|
Lewis County Adventures
Lewis County Travel Tip
Information courtesy of Lewis County
LEWIS COUNTY, WASHINGTON
ADVENTURES AND NATURAL ATTRACTIONS
In a state renowned for its parks and wilderness areas, Southwest
Washington's Lewis County boasts some of the best and most varied
outdoor opportunities for camping, fishing, hiking, and family
fun. Lewis County's pastoral setting ranges from gently rolling
prairies and river valleys in the west to the rugged Cascade
Mountains in the east for skiing, mountain climbing, hunting,
horse back riding, and wildlife watching.
National and working forest lands, cover approximately one third
of Lewis County. Within county borders are portions of the Mount
Baker-Snoqualmie and Gifford Pinchot National Forests and the Mt.
Rainier National Park. These areas contain a full spectrum of
recreational, scenic, biological, and botanical treasures.
Unspoiled and untrampled wilderness abounds in these treasured
surroundings of Lewis County.
NATURE: ITS CANOPY AND CREATURES
Lewis County possesses an incredible variety of flora and fauna.
Old-growth forests of fir, hemlock, pine, spruce, and cedar cover
the slopes. The forest understory and open meadows display a
dazzling assortment of wildflowers, ferns, berries, and herbs.
Black bear, cougar, bobcat, deer, elk, eagles, and mountain goats
inhabit this wilderness. An abundance of upland lakes and streams
throughout the mountains converge at lower elevations to create
the Cowlitz River for a generous supply of fishing opportunities.
TRI-MOUNTAIN PANORAMA
Dominating the landscape for miles around is Mount Rainier, the
second highest peak in the lower 48 states. Nowhere in the state
are the major peaks of Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens and Mount
Adams more easily accessed than from the east end of Lewis
County. Within the county's boundary is 7,950 foot, Old Snowy
Mountain, near the Cascade Crest Trail.
Mount Rainier National Park encompasses a dormant volcano, old-
growth forests, abundant wildlife, 240 miles of trails, and 600
overnight campsites for wilderness camping. The east entrance is
just outside of Packwood. Call Mount Rainier Guest Services at
(360)569-2275 or the National Park Service at (360)569-2211.
The town of Randle is the gateway to the Mount St. Helens
National Volcanic Monument. A drive to Windy Ridge brings you
within four miles of the gaping crater and provides the best
views of Spirit Lake and blown down trees lying like toothpicks.
The Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center and the Johnson Ridge
Observatory, only six miles from the volcano's crater, are
reachable along a scenic route by taking Exit 63(Hwy. 505) off of
I-5 through Toledo to Hwy. 504, the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway.
The Tri-Mountain territory provides a bounty of outdoor
opportunities during winter and summer alike. Individual sports
and family activities such as golfing, fishing, and hiking,
aesthetic pursuits such as bird-watching, and exciting endeavors,
including white water rafting, hang gliding, and mountain
climbing are enjoyed here. Horseback riding excursions leave from
stables in Packwood, and backcountry trips into the parks and
wilderness areas originate in Randle. Here, archaeological
enthusiasts will experience a rare glimpse into the past at the
Layser Caves, revealed as recently as 1982.
GENEROUS SERVINGS OF UNTRAMPLED NATURE
The Gifford Pinchot National Forest offers a myriad of hiking
trails in the warm months, and 19 sno-parks and hundreds of miles
of trails for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling
during the winter. The William O. Douglas, Tatoosh, and Goat
Rocks Wilderness areas lie within the forest. These pristine
areas offer wilderness seekers a generous serving of untrampled
nature. Some of the best huckleberry fields in the Northwest, can
be found in autumn. Emerging wild mushrooms and a kaleidoscope of
fall foliage mark the change of seasons.
FISHING FAVORITES
Riffe Lake, an 11,830 acre reservoir situated on the Cowlitz
River, with an abundance of cutthroat, brown and rainbow trout,
coho and kokanee salmon, as well as largemouth bass is a
fisherman's paradise. Mayfield Lake, only minutes to the west,
has year round open season and is home to the fighting tiger
muskies and rainbow trout.
ALPINE SKIING
Ski enthusiasts will find the driest powder in the Washington
Cascades at the White Pass Ski Area. With a 6,000-foot summit and
1,500-foot vertical drop, White Pass averages 300 inches of
snowfall a year. This was the training ground for Olympic
medalists Phil & Steve Mahre. Call (509) 672-3100.
FOREST "CATHEDRAL"
The second state park to be established in the state was Lewis
and Clark State Park. Home to the nation's last remaining old-
growth lowland forest, huge hemlock and Douglas fir form a
natural cathedral and softly-carpeted forest floor that creates
an inspirational setting. Adding to the appeal of the park are
well-maintained campsites and excellent interpretive signage. The
park is on the historic Jackson Highway, near I-5 at Exit 68.
CAMPING & RV FACILITIES
Memorable parks include Rainbow Falls State Park 17 miles west of
I-5 for wilderness camping options along the Chehalis River; Ike
Kinswa State Park and Mayfield Lake County Park on opposite sides
of Mayfield Lake, famed for its thriving population of Tiger
Muskies; Riffe Lake's Mossyrock Park and Taidnapam Park, both
with RV sites, group sites and walk-in camping areas; two city
parks in Chehalis include Stan Hedwall Park (with RV hookups and
baseball fields) and Recreation Park with an extensive children's
playground and swimming pool; eight city parks and one county
park in Centralia feature such attractions as an indoor swimming
pool, ball fields, picnic shelters, playgrounds, access to lakes
and rivers, and more. The Seminary Hill Natural Area in Centralia
offers periodic naturalist lectures and tours.
PUBLIC GOLF COURSES
For devoted golfers, Lewis County has four public golf courses:
27 holes at the Newaukum Valley Golf Course (Chehalis), 18 holes
at the Riverside Country Club course (Chehalis), and nine holes
at both the challenging Centralia Public Golf Course and the
forgiving Maple Grove Golf Course (Randle).
| Travel Tips in Related Destinations |
| Bellingham |
 |
 |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Centralia |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Seattle |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Walla Walla |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Washington State |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Yakima Valley |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
