Seattle Vacation Ideas

If you’re up for a road trip over the pass, or you’re heading that direction anyway, you might want to detour to Gingko Petrified Forest State Park. It is located 30 miles east of Ellensburg.

The 7,470-acre park is a registered national natural landmark because it contains the remains of one of the most unusual fossil forests in the world, including some of the rarest types of petrified wood ever found.

Outside the visitors’ center, the landscaping is made up of dozens of petrified logs. Inside the center, you can find many displays of polished cross-sections of petrified wood, including examples of the more than fifty species of petrified trees that have been found in the park. There are also remains of prehistoric animals that once roamed present-day Washington State.

In addition to petrified trees, you can visit a display featuring Native American petroglyphs, that were cut from the nearby cliffs before they disappeared under waters from the Wanapum Dam, built in 1953. The site included more than 300 separate figures, which were carved centuries ago by the Wanapum Indians. Some 60-odd petroglyphs were salvaged and cemented into place behind the center.

Park hours:

Summer: 6:30 a.m. to dusk.
Winter: 8 a.m. to dusk.

Camping spots are available.

Gingko Petrified Forest

If you’d like to get out of the city and see some of the sites of Washington State, the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River is a classic destination. There’s lots to observe by day, but did you know there’s something to do at night too?

During the summer, the dam hosts laser light shows. “The Columbia River tells you its story through this narrated production of brilliant lasers that dance across the face of the entire Grand Coulee Dam! Learn about the dam and enjoy the entertainment sections with a patriotic finale.” Not bad, eh? Who knew dams were patriotic?

In 2007, shows will be displayed nightly from May 26th to September 30th (visit the site for times, as they change as the summer goes on). You can view the lights from several areas: the Visitor Arrival Center bleachers, the park area below the center, Crown Point Vista, Coulee Dam parks, vista points, or from the grassy knoll across from the Coulee Dam shopping area. Several of the locations offer speakers so you can listen, but if you can’t snag one of those spots, you can hear the program via the radio on 90.1 FM. The show runs 37 minutes and there’s no charge to watch.

http://www.grandcouleedam.org/