The most beautiful natural sites to discover Côte Ouest Etats-Unis

It is a rather special mini zoo which serves retreat with wild animals and school for students. You can see tigers (one avenue in Las Vegas, with Sigfried & Roy), lions, panthers, the bears... Visit to support the association that manages the zoo and which needs funds to save its animals.

This observatory has one of the largest telescopes of the United States and attracts crowds since 1973. Not to be missed!

In the east of the lake, the beautiful rainforest of Olympic National Park is discovered. Five small trails depart from the Rangers'cabin (on the US 101 Highway after the Quinault River Ridge) through this enchanting forest, including Maple Glade (800 m), which walks through the middle trees, ferns and foam mats. A guide allows you to follow the explanations on the site at every interesting point.

At the start of the Lake Crescent Lodge, the trail leading to Marymere Falls is easy and accessible to all. At the end of the road there are spectacular waterfalls 30,50 m high.

At 3,234 m high, Mount Baker dominates the sparkling waters of Puget Sound and amazes visitors with its snow-covered summit. Surrounded by glaciers, this ancient volcano has not been active since the end of the 19th century. It is one of the places on the planet where it snows the most. More than 30 m of snowfall had been recorded in 1998-99. A world record!

With its 38 slopes, it is a real paradise for ski and snowboard enthusiasts. There are also hundreds of kilometres of hiking trails. Mount Baker Hwy is a beautiful road that climbs to Artist Point, at an altitude of 1,530 m and reaches the main ski slopes. 38 ski slopes, 8 ski lifts and a 450 m wall are available for skiers.

20 km south of the Lake Crescent, along the road along the Sol Duc River, you arrive to the spa station known for its hot water basins. A lodge offers comfort for guests who wish to stay there or enjoy lunch. You can also simply enjoy thermal water ponds.

Longmire is 11 km from Nisqually, the southwest entrance of Mount Rainier National Park. After the establishment of the park in 1899, Longmire became its head office. Nowadays, there is a museum with exhibits on Mount Rainier, a service station, a grocery store and a hotel with a restaurant. Some sports equipment is rented there. There are excellent short or long walks from here. The road of Nisqually Entrance to Longmire is one of the most beautiful in the park.

From Nisqually Gate, to the southwest of the park, a road leads to Longmire and then to Paradise Valley, one of the most beautiful sites of Mount Rainier from which you discover pine forests and fields of wild flowers. Beyond Paradise, the road bypasses Reflection and Louise Lakes, two very beautiful mountain lakes in which Mount Rainier is directed, then reached Stevens Canyon dominated to the southwest by the silhouette of the Tatoosh Range.

After leaving Carillon ridge, we descend to the Chinook River, not far from the Silver Falls; these are only a few kilometres from Ohanpecosh visit Center; Then we cross the WA 123 which, northward, goes back the Chinook Valley to the Cayuse Pass (1 439 m).

From Cayuse Pass, this route joins the WA 410, also known as Mather Memorial Parkway, which flows into the White River valley, at the northeast boundary of the park towards Tacoma. On the road, there is a branch line that leads to White River Gate and Sunrise Point from a superb panorama on the Emmons glacier, the largest in the park.

The beach is very easy to access, a 2-minute walk from the parking lot.

Hiking is a little more difficult than First Beach, but your efforts will be rewarded! (about 1 hours walk). On arrival, we need to cut huge trunks of trees to reach the beach.

After 1 hours walking around the Push, we reach this superb fine sand beach stretching over 1,6 km. First Beach is a popular surf spot and a very popular site for watching grey whales (from mid-February to late March).

Surely the most beautiful beach on the peninsula, strewn with huge trunks of floating wood and very easy access (5 minutes walk). The small island of Douglas pine With Island, which rises out of the water just a few metres from the beach, surrounded by steep rocks, makes it a popular wildlife landscape for photographers.

Located in the Elwha Valley, these magnificent 30-meter waterfalls are easily accessible from Highway 101. It is also the opportunity to go through Elwha River, which has undergone great upheaval in recent years.

This centre explores the history of the fauna and flora of the Dungeness River. It may be interesting to take a tour in its small museum if you want to be able to spot animals once in nature. All species are represented, empaillées and in photo. The centre is also placed on the Olympic Discovery Trail, which crosses the entire peninsula from east to west and passes through Sequim on 40 miles. It is practicable on foot, cycling, roller, etc. Every Wednesday at a. m., a free guided tour of the centre and takes the curious to the heart of this rich nature for two hours. To see the salmon go up the river, we will build between mid-October and mid-January.

A pleasant little park where you can run, walk your dog, about or rest in the grass.

