Washington State is home to an incredible diversity of natural landscapes, from ancient moss-covered forests to high volcanic peaks, alpine lakes, and incredible skylines. Virtually every part of the state has views that would rival the best views in a majority of other states around the country.
Whether you’re an amateur or professional photographer, Washington State has hundreds of places where you can shoot stunning, Instagram-ready images.
Join us on a tour of this incredible place as we look at some of the most scenic viewpoints that make Washington the most beautiful state in the country.
Paradise (Mount Rainier National Park)
Despite having so many beautiful spots to choose from, it is hard to go wrong with Paradise at Mt. Rainier. With incredible views of the glaciated peaks of the tallest mountain in the state, abundant wildlife, and meadows of wildflowers that explode with color every summer, there are plentiful views directly from the parking lot.
For some of the best views you’ll find of the mountain, head up the Skyline Loop Trail, where you will reach viewpoints that put you at eye level with massive glaciers and stunning views of the Cascade Mountains to the south.
Tolmie Peak (Mount Rainier National Park)
Mt. Rainier is such a massive mountain that it is 100% worth trying to see it from multiple angles. Paradise offers stunning views of the mountain’s southern slopes, and Tolmie Peak is one of the best spots to see the mountain from the north.
The hike here is no joke, as you’ll need to be fit enough to trek the 7.5-mile trail that climbs over 1,100 feet. But those who do will be treated to stunning views of the mountain with Eunice Lake in the foreground. There is also a fire lookout that you can visit, which only adds to the mystique of this amazing national park.
Ruby Beach (Olympic National Park)
There is no shortage of incredible beaches along 73 miles of coastline within Olympic National Park, and anywhere you go will give you amazing views and solitude along this rugged stretch. Ruby Beach is one of our personal favorites, though, with its easy access from Highway 101, plenty of incredible tidepoools to explore, and stunning scenery with the shoreline dotted with sea stacks.
Those looking for a more remote experience head to Shi Shi Beach, which requires an 8-mile round trip hike and is one of the most popular photography spots on the coast.
Hoh Rain Forest (Olympic National Park)
The Hoh Rain Forest is one of those places that is hard to describe just why it is so incredibly beautiful. There is something about the feeling of being surrounded by lush moss that covers every sense of the old-growth trees that dominate the forest.
The way the sunlight filters through the always damp flora. The silence from the moss absorbing extra sound almost like you experience on a snowy day. The rich green color that envelopes everything. It truly is something else that you can experience almost nowhere else in the country.
Diablo Lake Overlook (North Cascades National Park)
Diablo Lake is located within the little-visited North Cascades National Park. Despite being one of the most beautiful places in the country, this park only receives around 40,000 visitors per year. Part of this is the road into and out of the park is only open during the summer months, but you’d still expect a few more people to take advantage of having incredible views like this nearly in their backyard!
Diablo Lake is a massive lake that holds a rich turquoise color, which makes experiencing it all that much more special.
Heather Maple Pass (North Cascades National Park)
If you had to choose only one hike in Washington to highlight the best of the best that the Cascade Range has to offer, this may be it. To be fair, this is not a hike for the faint of heart, as you’ll be hiking over 7 miles with 2,000 feet of elevation gain.
But the rewards are more than worth it, with incredible wildflower displays in the spring and summer, alpine lakes, views of the North Cascades, and the incredible larch colors of the fall that draw huge numbers of people to this trail.
Sahale Glacier Camp (North Cascades National Park)
The Sahale Glacier Camp is perhaps one of the most difficult campsites to secure a permit for in the entire Pacific Northwest. One look at the view from these sites, and you’ll understand why they are so in demand!
Luckily, the trail is open to anyone, so as long as you’re prepared for a long day of hiking, you can get the exact same views as those lucky enough to secure one of these elusive permits.
Mt. Constitution (San Juan Islands)
Standing at over 2,400 feet tall, Mt. Constitution is the highest point in the entire San Juan Island chain. This makes it one of the best places on the islands to get sweeping views of the sound, islands, and mountains off in the distance.
While the views during the day are incredible, it is at dawn and dusk that the surrounding landscapes come alive. Often, low-lying fog and mist will settle in at those times and give the surrounding waters and islands a peaceful look that just has to be experienced to fully appreciate.
Lime Kiln Point State Park (San Juan Islands)
Moving from up high down to the water’s edge at Lime Kiln Point on San Juan Island. This popular location is a great spot to take in views of the water and even catch a glimpse of an orca as they pass through these abundant waters in search of their next meal.
