the Twin Peaks opening montage. The water pours over a 268-foot rock ledge (100 feet higher than Niagara Falls) to a 65-foot-deep pool. A privately owned 2-acre park with a gift shop and observation platform affords some of the best views of the falls and the mountains beyond, as does the elegant Salish Lodge hotel. The 3-mile round-trip River Trail winds through trees and over open slopes to the base of the cascades.

Stop by this tasting room inside a high-ceilinged former theater in Snoqualmie's Old Town to sample a selection of exceptional wines, most of them made with Bordeaux and Rhône varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from top vineyards around throughout the Columbia Valley. Appetizers, including cheese and meat boards, are available, and there's live music most Friday and Saturday evenings. Sigillo has a second tasting room in Chelan.