This park was made by John Mac Laren, the design of the famous Golden Gate Park of San Francisco. It allows you to enjoy peacefully while walking the trees, plants and flowers surrounding of the beautiful fountains and a small lake. Live music in the open air are organised every Tuesday, the ballets take place on Monday.

If you are in Salem, go to the State parks to get maps and other information on the parks of Oregon (location, rates of entrance, on-site activities).

Direction north, in Salem taking the East. Waterfalls of all beauty. The ten waterfalls trail gives the thrill and really deserves a picture. (Tel (503) 873 8681/(800) 551. www.oregonstateparks.org). Camping, ranches and youth camp.

45 km east of Pendleton, by OR 11 and OR 204, you reach the Sprout Springs winter sports resort, in the heart of the Umatilla National Forest, a beautiful pine forest with many streams. Small family resort for beginners.

John Day is the gateway to the Misfortune National Forest, where you can see several mining camps and ghost towns from the Gold Rush era (the Eastern Oregon Gold Rush of the 1860s), such as Greenhorn and Granite (to the north by OR 7). Located in the Blue Mountains, this forest extends over 5,700 km2 and is wrapped around Lake Strawberry.

By OR 138 Is the road, you can admire waterfalls of beauty and all forms (waterfall, horseshoe, floor, etc.). Indeed, nearly 25 waterfalls (waterfalls) are visible. It is usually have to fork of a few kilometres up to see them, and finally be able to catch up with the road. 

Waterfalls of beauty. The path of the 10 waterfalls gives the thrills and really worth a photo.

This lake, located at the california border, is a marvel: the huge dense forest and the snowy peaks of Siskiyou Mountains are reflected in the clear blue water. You can spend an afternoon to swim in this setting breathtaking and take the few paths of discovery. Possibility of fish and camp.

It's a beautiful lake in a wooded canyon. Hiking around the lake and fishing.

Ecola State Park winds around Tillamook Head and offers a magnificent view from the cliffs where many birds nest. On a rock offshore, you can see the old Tillamook lighthouse (abandoned since 1957). There are several trails to discover the coast and are classified as Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Captain Clark and his men came here from their camp at Fort Clatsop (near Astoria) in 1806 in search of a beached whale that the Indians had mentioned. Ecola comes from the Indian word ekoli, which means whale. Their route is now traced by the Clatsop Loop.

The Fort Stevens, built during the civil war, is the only continental site of the United States that was bombed by a Japanese submarine during the Second World War (1942). Beaches, hiking trails cyclist and location. In Clatsop Spit put back the wreck of boat from Peter Iredale, among the most photographed in the world. Therefore the maritime Oregon coast (US 101 South) begins.

The town of Cascades Locks owes its name to the locks built in 1896 to allow the passage of the Cascades Rapids. The Bonneville Dam, built in 1937, will completely eliminate these rapids and most of the 1896 installations.

The god Coyote imprisoned a girl in the hollow of a rock and changed his hair into waterfall; then transformed into its applicants rock, one on the south bank (Rooster Rock), the other on the north bank (Beacon Rock). A trail of 2 km leads to Horsetail Falls.

It is a little stream of water that is going on in summer and leads, between narrow gorges, to a refreshing waterfall.

According to legend, a woman threw herself at the top of the cliff to save its people decimated by epidemics. A hiking trail leads to the top of the cliff overlooking by the waterfall. Beautiful view.

Standing on 72 metres above sea - level, this rock is a sanctuary for seabirds - puffins, gulls and cormorants, fish and other shellfish. The star of the rock are actually the starfish, which can be seen at low tide, and green anemones, some of which can take up to a hundred years. Haystack Rock formed from rejections lava from the volcanoes of the plateau of Columbia River.

Declared State park, Oswald West is one of the favourite spots Portlandais to enjoy the coast. With its beaches, lush forest and its beautiful viewpoints, the park is ideal for a day in the fresh air in family, or for a session of surfing.

This sandy beach stretches over 7 miles. With proximity, there are shops and accommodation, witnesses of the past of seaside resort of the village.

You can camp all year here, in yurts, in camper or simply in tent. In the surroundings, the beaches of Bandon, kilometres of trails to be explored on horseback, cycling, and the lighthouse Coquille River, witness of the past.

Tracing the border between Idaho and Oregon, Snake River flows north through a stunning landscape. Depuis Hells Canyon Dam until its confluence with Clearwater River, the river has carved a gorge deeper than that of Grand Canyon, reaching 2,600 feet of altitude sometimes.

Lined with fine sand beaches, its course sometimes are quiet, sometimes punctuated with impressive rapids. On both sides slopes that climb down from the streams, covered with meadows and forests. The first explorers were at this point terrified by these extreme reliefs that they called the "canyon of hell" and "mountain of the seven devils"! Today, Hells Canyon National Recreation Area protects this excepionnelle nature. Difficult access, this site remains unknown, unfortunately.

