Things to do in Washington
60 places worth stopping for and 24 places to stay on a road trip through Washington.
See and do
- Walk
Walk · Forks
Hall of Mosses
A short loop through a temperate rain forest draped in moss.
Viewpoint · Port Angeles
Hurricane Ridge
A mountain-top road drive from sea level to alpine meadows and a wall of peaks.
Viewpoint · Ashford
Paradise
Wildflower meadows and glaciers right at the top of the road.
Viewpoint · Enumclaw
Sunrise
The highest road in the park, with big views of Mount Rainier.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · Glacier
Artist Point
The road-end viewpoint at Mount Baker with Mount Shuksan in front of you.
Viewpoint · Newhalem
Diablo Lake Overlook
Turquoise glacial water below the peaks, right off the highway.
Viewpoint · Mazama
Washington Pass Overlook
A short paved path to a view of Liberty Bell Mountain and the road below.
- Walk
Walk · Lake OzetteHidden gem
Cape Alava and the Ozette petroglyphs
Boardwalk hike to the westernmost point of the lower 48.
- Beach
Beach · Neah BayHidden gem
Shi Shi Beach
A remote, wild Olympic beach with sea stacks, reached on a muddy forest walk.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Lake Crescent
Marymere Falls
An easy forest walk to a 90-foot waterfall near Lake Crescent.
- Beach
Beach · Forks
Ruby Beach
Sea stacks, driftwood heaps and a creek crossing on the wild coast.
History · Port Townsend
Fort Worden State Park
A coastal fort with beaches, a lighthouse, and Victorian Port Townsend next door.
Waterfall · WashtucnaHidden gem
Palouse Falls
A 198-foot waterfall plunging into a canyon in dry eastern Washington.
- Hot pool
Hot pool · Port Angeles
Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort
Soak in mineral pools surrounded by forest, then walk to a nearby waterfall.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Port Angeles
Sol Duc Falls
A three-chute waterfall under a log footbridge, 0.8 miles from the road end.
Beach · La Push
Rialto Beach and Hole-in-the-Wall
Drift-log beach with a rock arch you can walk through at low tide.
- Beach
Beach · La Push
Second Beach
A 0.7-mile forest walk to a wide sandy beach with sea stacks and tide pools.
Viewpoint · Neah Bay
Cape Flattery
A boardwalk walk to the north-westernmost point of the lower 48.
- Walk
Walk · Packwood
Grove of the Patriarchs
A suspension-bridge walk to an island of 1,000-year-old trees.
Walk · Marblemount
Cascade Pass
A day hike to a high pass with glaciers and wildflower slopes.
Cave · Cougar
Ape Cave
A 2-mile lava tube you can walk through underground.
- Museum
Museum · Neah BayHidden gem
Makah Cultural and Research Center
Museum of artefacts dug from a Makah village buried by a mudslide.
- Lake
Lake · Coulee City
Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park
Desert lakes in a flood-carved canyon, with a swim beach and the Dry Falls visitor center.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Gold Bar
Wallace Falls State Park
A stacked waterfall on the Wallace River, reached on a steady forested climb from a car park.
Activity · GoldendaleHidden gem
Goldendale Observatory State Park
A public observatory with large telescopes in dark eastern Gorge country.
Waterfall · Mount Rainier National Park
Comet Falls
One of the tallest falls in the park, reached on a steady climb from the Paradise road.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · MazamaHidden gem
Harts Pass
The highest road you can drive in Washington, a slow gravel climb to alpine ridges.
Wildlife · Friday Harbor
Lime Kiln Point State Park
A rocky headland on San Juan Island for watching orcas from shore.
- Walk
Walk · Lake Crescent
Spruce Railroad Trail
A flat, scenic old rail bed along the north shore of Lake Crescent.
Viewpoint · Orcas Island
Mount Constitution
A summit tower on Orcas Island with wide views over the San Juans.
Viewpoint · Colfax
Steptoe Butte State Park
A butte rising above the rolling Palouse wheat fields with a drive-up summit.
- Walk
Walk · SequimHidden gem
Dungeness Spit
A five-mile sand spit walk to a working lighthouse in the rain shadow.
