WASHINGTON STATE
WASHINGTON STATE TRAVEL GUIDE | I can safely say that Washington State is one of the more beautiful places I have been to in the US…and I have been to 46 states so far… I don’t know exactly what it is, but it feels like the west coast version of Maine. I felt so at home there, and I’m pretty sure I could live there if I wanted to…and I don’t say that about many places.
We were there visiting my brother and sister-in-law, and they live in the very north-west town of Bellingham. We were there for a week and saw a ton, so I’m going to break the trip down as simply as I can.
SAN JUAN ISLANDS and DECEPTION PASS STATE PARK
First up we took the ferry from Anacortes to the Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands. The San Juan islands are a beautiful ground of lush green islands in between mainland Washington, and Vancouver island. We stopped at San Juan Island itself. We checked out the small, adorable town of Friday Harbor, popped in the shops, grabbed coffee and smoothies…all the good stuff. We did bring the car over, so we drove out to the south-eastern most point of the island to see Cattle Point Lighthouse. It was an incredible spot. It was nothing by green rolling hills all the way up to the driftwood lined shoreline, and a little white lighthouse sitting peacefully out on the point. This was contrasted with the other side of the island, where Lime Kiln Lighthouse was situated. There it was humid, and rainforest-y, with the lighthouse sitting atop the rocky shore looking toward Vancouver Island. You can sit at this lighthouse and watch for orcas!
Once back on the mainland we drove to the beautiful Deception Pass State Park, one of the most visited state parks in the country! We enjoyed skipping rocks under the bridge surrounded by green water and driftwood, and keeping an eye out for the harbor seal we had spotted from the bridge.
HELPFUL LINKS:
Deception Pass State Park
TIPS:
- Be sure to keep an eye on your phone while on the west side of San Juan Island, as it will most likely pick up Canadian cell tower signals and rack you up a nice bill! Turn off the roaming data on your phone!
- When you take the ferry back to Anacortes, you might be catching one of the boats that just came from Vancouver Island, so you will be subject to Customs when you get back to the mainland.
ROOZENGAARDE, FAIRHAVEN, and WOODS COFFEE
We were in Washington at the perfect time to see tulips! The day before Easter we headed down to Roozengaarde, where there are fields and fields full of tulips in full bloom! It was quite the popular place, and it felt as though we, and the rest of Washington State were there all at once.
After the blooms we went on a coastal drive up Chuckanut highway. It was a beautiful sunny day, and you could see all the way out to the San Juan Islands!
We stopped in the old fashioned downtown Fairhaven, and picked up pastries at Iron Rooster Bakery, and then went onward to Boulevard Park where we enjoyed coffee at the famous Woods Coffee…you can call it the Starbucks of Bellingham.
HELPFUL LINKS:
TIPS:
- The Roozengaarde tulip festival is in full swing in April, and expect crowds if you go!
WHATCOM FALLS and LUMMI ISLAND
Right in the heart of Bellingham is Whatcom Falls Park, and let me tell you…you feel as though you are out in the backwoods even though you are surrounded by city! We did a fun little hike through the rainforest and out to Whatcom falls, a beautiful waterfall and pool. You can swim there in the summertime, which means I’m going back!
We then took a tiny ferry out to the quiet Lummi Island. It felt very far away from everything, and completely peaceful.
HELPFUL LINKS:
TIPS:
- I recommend you take you car to Lummi Island so you can drive along the lovely coastal roads.
- If you take your car to Lummi Island, MAKE SURE you have a good amount of gas in your vehicle, as there is no gas station on the island.
LOCUST BEACH
This was one of my favorite places we stopped at on the trip! This hidden little beach is accessible by parking your car near the bridge at the end of Locust Avenue, and hiking down a path and a staircase which spits you out on the pebble covered beach. We arrived right at low tide, and it looked we had arrived onto another planet! everything that has been covered with water looked like a mirror that you could walk out on, and there were pillars of wood sticking out of the sand where birds houses had been built… It was incredible!
HELPFUL LINKS:
TIPS:
- Go at low tide!
- Bring shoes for mud!
MT. BAKER-SNOQUALMIE NATIONAL FOREST
Our last day we drove east to see some mountains. This was my favorite of all the days! Our destination was Mr. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, where we planned on taking in the beautiful scenery and marvel at God’s creation! We kept our eyes pealed for Sasquatch the whole time, and being in the passenger seat, I was put in charge of this. We didn’t see him, but we know he exists because there was a WANTED sign for him on the general store in Maple Falls…
We drove up the Mt. Baker Highway. It was an interesting drive. At first there were a lot of ranches and farmland…then came the humid forests with trees dripping in yellow moss. Eventually that gave way to ginormous pine trees as we climbed higher, and before we knew it, we were in the snow.
Because it was spring, we couldn’t actually get to a point where we could see Mt. Baker because they roads were impassable, and the hike too treacherous. We were only able to go as far as the Mr. Baker Ski area, but that was amazing enough because rising above us was Mt. Shuksan! It was breathtaking, and looked like an avalanche waiting to happen. I was totally blown away, and I grew up in the west, so I know big mountains, but for some reason Mt. Shuksan just took my breath away. I kept thinking “this is what it must feel like to be in the Alps!”
It was the perfect end to our amazing trip!
HELPFUL LINKS:
Mt. Baker Snoqaulmie National Forest
TIPS:
- Keep you’re eyes out for Sasquatch.
- Stop by Maple Falls…it is Sasquatch center…
- PIN IT -
