Regional outdoor-learning catalog
The catalog includes 20 places across 2 states or territories in this region. Families can investigate temperate rainforests, volcanoes, coastlines, salmon, and glacial landscapes through park-specific observations, discussion, field notes, and shared trip planning.
Plan from the managing agency: catalog descriptions support learning, not live visitor logistics. Check current closures, access, reservations, weather, wildlife rules, and permitted routes before every visit.
Cape Perpetua is the highest viewpoint on the Oregon Coast where you can see 150 miles of shoreline and watch the ocean shoot through rocky channels. Thor's Well looks like a bottomless sinkhole that swallows the sea!
The Columbia River Gorge is a giant canyon carved by the Columbia River with towering waterfalls on every side. Multnomah Falls drops 620 feet in two tiers and is one of the most photographed waterfalls in America!
Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States, sitting inside a collapsed volcano called a caldera. The water is an incredibly deep blue because it is fed only by rain and snow with no rivers flowing in or out!
Ecola State Park is a breathtaking stretch of Oregon coastline with dramatic views of sea stacks, Haystack Rock, and Tillamook Lighthouse. The park was visited by Lewis and Clark in 1806 and its trails wind through Sitka spruce forests above crashing waves.
John Day Fossil Beds preserves colorful painted hills and millions of years of plant and animal fossils. The Painted Hills look like a rainbow melted into the earth, with red, yellow, gold, and black stripes on every hillside!
Newberry Volcano is a massive shield volcano with two beautiful lakes in its caldera and a huge obsidian lava flow that looks like a river of black glass. You can walk on lava fields, explore lava tubes, and see one of the largest obsidian flows in the world!
Oregon Caves is a marble cave hidden in the Siskiyou Mountains where you can explore underground rooms full of stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone. The cave was called the "Marble Halls of Oregon" when it was first discovered!
Samuel H. Boardman is a 12-mile stretch of the most dramatic coastline in Oregon with natural rock bridges, secret beaches, and towering sea cliffs. Every viewpoint along this corridor reveals another jaw-dropping scene of arches, coves, and crashing waves.
Silver Falls is called the "Crown Jewel" of Oregon state parks because you can hike behind ten beautiful waterfalls on the Trail of Ten Falls loop. Walking behind a curtain of water is an unforgettable experience!
Smith Rock is a stunning canyon of tall rock spires rising above the Crooked River in the high desert of central Oregon. It is considered the birthplace of modern rock climbing in the United States and attracts climbers from around the world.
Cape Disappointment is where the mighty Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean, and where Lewis and Clark finally reached the sea! You can visit two historic lighthouses and learn about one of the most dangerous river bars in the world.
Deception Pass is Washington's most popular state park, with a famous bridge high above swirling ocean currents. You can watch the water rush through the narrow pass like a river and explore beaches, forests, and tide pools.
Fort Worden is a former military fort at the tip of the Olympic Peninsula where you can explore old concrete bunkers, climb into gun batteries, and watch ships pass through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It was also used as a filming location for the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman."
Moran State Park on Orcas Island is the crown jewel of the San Juan Islands with a stone tower on Mount Constitution that offers views of islands, mountains, and Canada. You can hike through old-growth forests and swim in mountain lakes.
Mount Rainier is a giant volcano covered in glaciers and surrounded by wildflower meadows in summer. At 14,411 feet, it is the tallest mountain in Washington and you can see it from over 100 miles away!
Mount St. Helens is the volcano that famously erupted in 1980 and blew off its entire top! Today you can see the huge crater, the blast zone where forests were flattened, and watch how nature is slowly growing back.
North Cascades is called the "American Alps" because of its jagged mountain peaks and over 300 glaciers. Turquoise lakes, roaring waterfalls, and thick forests make it one of the wildest places in the lower 48 states.
Olympic National Park has rainforests, mountains, and wild ocean beaches all in one place. You can walk through a magical green forest dripping with moss and then visit tide pools full of sea stars!
Palouse Falls is a spectacular 200-foot waterfall that plunges into a deep canyon in the dry desert of eastern Washington. The waterfall was carved by catastrophic ice age floods that reshaped the entire landscape!
The San Juan Islands sit in the sparkling waters between Washington and Canada, and are one of the best places in the world to watch orca whales from shore. The islands also tell the funny story of a war that started over a pig!
Let the child heart places that create real curiosity, compare two landscapes or histories, and choose one attainable family visit. At the park, use three to five observations for younger children and a field note or evidence-backed explanation for older children. Missing an item is a reason to ask a question, never a reason to approach wildlife or leave an allowed route.
Try the family wishlist demonstration · See the complete outdoor-learning model