Viewpoint · Coulee CityHidden gem
Dry Falls
The skeleton of a dry waterfall bigger than Niagara, left by the Ice Age floods.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Ashford
Narada Falls
A 168-foot waterfall beside the road to Paradise.
- Lake
Lake · EnumclawHidden gem
Tipsoo Lake
A small alpine lake beside Chinook Pass with the mountain reflected in it.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · CarsonHidden gem
Panther Creek Falls
A 130-foot waterfall on the Washington side you view from a short path.
- Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · GoldendaleHidden gem
Maryhill Stonehenge
A full-size concrete replica of Stonehenge as a war memorial above the Columbia.
Town · Port Townsend
Port Townsend
A well-kept Victorian seaport good for a long lunch and a browse.
Lake · Ashford
Reflection Lakes
A roadside lake that mirrors the mountain on still mornings.
Town · Winthrop
Winthrop
An Old West-styled town at the end of the North Cascades Highway.
Town · Leavenworth
Leavenworth
A Bavarian-themed town with beer halls, bakeries and mountain views.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Snoqualmie
Snoqualmie Falls
A 268-foot waterfall just off I-90, handy on the way into the mountains.
- Walk
Walk · Port Angeles
Hurricane Hill trail
Paved trail with views to the Strait and the Olympic peaks.
- Lake
Lake · Chelan
Lake Chelan State Park
A long sandy swim beach on Washington's biggest, clearest lake.
Waterfall · Snoqualmie Pass
Franklin Falls
A quick, easy walk off I-90 to a 70-foot waterfall on the South Fork Snoqualmie.
History · DallesportHidden gem
Horsethief Lake State Park
A Columbia River park with ancient petroglyphs on guided tours and a camp beside the water.
- History
History · Coupeville
Fort Casey State Park
Old coastal gun batteries and a lighthouse on Whidbey Island.
- Town
Town · Cle ElumHidden gem
Roslyn
The old coal-mining town used as the filming location for Northern Exposure.
- History
History · Grand Coulee
Grand Coulee Dam
A huge concrete dam on the Columbia with a summer laser light show.
Lake · Lake RooseveltHidden gem
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
A long reservoir with campgrounds, beaches and houseboats in northeastern Washington.
- Town
Town · San Juan Island
Roche Harbor
A historic lime-works village turned yacht harbour with a sculpture park nearby.
- Town
Town · Ocean ParkHidden gem
Oysterville
A preserved 19th-century oyster village on Willapa Bay.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · Seattle
Kerry Park
The classic Seattle skyline view, with the Space Needle and Mount Rainier behind.
- History
History · Seattle
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks
A working lock with a fish ladder where you can watch salmon pass.
Museum · Goldendale
Maryhill Museum of Art
A chateau-style art museum in the middle of dry hills, full of surprises.
- Walk
Walk · Newhalem
Trail of the Cedars
A flat loop through old cedars and a suspension bridge by the Skagit River.
Waterfall · Skykomish
Deception Falls
A short roadside walk to a cascade on Highway 2 over Stevens Pass.
- History
History · ChinookHidden gem
Fort Columbia State Park
Old coastal artillery fort on a headland above the Columbia River mouth.
- History
History · Westport
Grays Harbor Lighthouse and Westport Light
Washington's tallest lighthouse, with a boardwalk through the dunes to the beach.
- Town
Town · Neah Bay
Neah Bay
End-of-the-road fishing village on Makah land, gateway to the wild north-west corner.
Food stops
- Restaurant
Restaurant · LilliwaupHidden gem
Hama Hama Oyster Saloon
An outdoor oyster bar at a working oyster farm on Hood Canal, open weekends year round.
Market · Seattle
Pike Place Market
Seattle's famous waterfront market of fish, flowers and food stalls.
- Bakery
Bakery · MazamaHidden gem
Mazama Store
A general store and bakery that locals and cyclists treat as a landmark.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · Seattle
Dick's Drive-In (Wallingford)
The original 1954 Seattle burger drive-in, with a walk-up window and the Deluxe burger.
