Favorite state parks that you have visited
Comments
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Kokee State Park on Kauai has some amazing scenery. Fantastic views along the Nu'alolo and Awa'awapuhi hiking trails, which take you all the way out to the TOP of the Napali coast. You can look 2000 feet straight below and see the snorkeling boats. Pretty cool and rewarding hikes.
Waimea Canyon is up there, too! The little Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
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Oops, wrong thread
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Great list!huskyhooligan said:WA has some good ones.
Probably the most visited not in Seattle metro:
Deception Pass State Park
All of the Forts (Worden, Flagler, Casey, and Ebey). Honestly, if you can book it, Fort Ebey group campsite atop one of the bluffs. Sells out quickly. Amazing views to Victoria.
Sun Lakes-Dry Falls
Steamboat Rock. It's becoming super popular as Chelan has become more expensive / less accessible.
A few more great Washington ones are:
Cape Disappointment State Park - Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, two lighthouses, great view of Columbia River bar and the bar pilots, beaches, bluffs, and more.
Larrabee State Park - great scenic drive to park, beach, great hike with views of the San Juans, also nearby is the trailhead on other state lands for Oyster Dome.
I really would like to visit Moran State Park on Orcas Island (home to Mt. Constitution), Blake Island State Park (Tillicum Village), Sucia Island State Park (geological wonder in the San Juans), and especially Cypress Island NRCA (not state park but most of the island is state owned managed under DNR).
Other good WA state parks and areas not yet mentioned in thread are:
Capitol State Forest - Porter Creek Falls, Mima Falls, McLane Creek Nature Trail, Capitol Peak, ORV trails, equestrian trails, bike trails, and more.
Manchester State Park - picnic shed is former WW2 torpedo building, other WW2 relics on-site, plus view Bremerton Ferry passing through narrow pass.
Grayland Beach State Park - fattest beach in Washington so great place to go if you want a sandy beach, and lots of it. Then head a few miles south and go visit Washaway Beach (former Cape Shoalwater, neighborhood, etc.) where the beach originally came from.
Battleground Lake State Park - Washington’s crater lake. -
Polihale State Park on Kauai is pretty sweet as well. It sits at the south end of the Napali coast and basically at the bottom of Kokee’d cliffs.Laocoön said:Kokee State Park on Kauai has some amazing scenery. Fantastic views along the Nu'alolo and Awa'awapuhi hiking trails, which take you all the way out to the TOP of the Napali coast. You can look 2000 feet straight below and see the snorkeling boats. Pretty cool and rewarding hikes.
Waimea Canyon is up there, too! The little Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
It’s a long drive to get there from just about anywhere on the island and the last 5 miles is on an unpaved, not regularly maintained road. Rental car companies tell you you’re not allowed to take their cars out there but whatever.
The beach is super isolated and people are spread out. I don’t think it’s swimmable due up the surf but the views are spectacular. I’ve only been there during the day but been told the views of the night sky and stars is awesome.
Edit: Found some photos to make this poast a little more pleasing.
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Have only been to this beach once, but only to use to launch for a kayak excursion. Definitely want to go back someday to thoroughly ENJOY it. I hear the best ‘insurance policy’ to purchase JIC your rental car gets stuck on the beach there is a case of chilled Heineken for the ‘locals’. They’ll get you unstuck and the rental company never has to know.CFetters_Nacho_Lover said:
Polihale State Park on Kauai is pretty sweet as well. It sits at the south end of the Napali coast and basically at the bottom of Kokee’d cliffs.Laocoön said:Kokee State Park on Kauai has some amazing scenery. Fantastic views along the Nu'alolo and Awa'awapuhi hiking trails, which take you all the way out to the TOP of the Napali coast. You can look 2000 feet straight below and see the snorkeling boats. Pretty cool and rewarding hikes.
Waimea Canyon is up there, too! The little Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
It’s a long drive to get there from just about anywhere on the island and the last 5 miles is on an unpaved, not regularly maintained road. Rental car companies tell you you’re not allowed to take their cars out there but whatever.
The beach is super isolated and people are spread out. I don’t think it’s swimmable due up the surf but the views are spectacular. I’ve only been there during the day but been told the views of the night sky and stars is awesome.
Edit: Found some photos to make this poast a little more pleasing. -
Just visited Moran. It is probably the best state park in Washington.Purple_Pills said:huskyhooligan said:WA has some good ones.
Probably the most visited not in Seattle metro:
Deception Pass State Park
All of the Forts (Worden, Flagler, Casey, and Ebey). Honestly, if you can book it, Fort Ebey group campsite atop one of the bluffs. Sells out quickly. Amazing views to Victoria.
Sun Lakes-Dry Falls
Steamboat Rock. It's becoming super popular as Chelan has become more expensive / less accessible.
I really would like to visit Moran State Park on Orcas Island (home to Mt. Constitution)....
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Grayland Beach State Park - fattest beach in Washington so great place to go if you want a sandy beach, and lots of it. Then head a few miles south and go visit Washaway Beach (former Cape Shoalwater, neighborhood, etc.) where the beach originally came from.
If you go to Pacific County assessor's online file Mapsifter - they have all the original plats laid out by Washaway Beach - the satellite picture really shows how much land has been removed by the ocean. I used to have a picture of the old lighthouse - but can't find it.
https://pacificwa-mapsifter.publicaccessnow.com/defaultHTML5.aspx
