Pacific Northwest Vacations | Central Washington Travel Guide

Central Washington & Cascades

This amazing stretch of the Cascades is filled with one National Park after another and contains a lifetime of exploration for visitors and residents alike. Formerly the “Mt. Fuji of the West,” the eruption of Mt. St. Helens established a reputation of its own, offering researchers and outdoor enthusiasts a unique glimpse of the regional geology from its regenerating pumice fields to still smoking crater. Also famous to climbers, the glacially-carved valleys of North Cascades National Park provide a look back to the last ice age, with wolves, lynx, moose, and wolverines ruling as they always have.

The tallest mountain in the range, Mt. Rainier, has had the luck of being recognized and protected very early on by conservationist John Muir, preserving the largest volcanic glacier cave network in the world. Sitting below this giant park is Yakima, “the Palm Springs of Washington,” which provides travelers with an abundance of wines and produce to taste under ever-sunny skies. From the Alpine to the Lunar and under the massive firs, this volcanic landscape will blow you away