Posted in Washington
June 17, 2016
12 Undeniable Reasons Why Washington Will Always Be Home
There’s no place quite like Washington. If you’ve ever moved away for awhile or even just gone on vacation for a few days, you may know how easy it is to miss everything about this gorgeous Evergreen state. But no matter where you are in the world, these 12 things will remind you why the Pacific Northwest will always feel like home.
We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
Washington is known as the "Evergreen State" for a reason. Even though the eastern side has a lot more desert terrain, you can still find plenty of lush green scenery - like these trees pictured in the Colville National Forest.
You can find beautiful beaches outside of the state too, but there's just something uniquely special about our rugged coastline in the Pacific Northwest. The tree-covered sea stacks, tide pools, rocks and driftwood make it a serene place unlike anywhere else in the world.
If you drive across the state you'll be able to see almost every kind of landscape. Washington has nearly everything you can think of: desert, mountains, forests, ocean, rivers, rainforests, plains, islands, volcanoes, glaciers - and they're all absolutely stunning.
With so many photogenic landscapes, Washington has endless places to go exploring. Here are a few of our favorite scenic trails you should take this summer.
Like Falls Creek Falls (pictured here) in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. It's only about a 5-mile hike out-and-back to reach this two-tiered beauty.
Washington is a total paradise for boaters, fishers, or anyone who loves to go kayaking or canoeing. Whether it's on Puget Sound or any of our other rivers, lakes or streams, we're definitely at no shortage of places to enjoy all of our favorite water activities.
If you haven't already been on one of our many ferries, it's definitely worth adding to the ole bucket list this summer. You can take one out to the San Juan Islands, Bainbridge Island (pictured here), or even hop on the "Lady of the Lake" ferry that goes over Lake Chelan.
You can still find some good brews and wines outside of Washington, but you probably won't have nearly as many options to choose from. With hundreds of wineries, breweries and cafes, our wide, local selection offers a little something for everyone.
Our various climates across the state are perfect for producing all kinds of fruits and veggies. And as the top leading producer in the country for apples, pears, red raspberries and more, we're able to pick up some of the freshest local ingredients from our countless farmers markets.
Pictured is the Jefferson County Farmers Market in Port Townsend - which is now up and going for the season on Saturdays!
Pictured is the Jefferson County Farmers Market in Port Townsend - which is now up and going for the season on Saturdays!
The Pacific Northwest is one of the most sustainable areas in the country, so it can be kind of weird going to another state and not being able to find recycling and composting bins to properly dispose of our garbage. Besides, those bottles can easily be washed out and filled up with more wine.
Sure, you can enjoy sunsets everywhere. But when you get to see it setting over our trees, mountains, valleys and waterways, there just isn't a more lovely, picture perfect way to end the day.
Even after living here all this time, seeing our peaks in the distance is always worth stopping and taking in for a moment - whether it's the Olympics, Mount Rainier or the Cascades. We really do live in one of the prettiest areas on Earth.
Isn’t this state just amazing? Has Washington always been your home?
