Over a million people head to Washington state each year to get a glimpse of Mt. Rainier with only about half of the 10,000 who attempt to climb the over 14,000 foot summit being successful. Setting near the south end of Puget Sound and just outside the Fort Lewis Military base, Mt. Rainier is one of the state’s key tourist draws.

Traveling from Puget Sound through the Strait of Juan De Fuca a boat will end up in the northern Pacific Ocean and the U.S. Navy’s base at Bremerton was key to Pacific operations during World War II. With many shipping ports still in use today, the Seattle area of Washington is one of the main harbors for trade with the Pacific rim.

Mt. Rainier is considered to have the most glaciers of any mountain peak in the United States, with 26, although heat from the volcano keeps the rim of the mountain peak free of ice and snow. Hiking, camping, mountain climbing and photography attracts most people to this area, about 35 miles south east of Seattle and climbing Mt. Rainier is popular, due to the presence of glaciers it is extremely dangerous.

Climbers not only need to be experienced in mountain climbing, but also in traversing glaciers as well as self-rescue methods and wilderness travel. The Wonderland Trail encircles the mountain as a 93-mile long trail to enable visitors to walk the entire circumference of the mountain.

The Seattle Space Needle also brings people to the state to view this 605-foot high tower, built for the World’s Fair in 1962. As the tallest structure west of the Mississippi, it was designed to hold up to winds of 150 miles per hour and earthquakes up to 9.5 magnitude and has a collection of 25 lightning rods to help prevent it from lightning strikes.

At 60 stories it is not the tallest building in Seattle but the Sky City Restaurant at 500 feet is the highest dining room. The observation deck at about 520 feet enables the view of not just the Seattle skyline, but also Tacoma and Mt. Rainier as well. The restaurant rotates 360 degrees in forty seven minutes to all diners a total view of Seattle and the surrounding areas.

With the numerous islands in Puget Sound, it is home to the largest fleet of ferries in the world. Interstate 5 will take you all the way north to Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada and south to Olympia with many miles of Washington scenery along the way. Traveling east across the state, heading towards Spokane on Interstate 90 or Walla Walla on I-82 will take you into the northern finger of Idaho. From there you can turn south in to Oregon, another state grown from the Washington purchase.