Best American Pacific Northwest: Seattle, Portland, Olympic, Mount Rainier, Crater Lake, Cascade and PNW Deep Heritage Tour Destinations
Browse more guides: United States travel | Americas destinations Best American Pacific Northwest: Seattle, Portland, Olympic National Park (UNESCO World Heritage 1981, International Biosphere 1976), Mount Rainier 4,392 m, Crater Lake 593 m, Mount St. Helens 1980, Cascade Volcanic Arc and PNW Deep Heritage Tour Destinations TL;DR I came to the Pacific Northwest expecting a wet, mossy corner of America and left convinced the region holds the most concentrated mix of rainforest, glaciated volcanoes, coastline, and post-1990s tech culture I have walked through anywhere in the country. Two states do the heavy lifting. Washington gave me Olympic National Park, 962 km² of UNESCO World Heritage land inscribed in 1981 and named an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976, plus Mount Rainier at 4,392 m, the highest peak in Washington and the most heavily glaciated single mountain in the contiguous United States with 26 named glaciers. Oregon gave me Crater Lake at 593 m, the world's clea...