Top attractions in Washington
36 national parks, ski areas, museums, landmarks and natural wonders in Washington, each with when to go, where to stay and what’s nearby. Ranked by how many people look them up and how many visit.
The 20 top attractions in Washington
An even mix of how many people read about each place and, where it’s counted, how many visit.
Fort Worden📍 Landmark · in Port Townsend, WA18Kreaders a year7
Ape Canyon🏜 Canyon & gorge · 14 mi from Cougar, WA17Kreaders a year8
North Cascades National Park🏞 National Park · 12 mi from Marblemount, WA47Kvisitors 20259
Flying Heritage Collection🏛 Museum · 1 mi from Mukilteo, WA11Kreaders a year10
Crystal Mountain⛷ Ski area · 21 mi from Cliffdell, WA11Kreaders a year11
Cape Disappointment State Park🌲 State park · 2 mi from Ilwaco, WA11Kreaders a year12
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · in Vancouver, WA1.1Mvisitors 202513
Fort Lawton📍 Landmark · in Seattle, WA10Kreaders a year14
Ross Lake National Recreation Area🏞 National Recreation Area · 13 mi from Marblemount, WA1.2Mvisitors 202515
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area🏞 National Recreation Area · 19 mi from Davenport, WA1.2Mvisitors 202516
Alpine Lakes Wilderness🌲 Park & preserve · 13 mi from Skykomish, WA8.8Kreaders a year17
Living Computers: Museum + Labs🏛 Museum · in Seattle, WA8.8Kreaders a year18
San Juan Island National Historical Park🏞 National Historical Park · 5 mi from Friday Harbor, WA421Kvisitors 202519
Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park🌲 State park · 1 mi from Vantage, WA7.3Kreaders a year20
Beacon Rock State Park🌲 State park · 3 mi from North Bonneville, WA7.3Kreaders a yearPhoto credits
Olympic National Park: Wsiegmund, CC BY 2.5 · Mount Rainier National Park: Ricardo Martins from Gent, Belgium, CC BY 2.0 · Columbia River Gorge: Hux, Public domain · Bonneville Dam: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain · Hiram M. Chittenden Locks: Unknown Photographer / US Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain
Best to visit in October
Places with a real season where October is one of the best months: mild weather and, where the Park Service counts visitors, quieter than average.
🏜 Canyon & gorge · 3 mi from Carson, WAColumbia River Gorge45K readers
🌊 Dam · 2 mi from North Bonneville, WABonneville Dam36K readers🏛 National Historic Site · in Vancouver, WAFort Vancouver National Historic Site1.1M visitors (2025) · 5.1K readers🌲 State park · 3 mi from North Bonneville, WABeacon Rock State Park7.3K readers
🏛 National Historic Site · 3 mi from College Place, WAWhitman Mission National Historic Site54K visitors (2025) · 6.9K readersPhoto credits
Columbia River Gorge: Hux, Public domain · Bonneville Dam: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain · Fort Vancouver National Historic Site: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Beacon Rock State Park: U.S. Geological Survey, Public domain · Whitman Mission National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain
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Most visited
Latest yearly visitor counts (National Park Service, else Wikidata).
Olympic National Park🏞 National Park · 2 mi from Port Angeles, WA3.6M20252
Mount Rainier National Park🏞 National Park · 13 mi from Packwood, WA1.6M20253Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area🏞 National Recreation Area · 19 mi from Davenport, WA1.2M20254Ross Lake National Recreation Area🏞 National Recreation Area · 13 mi from Marblemount, WA1.2M20255Fort Vancouver National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · in Vancouver, WA1.1M20256San Juan Island National Historical Park🏞 National Historical Park · 5 mi from Friday Harbor, WA421K20257Whitman Mission National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · 3 mi from College Place, WA54K20258North Cascades National Park🏞 National Park · 12 mi from Marblemount, WA47K20259
Lake Chelan National Recreation Area🏞 National Recreation Area · 25 mi from Winthrop, WA39K2025Biggest ski areas
Vertical drop, from OpenSkiMap.