Entering through the southwest entrance of Crater Lake, to the village of Crater Lake, you will follow OR 62 south. The landscape is superb, particularly in the autumn, when the trees have a thousand shades of red and orange.

The road runs along Upper Klamath Lake, one of the larger lakes of southern Oregon (48 mile long and 18 km wide). It is located in the heart of Klamath County, a region that has more than one hundred of lakes, rivers and mountains. A paradise for water sports, hiking and skiing.

With 20 miles east of Portland, and south of Columbia River Gorge, this mountain forest is popular with hikers and cross-country skiers in winter.

Vista House was built on Crown Point in 1918 in memory of the Oregon pioneers. It is a tourist information centre where you will find maps and documents on the Columbia Valley.

It is during the expedition of 1869 on the Colorado river, that Major John Wesley Powell gave the region that crossed the name of Glen Canyon (a glen is a glacial valley). Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (NRA) was created in 1972 by the US Congress. Its 5 076 sq mi stretch on the two States of Utah (more than three town) and from Arizona, at an average altitude of 1 127 metres away. It is surrounded by Capitol Reef National Park and Canyonlands National Park in the north, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in the west, Grand Canyon National Park and Vermillion Cliffs National Monument Southwest; and by the Navajo Indian Reservation Southwest (including Antelope Canyon). Rainbow Bridge National Monument is on the east coast lake Powell and can only be reached by boat or on foot. The centrepiece of Glen Canyon NRA, lake Powell only represents 13% of them. It is however the second - largest artificial lake in North America in 1963 Created thanks to the construction of Glen Canyon Dam (dam), it was totally satisfied only in 1980. It is 299 km long, with 3161 mi of beach, more than 90 side canyons, and a capacity of 32 million cubic meters. Its maximum depth is reached with the Glen Canyon dam at 171 m. to know that the drought known by the region since the end of 2000 cause a drop in the water of more than 30 metres away.

There are six marinas on Lake Powell, several camping grounds and airfields. Navigation is one of the main activities.

Created by Barack Obama in 2016, it is one of the national parks affected by Donald Trump's irresponsible policy; on its sole decision of December 4, 2017, the park lost 85% of its area.

In the north of Park Avenue you can admire the old fossilized dunes.

An unpublished swim in a water source at 32 ° C below a gigantic limestone in the form of a volcano crater. Possibility to rent or bring mask and tuba to admire the training below. The activity is very popular in the area, book your swimming as soon as possible.

The two-tier lift allows you to reach the summit with a panoramic view of the valley and Deer Creek Reservoir. Possibility of lunch in the summer at Bearclaw Cabin's altitude restaurant. In the first section, many walks, with one side for bicycles, the other for pedestrians.

Timpanogos Cave National Monument is a network of 3 limestone caves located in the Wasatch Mountains. After purchasing your tickets at the Visitor Center, you will join the caves located at the end of a 1.5 km pentu trail. The climb, which can be challenging, especially by heavy heat, is rewarded once it reaches the top. The visit will take you to the rock formations of Hansen Cave, Middle Cave and Timpanogos Cave whose walls are covered with stalactites and other impressive mineral deposits.

Recommendations. Carry at least one liter of water per person (especially in full summer). Cover (it is about 7 ° C in the cave). Have hiking shoes or good baskets. Booking your visit in advance, the exit is very popular.

With an area of 392 km ², Lake Utah, which borders the cities of Provo and Orem to the west, is one of the largest natural freshwater lakes in the western United States. After the Great Salt Lake, it is also the largest lake from the prehistoric Bonneville Lake. The water point is known for its abundant fauna, particularly its fish, the common carp is the most important species. It was introduced into the lake in 1881 to replace native fish affected by overfishing.

The bird island is located approximately 4 kilometers north of Lincoln Beach Pier. It is a tiny island, sometimes covered by water and prized by local birds. State Park is a particularly pleasant place to walk and observe wildlife. Possibility to rent a canoe, kayak or paddle board.

A magnificent loop that will make you cross lush landscapes before joining a smaller trail to the heart of incredible geological formations. Rocky peaks on the edge of the road, red cliffs, strata piling up infinity. The final section of the loop, once again on Highway 44, discovers some of the gorges at Sheep Creek Bay level. Another beautiful panorama. Then we can either continue the road north or return to Vernal.

Renowned to be the most beautiful view of the park. To enjoy this, direction the Visitor Center, which offers a unique panorama from a huge glass wall that opens onto the flabble of Flaming Gorge. From the parking lot you can reach different points of view on the gorges just a few meters away and take a small trail along the river before you sink into the forest.