by Kris Kennedy

Created on: February 19, 2009   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

Washington State Parks Since Washington State started the State Park system in 1913, they have increased the variety of parks available for its citizens. Some sit on historical sites, others highlight the variety of recreation available for citizens and visitors to Washington State and others offer opportunities to interact with natural wildlife and some of them multiple purposes.

Historical Lewis and Clark found the Columbia River at a location memorialized by a park named after their Indian guide Sacajawea. When Lewis and Clark feared they were lost, Sacajawea told them a trip over the hill would find a source for horses and than a trip down to a river would put them on the path to the mightiest river they had ever seen. They laughed because they had seen many a mighty river. Once they reached the spot, where the Snake River met the Columbia they noted in their log that they have now seen the mightiest river. The park has a small museum and a park ranger with a whole scale of knowledge to share. Bald Eagles make this park home and several times a year you can view bald eagles up as close as the birds allow. The park ranger takes care to prevent the birds to be scared off. The family of Sam Hill donated to the Columbia River area at Maryhill Washington and the State honored them with a park with a sculpture park. Within a small drive from the Park, you can visit the Maryhill Art Museum with the largest collection of chess sets, Romanian artifacts and fine Rodin sculptures. Sam Hill heard that Stonehenge was a sacrifice site so he duplicated as a monuments to the sacrifices of Washington State lives in World War I. You can see this monument from the park and a small drive can make you imagine a visit to England. On summer days, you can participate in wind surfing on the river so just watch the skill of others.
Many watched the movie Officer and a Gentleman. The film crew chose Warden State Park as the site for the movie. The army built the fort in the 1900s but closed as a fort in the early 1950s later it became a prison, but now is a State Park and convention center. The fight scene from the movie occurred in the Blimp hanger.

Other parks inform visitors and citizens about the great floods or the history of Indian tribes of the state.

Recreation Washington has a major body of water called the Puget Sound. On this body are many parks, which are only available by water, one is on Blake Island. The only way you can get to this island is by boat. An excursion service in Seattle provides transportation for a fee to the island. Once on the Island you can purchase a Salmon dinner prepared by local area Indians in their lodge. After the meal walks on the beach to collect shells, hope to see Orcas or other sea life.

The variety of state parks provides entertainment within the drive of most homes. Most counties in the state have at least one state park so when in Washington a park for an outdoor adventure lies close.

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