Wilderness areas are richly concentrated in the Pacific Northwest and the two biggest areas of such land are in Idaho, a couple hundred miles from the southeast border of Washington. Places that are classified as “wilderness area” encompass activities such as backpacking, nature study, mountain climbing, and river running. The correct definition of wilderness, according to the 1964 National Wilderness Act, states that “the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” Some of the larger designated wilderness areas include Mount Baker, Pasayten, Glacier Peak, Alpine Lakes, and William O. Douglas.

The largest trail in the region is called the Pacific Crest Trail and it travels from Canada through Washington and all the way to Mexico, spanning the latitude of the country. Fifty-seven miles of Pacific coastline on the Olympic Peninsula is in its natural unaltered state as it was when the first explorers witnessed it and this happens to be the largest stretch of untamed coast outside of Alaska. One mile of this long stretch of waterfront along the Pacific is an area called First Beach located near La Push, Washington and is the perfect place for surfing and storm watching because of its large waves.

Many of the hydroelectric dams in the state of Washington allow visitors access to the facility including Grand Coulee, Bonneville, Rocky Reach, Gorge, Diablo, and Ross dams. The state of Washington receives 83.2% of its energy needs from hydroelectric power and with that comes many man-made lakes through the advent of dams. For example, the Grand Coulee Dam, which happens to be one of the world’s greatest hydroelectric installations, is part of a 100,059-acre National Recreation Area that sports a 130-mile-long lake named after Franklin D. Roosevelt. This portion of the state has a rich history with the activities of the Hudson Bay Company and the Northwest Trading Company. Lake Roosevelt is the largest recreational feature in the whole Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area and offers its visitors the excitement of boating, fishing, swimming, camping, canoeing and the visiting of the historic Fort Spokane.

The San Juan Islands are a slew of 457 islands in a 750 square mile section of water in the northwestern portion of the state. The Islands are surrounded by water but only 200 of the islands are actually named and only four receive ferry service including San Juan, Orcas, Shaw, and Lopez. Only about 20 years ago the islands kept to themselves, in a sense. Since then the place has become a magnet for holiday retreats and summer vacationing. During the summer months the current lodging capacity is not enough to handle all those who desire to stay on the islands. One popular activity on the San Juan Islands is whale-watching. On Orcas Island there is even a 2407-foot high mountain called Mount Constitution situated within Moran State Park.

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