Washington State Things to Do

Whether you like fishing in the ocean, rivers or lakes, from a boat or shoreline, Washington State is a fisherman’s paradise.  Cast your fishing lines in beautiful lakes and reservoirs, including Grand Coulee Dam, Banks Lake, Lake Roosevelt, and Lake Rufus Woods. Reel in a sturgeon from the mighty Columbia River that cuts through the Cascades. Hook a wild Chinook salmon in Washington’s rich coastal waters, including the Puget Sound and Blake Island State Marine Park in Seattle. Go fly fishing for rainbow trout in glacier-fed rivers and lakes.  [Top]

From the Puget Sound to the Columbia Plateau, the Cascades to the Columbia River Gorge, Washington is beautiful destination for wine lovers and is the country’s second-largest wine producer. Tour charming wine country roads to Washington State's finest vineyards and sample vintages at 650 wineries. East of the Cascade Mountains, the Washington Wine Country is blessed with several wine-growing regions and 200 wineries and vineyards. The Columbia Valley AVA features 40 wineries that produce passionately crafted wines, such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, chardonnay, and riesling. Near Seattle, Woodinville Wine Country is a beautiful countryside with 40 wineries – from the historic vineyards of Chateau St. Michelle to boutique wineries like Monolith. Boasting a dozen wineries, Lake Chelan Valley is a charming wine getaway.  [Top]

With beautiful national and state parks, wilderness and recreation areas, nature preserves, and trails and greenbelts, Washington is a haven for hikers, trekkers and bikers. From hardcore mountain hikes to waterfront walks, Washington offers awesome hiking environments including rainforests, mountains, alpine wilderness, deserts, beaches, lake tracks, and switchbacks up volcanoes. Mount Rainier National Park, Mount St. Helens, Olympic National Park, and Mount Baker offer hiking and mountain climbing through forests and meadows to alpine slopes. In Spokane, enjoy hiking and biking along Spokane’s Riverfront Park and Centennial Trail, or cycle in Damon Point State Park in Ocean Shores.  [Top]

With giant snow-capped mountains like Mt. Rainier, the highest peak in the Cascade Range, Mount Baker, and Mt. Olympus, Washington State is a skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling utopia. High up Mt. Baker, the Summit at Snoqualmie Ski Area is a skiing and snowboarding oasis, with 1,100 acres of ski terrain, 1100-foot verticals, cross-country trails and snowboard areas. Mt. Baker Ski Resort offers challenging ski runs, freestyle areas, 1500 vertical feet and deep snow for downhill skiing, x-country, snowboarding, and snowmobiling. Skiers flock to Crystal Mountain for the alpine terrain, deep powder, 3,100 foot verticals, and backcountry trails. Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park offers 1,425 acres and 2,000 vertical feet for skiing and snowboarding. Trek Washington’s 3,000 miles of snowmobiling trails in destinations like Snoqualmie National Forest, Badger Mountain Ski Hill and Colville National Forest.  [Top]

Washington State is a shopper’s paradise with many shopping malls, department stores, outlets, flea and farmers markets, antique shops and specialty shops that sell everything including arts and crafts, fashion, wines, specialty foods, books, music and Seattle coffee. Washington’s most famous shopping destinations include Downtown Seattle, Pike Place Market - one of the most colorful shopping areas in the Pacific Northwest - Seattle Premium Outlets and Seattle’s Westlake Center Plaza. The beautiful city of Spokane is an exciting shopping destination with a wealth of shopping districts, malls, and boutiques, including the historic Davenport District and NorthTown Mall.  [Top]