Top 10 Viewpoints in the Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest stacks its drama vertically: glaciated stratovolcanoes rise above evergreen forests, the Columbia River carves a gorge through the Cascade Range, and the coast is a wild line of headlands and sea stacks battered by Pacific swells. The region's viewpoints capture volcanoes reflected in alpine lakes, waterfalls plunging from basalt cliffs, and rainforest ridges. These ten span Oregon and Washington at their most scenic.
Paradise, Mount Rainier, Washington
The Paradise area on the south flank of Mount Rainier sits at around 1,650 metres, directly beneath the 4,392-metre glaciated volcano — the highest peak in the Cascades. Subalpine meadows erupt with wildflowers in July and August, framed by the ice-clad summit. Trails climb toward the glaciers; the meadow viewpoints give the classic Rainier panorama. The road is open year-round to Paradise, weather permitting.
Crater Lake Rim, Oregon
Crater Lake fills the caldera of the collapsed Mount Mazama, which erupted around 7,700 years ago, and at 594 metres is the deepest lake in the United States. Its intense blue water, ringed by 600-metre cliffs, is seen from the Rim Drive's many overlooks, including the view to Wizard Island. Snow keeps much of the rim road closed until summer; the colour is most vivid under clear midday sun.
Hurricane Ridge, Washington
In Olympic National Park, Hurricane Ridge rises to around 1,600 metres and looks across deep forested valleys to the glaciated peaks of the Olympic Mountains, including Mount Olympus. The road climbs from Port Angeles through rainforest to subalpine meadows. On clear days the view extends north across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Canada.
Multnomah Falls, Columbia Gorge, Oregon
In the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah Falls drops 189 metres in two tiers down a basalt cliff, the tallest waterfall in Oregon. The Benson Bridge viewpoint spans the falls between the upper and lower tiers, and a trail climbs to the brink with a view down the gorge. It is the most visited natural site in the state and best in spring when flow peaks.
Cape Perpetua, Oregon
The highest viewpoint directly on the Oregon coast, Cape Perpetua rises around 245 metres above the sea, with a stone shelter at the top giving a sweeping view of the rugged coastline and, in winter, migrating gray whales. Below, the Thor's Well and Devil's Churn sea features churn with the swell. Forest trails connect the summit to the dramatic shore.
Artist Point, Mount Baker, Washington
At the end of the Mount Baker Highway, Artist Point at around 1,560 metres sits between the volcanoes of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan, with both glaciated peaks reflected in alpine tarns. The area receives some of the heaviest snowfall on earth, so the road is open only roughly late July to early October. The reflection of Shuksan in Picture Lake nearby is among the most photographed scenes in the US.
Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock, Oregon
The wide beach at Cannon Beach is dominated by Haystack Rock, a 72-metre sea stack rising from the surf, ringed by tide pools and seabird colonies. Viewpoints from the beach and the headlands of Ecola State Park to the north frame the rock and the coastline. Sunset, with the stack silhouetted against the Pacific, is the iconic Oregon coast image.
Sunrise, Mount Rainier, Washington
On the north-east side of Mount Rainier, the Sunrise area at 1,950 metres is the highest point reachable by car in the park. It gives a close, high view of the mountain's Emmons Glacier — the largest glacier in the contiguous United States — and subalpine meadows. The road is open only in summer; mornings here are often clear before afternoon cloud builds.
Rowena Crest, Columbia Gorge, Oregon
Where the Columbia Gorge opens into the drier eastern landscape, the Rowena Crest viewpoint looks down on the famous horseshoe loops of the historic highway and out along the river. In spring the surrounding plateau blazes with balsamroot and lupine wildflowers. The transition from forest to grassland is visible in a single sweeping view.
Mount St. Helens viewpoints, Washington
The viewpoints along the road to Johnston Ridge Observatory look directly into the crater of Mount St. Helens, the volcano that erupted catastrophically in 1980, blasting away its summit and devastating the surrounding forest. At around 1,260 metres, the observatory frames the crater, the lava dome and the slowly recovering blast zone — a powerful lesson in volcanic landscape.
Explore on the map
From the glaciated volcanoes of Rainier and Baker to the Columbia Gorge waterfalls and the wild Oregon coast, every viewpoint above is plotted on the interactive map. Use it to see which require a summer-only mountain road, which are short coastal stops, and plan a route that links the volcanoes, gorge and coast of the Pacific Northwest.