Places to stay
Campground · Olympic National Park
Hoh Campground
Camp in the mossy Hoh Rain Forest.
Campground · Kalaloch
Kalaloch Campground
Clifftop camping with direct stairs to a long, driftable ocean beach.
- Campground
Campground · Ilwaco
Cape Disappointment State Park
Camping, a lighthouse and wild river-mouth beaches at the Columbia's end.
- Lodge
Lodge · Lake Crescent
Lake Crescent Lodge
A 1916 lakeside lodge with cabins, a porch and a deep blue lake out the front.
- Campground
Campground · Mount RainierHidden gem
Ohanapecosh Campground
Old-growth forest camp on the quieter side of Rainier.
- Campground
Campground · North CascadesHidden gem
Colonial Creek Campground
Lakeside camp on Diablo Lake, off the North Cascades Highway.
Campground · KalalochHidden gem
South Beach Campground
Cheap camp on the bluff over a wild Pacific beach.
- Campground
Campground · Port AngelesHidden gem
Deer Park Campground
High, quiet tent camp at 5,400 ft with meadows and mountain views.
- Campground
Campground · Forks
Mora Campground
Forest camp two miles from Rialto Beach's sea stacks.
Campground · Mount AdamsHidden gem
Takhlakh Lake Campground
High lake camp with Mount Adams filling the view, deep in the Gifford Pinchot forest.
- Campground
Campground · North Cascades National Park
Newhalem Creek Campground
Main campground in North Cascades National Park, close to the visitor centre and the Skagit River.
- Campground
Campground · Orcas Island
Moran State Park campground
Island camp with mountain lakes and a road to the top of Mount Constitution.
Campground · Oak Harbor
Deception Pass State Park (Cranberry Lake campground)
Camp near the Deception Pass bridge, with beaches, cliffs and the lake.
Campground · Electric City
Steamboat Rock State Park
A big lakeside camp at Banks Lake under a basalt butte.
- Campground
Campground · JoyceHidden gem
Salt Creek Recreation Area
County campground above a rocky tide pool shore and old gun batteries.
- Campground
Campground · HoodsportHidden gem
Staircase Campground
A quiet river campground on the drier side of the Olympics.
- Campground
Campground · Neah BayHidden gem
Hobuck Beach Resort
Camp behind a surf beach on the Makah Nation coast.
- Campground
Campground · Packwood
Ohanapecosh Campground
Shaded riverside camping among old-growth forest in the park's southeast corner.
Campground · Ashford
Cougar Rock Campground
Tree-covered park campground close to Paradise and Longmire.
- Campground
Campground · Newhalem
Colonial Creek Campground
Lake campground by Diablo Lake with a boat launch and trailheads.
Campground · Leavenworth
Lake Wenatchee State Park
A lakeside state park with camping, swimming and a gentle beach.
- Lodge
Lodge · Quinault
Lake Quinault Lodge
A 1926 cedar lodge on a lake, on the edge of the Quinault rain forest.
- Campground
Campground · Port Angeles
Fairholme Campground
Lake Crescent's west end camp with a boat launch next door.
- Campground
Campground · Port Angeles
Heart O' the Hills Campground
First-come camp on the road to Hurricane Ridge.
More regions
- California
- Texas
- Oregon
- Colorado
- Florida
- Utah
- Arizona
- Michigan
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Hawaii
- Montana
- Alaska
- Wyoming
- Illinois
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Wisconsin
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- Georgia
- Kansas
- Virginia
- Idaho
- Missouri
- Oklahoma
- Maine
- South Carolina
- Nebraska
- New York
- Kentucky
- Pennsylvania
- North Dakota
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Ohio
- Indiana
- New Hampshire
- Mississippi
- Vermont
- Massachusetts
- Alabama
- Connecticut
- New Jersey
- Rhode Island
- West Virginia
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
Plan the drive, not just the stops
Roadtrip works out what the drive costs in fuel for your car, splits it into days with the best stops and places to sleep, and finds the cheapest fuel on the way.
Rated 4.7 by drivers · 700,000 downloads
