Washington Cascades
©Asif Islam/Shutterstock
Overview
Grafted onto one of the more temperamental segments of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Washington Cascades are a rugged, spectacular mountain range capped by five potentially lethal volcanoes: Mt Baker, Glacier Peak, Mt Rainier, Mt Adams and – fieriest of all – Mt St Helens.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Washington Cascades
Home to numerous trailheads and the starting point for most summit hikes, Paradise also holds the iconic Paradise Inn (built in 1916) and the massive,…
-
Washington Cascades
Ape Cave is a 2-mile-long lava tube formed 2000 years ago by a lava flow that followed a deep watercourse. It's the longest lava tube in the western…
-
Washington Cascades
The USA's fifth-highest peak outside Alaska, majestic Mt Rainier is also one of the country's most beguiling mountains. Part of a 368-sq-mile national…
-
Washington Cascades
Windy Ridge Viewpoint is a highlight of the remote eastside entrance to Mt St Helens. Here visitors get a palpable, if eerie, sense of the destruction…
-
Washington Cascades
Boulder Cave, on the Chinook Scenic Byway, is a rarity in the relatively cave-free terrain of the Pacific Northwest and doubly unique due to its formation…
-
Longmire Information Center & Museum
Washington Cascades
The tiny, free Longmire Museum describes the history of Longmire, originally the park's headquarters. James Longmire first came here in 1883 and noticed…
-
Washington Cascades
Coldwater Lake, 43 miles east of Castle Rock, was created in 1980 when water backed up behind a dam caused by debris left behind by the Mt St Helens…
-
Washington Cascades
Situated at the end of Hwy 504 and looking directly into the mouth of the Mt St Helens crater, the observatory has exhibits that depict the geologic…
Articles
Latest stories from Washington Cascades
Filter by interest:
- National ParksWolverines return to Mt Rainier National Park after more than 100 years
Aug 28, 2020 • 2 min read
