Washington State Travel Guide

Washington State, bordering Canada and the Pacific Ocean, offers some of the USA's finest scenery for active holidays in the great outdoors. Washington state has the second-highest population of any western state, yet within minutes visitors can travel from any city centre to peaceful countryside. The Snake and Columbia rivers flow through eastern Washington before joining to cut a passage through the Cascades, the north-south mountain range that dominates the centre of the state, rising to 4,392m (14,411ft) at Mount Rainier. Washington State boasts many fine beaches and small resorts on the Pacific coast, and much of the state is covered by coniferous forest. Activities include yachting on Puget Sound, hiking along the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, and mountain climbing in the Cascades and the Olympic Mountains.