Washington & Oregon

For fans of rugged coastal scenery, windswept beaches and snow capped peaks Oregon provides some of natures finest. Cosy seaside inns with fi replaces are a perfect place to watch the sea batter the coastline. Sophisticated Seattle is the gateway to Washington State and the magnifi cent National Parks of Olympic, Mount St Helens and Mount Rainier. Washington deserves its title as ‘The Evergreen State’ due to its lush scenery and rich vegetation.

Seattle is virtually surrounded by water and clings to the body of seawater called Puget Sound. Breathe in the fresh sea air before a cappuccino or latte which is the local drink of choice. Pike’s Place Market is a profusion of over 600 vendors vying for trade. It is a seafood  heaven with delicious Dungeness crab, fresh oysters and salmon on display along with freshly baked bread and cut fl owers. Have lunch high up the distinctive Space Needle and soak up the breathtaking views of the surrounding mountain ranges.

Puget Sound is nestled between Canada and the Washington Coast and in summer a resident pod of Orcas play in cold waters with the Cascades and Olympic Mountains as a powerful backdrop. Visit the beautiful San Juan Islands by ferry to view these creatures better.

The mist shrouded Olympic Peninsula showcases glacier carved valleys and peaks. Olympic National Forest boasts old growth forests, temperate rain forests and nearly every hue of green imaginable. Lighthouses gaze over craggy coasts and rock pools are filled with sea creatures that migrating birds feast on during spring.

The Cascade Mountains encompass thundering rivers and volcanoes covered with  glaciers. Mount Rainier owns the landscape and stands over 14,000ft with a permanent dusting of snow. Alpine meadows blanketed with wildflowers and waterfalls thrive in her National Park providing a hikers’ paradise.

Oregon’s highest peak, Mount Hood, rises majestically above the Western Cascades between Mount Rainier and Mount Shasta. Its  upper slopes glint with glaciers as it surveys alpine lakes and acres of wilderness. Hear the roar of Multomah Falls as it plunges 620ft down the slopes of Larch Mountain. Further south lies Crater Lake National Park housing North America’s deepest lake. Formed from a volcanic eruption 7,000 years ago, Crater Lake is an indescribable shade of deep sapphire blue surrounded by soaring mountains and forests.

Travelling down the coast of Oregon lies some of the most dramatic and unsurpassed scenery in North America. Highway 101 traverses classic coastal resorts steeped in character, sea ravaged shorelines of dramatic rock formations and miles and miles of white sand beaches. Cosy seaside villages provide whale watching tours and hundreds of sea lions sunbathe on headlands on warm sunny days. Huge golden sand dunes rise 600ft at Oregon Dunes National Recreation Center providing fantastic views.

 

Travelling down the coast of Oregon lies some of the most dramatic and unsurpassed scenery in North America. Highway 101 traverses classic coastal resorts steeped in character, sea ravaged shorelines of dramatic rock formations and miles and miles of white sand beaches. Cosy seaside villages provide whale watching tours and hundreds of sea lions sunbathe on headlands on warm sunny days. Huge golden sand dunes rise 600ft at Oregon Dunes National Recreation Center providing fantastic views.

 

Oregon’s highest peak, Mount Hood, rises majestically above the Western Cascades between Mount Rainier and Mount Shasta. Its  upper slopes glint with glaciers as it surveys alpine lakes and acres of wilderness. Hear the roar of Multomah Falls as it plunges 620ft down the slopes of Larch Mountain. Further south lies Crater Lake National Park housing North America’s deepest lake. Formed from a volcanic eruption 7,000 years ago, Crater Lake is an indescribable shade of deep sapphire blue surrounded by soaring mountains and forests.

Travelling down the coast of Oregon lies some of the most dramatic and unsurpassed scenery in North America. Highway 101 traverses classic coastal resorts steeped in character, sea ravaged shorelines of dramatic rock formations and miles and miles of white sand beaches. Cosy seaside villages provide whale watching tours and hundreds of sea lions sunbathe on headlands on warm sunny days. Huge golden sand dunes rise 600ft at Oregon Dunes National Recreation Center providing fantastic views.