Enjoying The Beauty Of Seattle
Seattle is truly one of the most beautiful cities in the United States. Surrounded by mountains, forest and the scenic Puget Sound, there is plenty to see and do when visiting Seattle.
One of the first nature places that you want to visit in Seattle is Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. When Mount St. Helen's erupted in 1980, several people ended up losing their lives. The volcanic eruption was the first in hundreds of years in the mainland United States. The monument is the actual volcano which is still active. While you cannot get close to the actual volcano, you can see where it erupted and the impact it played on the nature in the area. This is one historic area that is well worth your time when you visit Seattle.
If you like the mountains, look no further than Mount Rainier National Park. This is not only a vast national park that hosts millions of visitors each year, it is one of the most popular ski resorts in the area. If you like skiing, there is plenty of opportunity to do so at Mount Rainer. In addition to this active winter sport, you can also find opportunities for hiking, horseback riding and camping. Because the park is so huge, you are better off to stay for a couple of days so that you can get the true feeling of the beauty in the area. The area has quite a few ski lodge accommodations and you can also camp so give Mount Rainier a few days of your time so that you can fully enjoy the beauty.
Another park that you may enjoy is the North Cascades National Park that is also referred to as the North American Alps. Like Mount Rainier, there is plenty of nature to see and you can also spend a few days or even your entire vacation to Seattle in this scenic park. It is surrounded by the Skagit and Stehekin rivers an the views are absolutely breathtaking. You can enjoy climbing, hiking and camping in this national park that also hosts skiing in the winter months.
Many people, when then visit a city like Seattle, only look at the tourist areas that lie within the city. While these are nice to see (everyone wants to see the Space Needle), this can end up costing you a lot of money when you are on vacation and you are actually missing quite a bit. One of the nicest aspects about visiting Seattle is the fact that there is so much scenic wonder to behold.
During your next trip to Seattle, make sure that you take the time to visit one of the many national parks that are in or around the Seattle area.