Best Places to See Wildlife in Washington State

Washington packs rainforest, glaciated volcanoes, sagebrush steppe, river deltas and an inland sea into one state. That range of habitats makes it one of the best places in the US to see a wide variety of wildlife in a single trip — from Roosevelt elk in moss-draped forest to orcas in the Salish Sea and tens of thousands of snow geese on winter farm fields.

Here are the places worth building a trip around, with the seasons and rules that matter most.

Olympic National Park and the Olympic Peninsula

Olympic National Park combines three very different worlds: temperate rainforest in the west-side valleys, subalpine meadows and peaks in the center, and a wild Pacific coastline.

• Hoh and Quinault rainforests: Roosevelt elk graze the valley floors; early morning and evening are the best times to see them. Look also for black-tailed deer and forest birds such as varied thrushes and Pacific wrens.
• Hurricane Ridge area: subalpine meadows with black-tailed deer and, in summer, Olympic marmots — a species found nowhere else.
• Coastal beaches: tide pools at low tide, with sea stars, anemones and other intertidal life; harbor seals, sea otters offshore in some areas, and seabirds on the sea stacks.

Check tide tables before visiting the coast — headlands can only be rounded at low tide and incoming tides strand hikers every year.

Mount Rainier National Park

Rainier's subalpine meadows around Paradise and Sunrise are at their best from mid-summer once snow melts. Hoary marmots and pikas are common in rocky meadows, and mountain goats can be seen on higher slopes and ridges, usually at a distance. Black bears forage in meadows in late summer. Stay on trails: the meadows are fragile, and trampling damage takes years to recover.

Skagit Valley: snow geese, swans and eagles (winter)

The farmlands and estuary of the Skagit and Samish river deltas, north of Seattle, are a major wintering area for waterfowl. Large flocks of snow geese and trumpeter and tundra swans feed in the fields from late autumn through winter; the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Skagit Wildlife Area, including its Fir Island units, is a good place to start.

Further upriver, bald eagles gather along the upper Skagit River in winter to feed on salmon carcasses after the chum run, with numbers typically peaking from December into January. View from designated pull-outs and viewing areas; eagles feeding on the riverbank are easily flushed.

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

Between Olympia and Tacoma, this refuge protects the restored Nisqually River estuary. An accessible boardwalk extends out over the mudflats, and the refuge is good year-round for waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors and songbirds. It is an easy half-day stop and a good option with children who can walk on a level boardwalk under supervision.

San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea: orcas and other marine life

The San Juan Islands are among the best-known places in the US to look for killer whales. Two kinds are seen here: the endangered Southern Residents, which eat salmon, and Bigg's (transient) killer whales, which hunt marine mammals. Humpback whales, minke whales, harbor porpoises, Dall's porpoises, harbor seals and Steller sea lions are also present.

You can watch from shore — Lime Kiln Point State Park on San Juan Island is a well-known shore-based viewpoint — or from the water. If you go out on the water, by tour boat or by kayak, the state's 1,000-yard rule for Southern Residents applies to every vessel, and the Be Whale Wise guidelines describe additional practices for all marine mammals.

Wolf Haven International (Tenino)

Wolf Haven is a sanctuary south of Olympia that cares for captive-born wolves and offers guided visits. It is a place to learn about wolves and their conservation, not to see wild wolves. As with any sanctuary, check its current accreditation and visitor policies before you go; our article on unethical animal tourism explains what to look for.

Interested in wildlife further north? See our guide to bear viewing in Bella Coola, British Columbia, and for more US birding ideas see our best US birding destinations. Our ethical wildlife watching guide covers boat and vehicle etiquette.

References

• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife — Killer whale (Orcinus orca)
• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife — Skagit Wildlife Area
• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife — Living with wildlife
• NOAA Fisheries — Southern Resident killer whale
• National Park Service — Olympic National Park
• National Park Service — Mount Rainier National Park
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
• Be Whale Wise
• Washington State Parks — Lime Kiln Point State Park
• Wolf Haven International