Pacific Northwest Vacation

​The Pacific Northwest, sometimes referred to as Cascadia, is a geographic region in western North America bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and (loosely) by the Rocky Mountains on the east. The world's largest ocean, North America's highest peak, and some of its grandest rivers paint a picture of superlatives in the states of Alaska, Washington, and Oregon.

Standard references to the Pacific Northwest cite Oregon and Washington. But the vast land of Alaska, separated by about 500 miles of Canada, completes the realm of this region. Like Alaska, Washington's coast is blessed with islands, inlets, and vistas of dramatic white-shouldered mountains, along with rain forests and dense woodlands.

​Oregon unfolds along broad sweeps of beaches, capes, and dunes, and this state is less interrupted by deep bays and coves than its Pacific Northwest partners. Residents of Alaska, Washington, and Oregon typically cite wilderness and scenic beauty as the top draws for living in the Pacific Northwest. Washington's infamous rain nurtures lush year-round greenery. All along the coast, local foods such as fish, berries, and wild mushrooms are unparalleled. And in Washington, there's the coffee.