They sorta snuck up on me. I didn’t realize people kayaked it, and all of a sudden I see them whizzing by, then carrying their kayaks out of the river!

Maine here.

I SO agree!!

Still confused cuz WA gets even greener in the winter

Thank you! It’s a great place.

Haha glad you like it!

That’s about right for here. The only thing to remember is that WA is very wet, so the 35 doesn’t always feel like 35, even up north it can feel a lot colder and it’s important to have good rain gear in case, especially in May/June.

Everyone has mentioned the northern part of the state, but this picture is from the southern part of WA (this river enters the Columbia which is the border between WA and OR). If you’re time limited I recommend the norther part of the state as well, but if you like to mtb our area is amazing and we have Bend not to far.

White Salmon is known to be “where the sunshine meets the rain.” Our town is green and looks like everything that is Cascades west in the state, but a ten minute drive east and the entire environment changes to the eastern parts high desert/arid vibe with tans and browns. The Gorge is a deep scar through plains that roll all the way to Idaho and there are tons of areas beautiful in their own, different flavor from the west. It’s rad because almost anytime if the rain is getting to me I can drive east and boom, here comes the sun baby :).

The people who come kayak here are some seriously skilled folks. Always love seeing them go full send :).

Rode Syncline yesterday and even that one is flowing super well right now after our snows and then nice weather.

This is in the Columbia River Gorge which is in the southern part of the state and the river is the border between WA and OR. There are tons of large waterfalls along the Gorge and they’re easy to get to straight from 84 (highway) if you’re on a road trip! My Hood is also very close and from Hood River OR (not far from where this is taken you’ll have views of that mountain and My Adam’s.

Mt St Helen’s is amazing and has a great visitors center which is cool to see what the mountain looked like before it erupted, after the erupted and the recovery of the environment. It’ll blow your mind (pun intended) how massive the mountain still is.

I am from The Gorge but even I have to admit that the crowning jewel of Cascadia and the region is the Salish Sea area of which a large part is the Puget Sound. Even driving to Seattle, Rainier is a sight to behold and one of the largest mountains in the lower 48. The waters of the Sound are beautifully blue in the summer and an incredible contrast to the always green forests and snow capped mountain ranges on either side. Even in Everett WA you can see the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges on a clear day and it is incredible. Going north to Deception Pass on Whidby is gorgeous and easily accessible. There are ferries all over the sound that’ll take you to the peninsula where the Olympics are, or the many islands.

There is a ton to see here. I didn’t even get into the eastern part of the state which has a beauty all its own and is more high desert in appearance. Happy to answer any questions.

Thanks for the photo. It's beautifully shot and location Tobe enjoyed in the middle of a white winter here.

Nah we are still super green and we’ve had great snow this year so that bodes pretty well for rolling into the dryer months later :). It’s likely they mean spring when the deciduous trees become green again, or even the green coloration of the water as it moves faster in spring and becomes even more of a kayakers paradise.

I can't wait for Spring either!! 🌱. This is GORGEOUS.

There is gonna be a shit tone amount of people on Rainier. If you do go there, go there on a weekday super early (like 6-7am). I highly suggest going up to Camp Muir if you are in decent shape. but check conditions before you go because you might need microspikes or crampons.

Olympic is huge. If you want to visit the Hoh and hurricane ridge, and hike, that is 2 whole days of driving (not counting from Hoh back to Seattle). Olympic is a must visit.

Instead of Mt St Helens (which you can't hike to the peak without a permit), consider parts of the Cascades that's closer to Seattle. All NFs in Washington are amazing. North Cascades NP is absolutely heaven if you are into alpine views. Of course there is always the Enchantment. If you are in super shape the doing that in a day (backpacking permit is a tough lottery) might be one of the best day hike in the US.

The person who did this is cool and did it because people were trashing the area and didn’t know what they were getting into with the surges in the river and the deep, fast moving water. Scenes like this are common on the Little White Salmon and the Gorge in general so there is no need to disrespect the people who live here or endanger yourself by trespassing.

The Gorge scenic area offers many parks and places for incredible views, all we ask is that you don’t leave trash, respect our home, and are kind to those you come in contact with.

Source: I live less than two miles from this river and am originally from The Gorge/ Southern WA. We love people enjoying our home in a respectful, conservation focused manner.

I highly recommend checking out Falls Creek Falls if you are in southwest Washington.

It definitely looks like it, but I didn’t want to assume. It’s still not the blue pool however.. great pic of a very special area.

Time to ford the river and spite them lol

Spirit Falls into Chaos

Will do, thank you for all the recommendations. Is highway 20 dangerous because of falling rocks, or something else? Late May/early June seems like the best time for me to go anyway, I’m glad I’ll get the best of the scenery at that time.

Just curious, what do you define short/t-shirt weather as? I’m from Colorado where short weather ranges from 35° to 110°F haha.

I think OP means the green is gone because it’s winter so he wants this green to come back.

Just check to make sure you know where the fires are. The PNW is experiencing a massive, multi-decade drought

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/firmageddon-researchers-find-11-million-acres-dead-trees-oregon-rcna59671

Washington State is best state. Just ignore the rain.

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Washington State is best state. Just ignore the rain.

Thank you so much, I didn’t even think about road closures. I am still in school so May through August is the only time I can travel, but it seems like there are a few good months to choose from within that bracket.

I have had the Hoh rainforest on my list for a long time, but I’ll have to check out Hurricane ridge. A scenic drive is also a good idea, I’ll see if I can fit it in. Thanks!