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National Parks

From Sea-Level to 14,411 Feet, Washington State’s National Parks Have Something for Every Traveler

One of the quintessential American travel experiences is a visit to a national park. Washington State boasts three, all within 200 miles of each other, giving travelers the unique opportunity to visit multiple parks in one trip. Subalpine meadows, temperate rainforests, pristine coastlines, towering peaks, deep blue mountain lakes, massive glaciers, and abundant plants and wildlife are just some of the reasons millions of visitors visit Washington’s national parks each year.

Each sprawling park offers something different from the next: Mt. Rainier National Park is home to one of the highest peaks in the United States ; North Cascades National Park is home to rugged, untouched wilderness; and Olympic National Park is an incredibly diverse park with miles of coastline, mountain peaks and North America ’s largest temperate rainforest.

Mt. Rainier National Park

At 14,411 feet, Mt. Rainier is highest peak in the Cascade Mountains and the most prominent mountain in the contiguous United States . On a clear day, Mt. Rainier , formally called Mt. Tahoma , trumps any other feature in the Western Washington skyline. Established in 1899, the park surrounding Mt. Rainier is the fifth oldest national park in the United States . With more than 300 miles of hiking trails, including the 93-mile Wonderland Trail that encircles the entire mountain, visitors could spend weeks exploring. The aptly named Paradise area on the southern slope of the mountain is the most popular destination for visitors to Mt. Rainier National Park. Paradise is famous for its beautiful views and fields of wildflowers that bloom in the spring and summer, where visitors can learn more about the park at the Paradise Jackson Visitor Center .

North Cascades National Park

North Cascades National Park covers 684,000 acres of mountain wilderness. The park is home to several climbable peaks and more than 300 glaciers – the most glaciers of any national park outside of Alaska . With the diversity and size of the peaks, options abound for climbers of any skill level or discipline.

Hiking is another popular outdoor activity in the North Cascades National Park , which features 386 miles of maintained hiking trails that encompasses all levels of difficulty and covers a variety of landscapes.

Olympic National Park

The Olympic National Park, situated on the Olympic Peninsula in northwest Washington, is a large – nearly 1 million acres – and diverse park boasting several distinct geographic features ranging from mountains and ocean beaches to temperate rain forests and glacier-capped peaks. The Olympic National Park is home to the largest temperate rainforest in the continental U.S. , which receives 12 to 14 feet of rain each year! The heavy rainfall fuels a rich ecosystem and is home to many unique wildlife species including Roosevelt Elk (found only in the Pacific Northwest ), banana slugs, black tail deer and pileated woodpeckers. The Olympic Peninsula’s “wet” reputation also caught the attention of author Stephanie Meyer, prompting her to choose it as the setting for her international bestselling “Twilight” series.

 
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