Crystal Mountain⛷ Ski area · 21 mi from Cliffdell, WA2,389 ft85 runs2⛷Alpental⛷ Ski area · 3 mi from Snoqualmie Pass, WA2,304 ft33 runs3⛷Mission Ridge⛷ Ski area · 10 mi from South Wenatchee, WA2,181 ft54 runs4⛷White Pass Ski Area⛷ Ski area · 13 mi from Packwood, WA2,035 ft55 runs5⛷Mt. Spokane⛷ Ski area · 8 mi from Blanchard, WA1,974 ft61 runs6⛷49° North Mountain Resort⛷ Ski area · 7 mi from Chewelah, WA1,869 ft84 runs7⛷Stevens Pass⛷ Ski area · 13 mi from Skykomish, WA1,842 ft79 runs8⛷Mt Baker⛷ Ski area · 12 mi from Glacier, WA1,475 ft47 runs9⛷Three Summits⛷ Ski area · in Snoqualmie Pass, WA1,233 ft104 runs10⛷Loup Loup Ski Bowl⛷ Ski area · 9 mi from Twisp, WA1,226 ft19 runsBy type
Attractions in nearby states
Every attraction in Washington
36 attractions
Olympic National Park🏞 National Park · 2 mi from Port Angeles, WA3.6Mvisitors 20252Mount Rainier National Park🏞 National Park · 13 mi from Packwood, WA1.6Mvisitors 20253Columbia River Gorge🏜 Canyon & gorge · 3 mi from Carson, WA45Kreaders a year4Bonneville Dam🌊 Dam · 2 mi from North Bonneville, WA36Kreaders a year5
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks🌊 Dam · in Seattle, WA30Kreaders a year6Fort Worden📍 Landmark · in Port Townsend, WA18Kreaders a year7Ape Canyon🏜 Canyon & gorge · 14 mi from Cougar, WA17Kreaders a year8North Cascades National Park🏞 National Park · 12 mi from Marblemount, WA47Kvisitors 20259Flying Heritage Collection🏛 Museum · 1 mi from Mukilteo, WA11Kreaders a year10Crystal Mountain⛷ Ski area · 21 mi from Cliffdell, WA11Kreaders a year11Cape Disappointment State Park🌲 State park · 2 mi from Ilwaco, WA11Kreaders a year12Fort Vancouver National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · in Vancouver, WA1.1Mvisitors 202513Fort Lawton📍 Landmark · in Seattle, WA10Kreaders a year14Ross Lake National Recreation Area🏞 National Recreation Area · 13 mi from Marblemount, WA1.2Mvisitors 202515Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area🏞 National Recreation Area · 19 mi from Davenport, WA1.2Mvisitors 202516Alpine Lakes Wilderness🌲 Park & preserve · 13 mi from Skykomish, WA8.8Kreaders a year17Living Computers: Museum + Labs🏛 Museum · in Seattle, WA8.8Kreaders a year18San Juan Island National Historical Park🏞 National Historical Park · 5 mi from Friday Harbor, WA421Kvisitors 202519Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park🌲 State park · 1 mi from Vantage, WA7.3Kreaders a year20Beacon Rock State Park🌲 State park · 3 mi from North Bonneville, WA7.3Kreaders a year21Whitman Mission National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · 3 mi from College Place, WA54Kvisitors 202522
Bloedel Reserve🌸 Garden · in Bainbridge Island, WA6.6Kreaders a year23
Fort Flagler Historical State Park🌲 State park · in Marrowstone, WA6.2Kreaders a year24⛷Mt Baker⛷ Ski area · 12 mi from Glacier, WA5.8Kreaders a year25
Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve🏞 National park site · in Coupeville, WA3.7Kreaders a year26Lake Chelan National Recreation Area🏞 National Recreation Area · 25 mi from Winthrop, WA39Kvisitors 202527⛷Three Summits⛷ Ski area · in Snoqualmie Pass, WA28⛷Alpental⛷ Ski area · 3 mi from Snoqualmie Pass, WA29⛷Stevens Pass⛷ Ski area · 13 mi from Skykomish, WA30⛷Loup Loup Ski Bowl⛷ Ski area · 9 mi from Twisp, WA31⛷49° North Mountain Resort⛷ Ski area · 7 mi from Chewelah, WA32⛷Mission Ridge⛷ Ski area · 10 mi from South Wenatchee, WA33⛷Mt. Spokane⛷ Ski area · 8 mi from Blanchard, WA34⛷Bluewood⛷ Ski area · 18 mi from Dayton, WA35⛷White Pass Ski Area⛷ Ski area · 13 mi from Packwood, WA36⛷Summit West⛷ Ski area · in Snoqualmie Pass, WAHow we rank: an even mix of how many people read about each place on Wikipedia (a typical month, so one viral week can’t sway it) and, where it’s counted, how many visit (National Park Service for park units, else Wikidata, last 5 years). Places without a visitor count rank on readers alone. Closed, destroyed and private places stay listed but aren’t ranked. Sources: National Park Service · OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia · photos via Wikimedia Commons.
Attractions in Washington
What are the top attractions in Washington?
Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, Columbia River Gorge, Bonneville Dam and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, ranked by how many people read about them and, where counted, how many visit.
What is the most visited attraction in Washington?
Olympic National Park, with about 3,584,187 visitors in 2025 (National Park Service).
How many national parks are in Washington?
3 national parks (Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier National Park and North Cascades National Park), plus 7 other National Park Service sites.
Where should I go in Washington in October?
Columbia River Gorge, Bonneville Dam and Fort Vancouver National Historic Site: October is one of their best months, with mild weather and fewer crowds where the Park Service counts visitors.