9 Best National Parks Near Seattle
The Pacific Northwest has some of the most geologically varied landscapes in the United States. It has rough fjord coastlines, temperate rainforests, and the stunning peaks of the Cascade, Coast, Olympic, and Columbia Mountains. Several active mountains dominate the skyline of the area. Mount Rainier, at 14,411 feet, is the highest point in the area. Some of the world’s biggest trees, coastal Douglas firs, grow in areas with lots of trees. The region’s nine national parks and recreation areas are easy to get to from big towns like Seattle. They offer a wide range of day trips for people who want to explore nature, learn about history, or go on adventures in the wilderness.
1.San Juan Island National Historical Park
The San Juan Island National Historical Park is on Washington’s barrier island of San Juan Island, which is in Puget Sound and close to Vancouver Island and the Haro and Rosario Straits. The American and English Camps were set up by the US and British Armies during the 1859 Pig War. The park was created in 1966 to protect our ancient campsites. As part of a disagreement over island territory, the armies lived in peace in the camps for more than ten years. These sites are now on the National Register of Historic Places. Each camp has a number of buildings that have been preserved, such as the commissary, barracks, leaders’ quarters, and hospital buildings. There are two tourist centers with displays and information about the park. Hiking trails offer many chances to see birds, pick berries, explore tidepools, and find shells. More thoughts: Beaches in Washington
P.O. Box 429, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, Phone: 360-378-2240
2.Lake Chelan National Recreation Area
The more than 61,000-acre Lake Chelan National Recreation Area is near Lake Chelan and the Stehekin River Valley. It is part of the North Cascades National Park Complex. Most of the year, the only ways to get to the recreation area are by ferry or floatplane from the nearby town of Chelan or from one of the many hiking trails in the Cascade Range or the nearby national park. However, in the summer, an off-road bus service is available to help hikers get to the area. The Golden West Visitor Center in the national park serves this area, which is home to a number of important historic places, such as the Buckner Homestead Historic District and the Stehekin School. The center lake of the unit is more than 1,500 feet deep and has lots of places to boat, fish, and camp along the shore. More thoughts: Beaches close to Seattle
810 State Route 20, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284, Phone: 360-854-7200
3.Klondike Gold Rush NHP
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park honors the Klondike gold rush of 1897, when about 70,000 people came to Washington state and southwestern Canada in the hopes of getting rich in the Yukon’s gold mines. Many people remember that the rush helped end the Panic of 1893 economic depression and was a big part of Seattle’s growth as a major American city. The National Historical Park’s tourist center and museum, which is in Seattle’s historic Cadillac Hotel, tells stories about the rush. There are participatory exhibits on two floors, and three documentaries about the event are shown several times a day. We have more day trips from Seattle.
319 Second Ave S., Seattle, WA 98104, Phone: 206-220-4240
4.Ross Lake National Recreation Area
The Ross Lake National Recreation Area is part of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex in Washington. The Lake Chelan National Recreation Area is also part of this complex, which is based around North Cascades National Park. The leisure area runs along the American-Canadian border along the Skagit River. It was built to keep the nearby national park from flooding. The NRA is a popular place for leisure in the Pacific Northwest. Its man-made lakes, Ross, Diablo, and Gorge, offer lots of chances to fish, canoe, and kayak. There are trailheads in the area that link to trails in the nearby national park. There are also a number of campgrounds along North Cascades Highway where you can stay the night with tent or RV hookups. The NRA is also home to the Desolation Peak Lookout fire tower, which was in the book Desolation Angels by Jack Kerouac. Read More Getaways from Seattle on the Weekend
810 WA-20, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284, Phone: 360-854-7200
5.Ebeys Landing National Historical Reserve
In the middle of Puget Sound, on Whidbey Island, not far from the port city of Coupeville, is Ebeys Landing National Historical Reserve. The reserve protects an important 19th-century settlement area with a unique, unbroken history. For example, fields from the 1850s Donation Land Claim Act are still in use today. It is managed by the federal government, the states, and the local government. It includes Fort Casey, Fort Ebey, and Ebey’s Landing State Parks, which have things to do like tours of old lighthouses and forts, hiking trails, and scuba diving. Boating, fishing, and mountain biking are all popular outdoor activities. The nearby town of Coupeville has old sites like the Island County Historical Museum. There isn’t an official NPS tourist center at the site, but the Jacob and Sarah Ebey House is run by volunteers during the summer as a visitor center.
162 Cemetery Rd, Coupeville, WA 98239, Phone: 360-678-6084
6.Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier National Park is a 236,000-acre national park within Pierce and Lewis Counties that was established in 1899 to preserve the region surrounding the 14,411-foot Mount Rainier stratovolcano, the Cascade Range’s largest peak. Today, the park receives more than 1.4 million annual visitors and is a popular spot for hiking and mountaineering, with more than 10,000 visitors attempting to reach the volcano’s summit each year.
The park’s Wonderland Trail passes several notable glaciers, including the largest glaciers in the United States by both volume and area, while its Sunrise observation peak, the highest point in the park accessible by vehicle, offers spectacular views at a height of 6,400 feet. Facilities within the park include the Longmire Museum, the Henry M Jackson Memorial Visitor Center, and a number of hotels, restaurants, and campgrounds within the park’s five developed units.
7.North Cascades National Park
The North Cascades National Park Complex is made up of more than 680,000 acres spread out across the states of Washington and British Columbia in Canada. North Cascades National Park is the main park in the complex. The park was made to protect the North Cascades glacial range, which is the largest system of its kind in the 48 contiguous states, along with the rivers and woods that flow through it. The ecosystems of this mostly undeveloped park are known for having the highest amount of plant biodiversity of any American national park. This means that visitors can explore nature, watch wildlife, and take pictures. Popular wilderness exploration activities for visitors include hiking, camping, and mountaineering, which all require a visitor permit. Two visitor centers are located within the park, including the Golden West Visitor Center, which showcases a gallery of works by local artists.
8.Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park covers almost a million acres on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. It has a wide range of habitats, including temperate rainforest, dry forest, and alpine areas. Starting in 1909, the park was named a National Monument. In 1938, it was changed into a national park.
It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has more than 70 miles of rough wilderness coastline for visitors to explore and go beach backpacking on. One of the most famous trails is the nine-mile Ozette Loop. For tourists who like to take risks, the park’s interior rainforest and alpine areas are great places to go day hiking. There are three tourist centers in the park. They have museum displays, documentary films, and nature trails with interpretive signs. They are also where rangers lead wildlife watching and night sky programming. Some other popular things to do in the park are fishing, skiing, snowshoeing, and camping at one of the 16 sites. These places are close to Olympic National Park.