Seattle Vacation Ideas

Where can you see black bears, cougars, bison, mountain goats, porcupines, toads, and salamanders all in the same place? Well, probably at the zoo, but if you want to see these creatures in something closer to their natural habitat, check out Northwest Trek.

As their about page says, the 723-acre park has a little bit of everything: lakes, trails, meadows, and plenty of animals. Northwest Trek is home to more than 200 North American animals, which roam about the lands instead of being locked in small cages.

Admission costs $13.50 for adults and includes a 55-minute tram tour of the park. When you’re done, you’re free to cruise the walking trails, which meander through forest and wetlands. Stop to listen to a Keeper Talk on subjects such as wolf packs or owl habits when you want to take a break and rest for a bit. When you get hungry, there’s a cafe on site, or you can bring your own lunch to the picnics areas. Just don’t feed the bears…

Northwest Trek is 55 miles south of Seattle on the way to Mt. Rainier National Park.

http://www.nwtrek.org –>

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 –>

Granger’s Dinosaur Park might not be a vacation destination in and of itself, but if you’re heading over to the Yakima Valley anyway, it’s a fun spot for kids (and, okay, adults too). Full of climbable painted dinosaurs, the park is a fun place to picnic or just relax with the family. On the weekends, you can rent paddleboats and visit the floating dinosaur in the middle of a pond in the park. If you forget to bring your lunch, there’s a dino snack store on site that sells nachos, hot dogs, sodas, and frozen goodies (what, you were expecting health food from a concessions stand?).

If you’re going to be at the park for a while, you may need to visit the somewhat interesting restrooms. The toilets are located inside a large replica of a volcano, which is done up to look like it’s erupting. Dinosaur Park might not be the ultimate in class, but I bet the kids will get a kick out of it.

Admission is free, but make sure to come during daylight hours, as the park isn’t lit at night.

For those who aren’t familiar with Granger, WA (which is most people probably), you can find it on I-82, 23 miles south of Yakima. Take exit 58 (Granger), which puts you on #223. Follow the street for about a mile (don’t take the first right, which heads into Granger proper) and at the third right, you’ll see the entrance to Dinosaur Park.

For more on the origins of the park (whose idea were those dinos anyway?), check out the Granger Tourism site.

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