Add in the Lime Kiln Lighthouse, an abundance of other wildlife, and views across the Haro Strait to Victoria, British Columbia, and you have one of the most beautiful waterfront locations in the entire state.
Beacon Rock (Columbia River Gorge)
The upper left quadrant of the state can’t take home all the recognition in the beauty department, so it’s time to head down to the Columbia River Gorge. While the Oregon side of the Gorge may take the cake when it comes to waterfalls, the Washington side is no slouch, either.
Beacon Rock rises up out of the Columbia River like, well, a beacon. This rock is a popular location for sport climbing and the views from the top, if you can make it up, are to die for!
Dog Mountain (Columbia River Gorge)
Dog Mountain is generally regarded as one of the best wildflower hikes in the entire Pacific Northwest. So much so that you are now required to secure a permit just to hike up during peak wildflower season, as visitors were overwhelming the trails and small parking lot.
The views from the upper part of the mountain are well worth the effort, though, as the entire hillside explodes with color when the balsamroot flower blooms in May of each year. Add in the views up and down the gorge and you easily have one of the best views in the state.
Kerry Park (Seattle)
Kerry Park is a small neighborhood park in Seattle and, in most cases, would be pretty unremarkable. In this case, though, the park sits with just enough prominence and in just the right location to perfectly frame the Space Needle, downtown Seattle, and Mt. Rainier in a photo.
It’s hard to imagine that this exact photo hasn’t inspired more than a few people to pack their bags and make a new home in the Pacific Northwest.
Enchantment Lakes (Cascade Mountains)
The Enchantments, as they are locally known, are a series of high alpine lakes set amongst rugged granite peaks and speckled with just the right amount of mountain goats and larch trees that turn a brilliant yellow color in the fall. Add all these together, and you have one of the most highly sought-after hiking and backpacking permits in the state.
Johnston Ridge Observatory (Mount St. Helens)
Even though access to the Johnston Ridge Observatory will be closed for at least another year due to a massive landslide taking out the road, it still has to be included in the list of the most beautiful places around the state of Washington.
The viewpoint from the observatory gives visitors a look straight into the gaping crater of Mt. St. Helens and the destruction that its eruption caused to the surrounding landscapes.
While the area has started to see significant regrowth over 40 years since the mountain erupted, the scars from this event will still be plainly evident for generations to come.
Dead Man’s Cove (Cape Disappointment State Park)
Cape Disappointment State Park is located in the far southwestern corner of the state near the mouth of the mighty Columbia River. While there are numerous gorgeous viewpoints within the park, from its two lighthouses and wide open beaches that face the Pacific, it is a small cove tucked away in a corner of the park that takes our breath away every time.
Along the trail to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, you’ll pass a steep root-covered hillside that leads you to a small, sandy, log-strewn beach with an island that sits in the middle. Down here, the water turns a brilliant turquoise color, the pounding surf of the Pacific feels like it’s miles away, and the sand feels like it should belong on a Caribbean beach instead of this rough stretch of Washington coastline.
For us, it’s the perfect place to enjoy the serenity of the space while the kids keep busy building driftwood forts and exploring the intertidal zone for marine critters.
Snoqualmie Falls (Snoqualmie)
Snoqualmie Falls may not be the biggest waterfall in Washington (that distinction actually goes to the little-known Colonial Creek Falls in the North Cascades, which is the 15th tallest waterfall in the world), but it offers up the perfect combination of convenience and beauty that makes it a perfect stop for anyone heading up to the cascades from Seattle along I-90.
The falls themselves are always a sight to behold, but they really come alive after a large snowmelt or rain event in the mountains. In these cases, the falls turn into a curtain that envelopes the entire basin and is a must-see event!
Cape Flattery
From Cape Disappointment in the far southwest corner to Cape Flattery in the far northwestern corner of the state. This extremely remote and rugged stretch of land contains the westernmost point in the continental US for the geography nerds out there, as well as the Cape Flattery Lighthouse, which, unfortunately, has fallen into disrepair over the years.
Artist Point (Mount Baker)
Mount Baker holds the distinction of being one of the snowiest places places on earth. But once that snow melts the area is home to stunningly beautiful peaks and high alpine lakes. One of those spots that draws in visitors each and every summer is Artist Point on Mt. Baker.
The point offers stunning hiking opportunities with views of both Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan, alpine lakes, incredible wildflowers, and amazing backcountry experiences.
