I’m on a quest to visit all of Washington’s 100+ state parks. This is where I write about my experiences in some of the state’s most beautiful, historic, and just plain fascinating places.
Hope you like fishing, because this park’s a great spot to drop a hook. While you’re waiting for a nibble, consider that this state park is named for a Cowlitz Indian whose homestead was required to make the park a reality.
The journey of the “pickled pioneer” captures the imagination, but Willie Keil’s grave also marks the beginning of an ongoing search for utopia in the Northwest.
Rare Skagit River frontage makes this a prime park for eagle-watching in winter and relaxing year-round. Ever eaten a Shakey’s Pizza? You helped create this park.
When I moved to Washington nearly three decades ago, I quickly acquired a small collection of books about the maritime Northwest. One of those books was Robert Michael Pyle’s Wintergreen: Rambles in a Ravaged Land, about the Willapa Hills. This region of southwest Washington, bounded by the Pacific to the west, the Olympic Mountains to the north, the Puget Trough to the east, and the Columbia River to the south, has few features that inspire…
A rare old-growth forest on the Skagit River is a glimpse of western Washington before axes and sweat converted ancient trees into capital.