This post was originally published on this site
Listen, we don’t want to get too dark, but we won’t be here forever. All of us will leave the Pacific Northwest one day, though hopefully not to move somewhere much less beautiful and interesting. But however (and whenever) the end comes, there are some things everyone must check off first. Here’s our bucket list of the best views and marvels near Seattle.
View the Grand Coulee Dam Laser Light Show
Coulee Dam
What sense does it make to noodle laser designs across the surface of the 550-foot hunk of concrete that dams the Columbia River? Very little, but, hey, it’s cool. Free summer laser light shows tell the story of the mighty river and the Depression-era structure.
Gaze at the Milky Way
Out There
Get somewhere remote enough (try backpacking in the North Cascades), wait until night, and just…look up: The hazy, starry expanse of the galaxy actually becomes visible to the naked eye. The Washington State Star Party brings the stargazing to a slightly more accessible location—at Jameson Lake northeast of Wenatchee.
Visit Palouse Falls
Franklin County
If Washington state had a screensaver, this would be it: 180 vertical feet of water dropping from basalt rock cliffs that look like cake layers, formed by lava flows. But this waterfall isn’t at the end of a grueling hike; the best viewpoint is right at the Palouse Falls State Park parking lot. A sturdy fence marks the closest anyone should get to the steep drop-off, but the barrier is often crossed by the yellow-bellied marmots that populate the park—giant ground squirrels so numerous that they can number in the dozens on a single lawn between picnic tables.
The waterfall dates back only to the last ice age floods, about 10,000 years ago, making it a baby in geologic terms. And though it might be the most famous part of the Palouse, the region that shares its moniker is one of the state’s most underappreciated landscapes. The Palouse is a patchwork of agriculture and grassy prairie, of small towns and rocky canyons; it can look like the farmland of Iowa or the desert of Utah in the span of a five-minute drive.
The falls are a sight best enjoyed from afar; after several deaths of hikers who followed unofficial trails near the roiling waters, more stringent barriers now mark off-limits areas. Kayakers have shot over the torrent (on purpose, that is), thought to be a world record for such a drop.
See Southern Resident Killer Whales
San Juan Islands
Not to impugn all the other cetaceans that call the Salish Sea home, but the 70-something individual orcas that make up our three hometown pods are the true celebrity icons of the region (sorry, Sue Bird and Macklemore). Given that boats must legally keep 1,000 yards away—instituted to keep them safe—the orcas make their best appearances through binoculars or from a Pacific Whale Watch Association tour boat.
Take in Snoqualmie Falls
Snoqualmie
Look closely at the roaring cascade near North Bend and you’ll hear the Twin Peaks theme song (the waterfall was featured in the opening credits), or maybe just the sound of 50-plus megawatts of energy being produced in one of the state’s hydropower operations. Go in spring when it’s running at peak volume.
Marvel from a Fire Lookout
The Cascades
Back when eyeballs were the only way to spot a wildfire, hundreds of cabins were positioned atop local mountains for trained watchers (including, for one summer, Jack Kerouac, at Desolation Peak). Now fewer than 100 remain, but many are open to the public and all have memorably broad scenic views—it’s kind of baked into the concept.
