Newly remodeled, visitor-friendly, and staffed by a charismatic astronomy enthusiast, Goldendale Observatory is an uncommon combination of scientific facility and state park.
Manicured lawns, an insistent mallard drake, and a levee trail along the river await visitors to Yakima Sportsman, an urban oasis in the Palm Springs of Washington.
A state park created for horses and riders, Bridle Trails’s pathways also welcome hikers and runners. Enjoy some old-growth trees in a quiet forest and, if you’re lucky, an equestrian show in one of the arenas.
A former seminary is both peaceful park and luxury hotel. Saint Edward shows one way forward for perpetually cash-strapped state parks.
The only traditional state park in the Willapa Hills is home to one of the region’s last stands of old-growth forest and some lovely CCC handiwork.