Washington's Best Waterfronts and Coastal Areas

Washington's waterfronts include Puget Sound (an inland sea), the Olympic coast (one of the most remote sections of the Pacific Coast in the lower 48), and the urban waterfront of Seattle.

Seattle Waterfront and Elliott Bay
The Seattle waterfront along the Alaskan Way has been redesigned with the completion of the waterfront park in the mid-2020s. Pike Place Market sits at the top of the bluff; the Aquarium and ferry terminal are at water level. The Bainbridge Island ferry crosses Elliott Bay in 35 minutes — one of the finest urban water crossings in the US — with views of the Seattle skyline backed by the Olympic Mountains.

San Juan Islands
An archipelago of 172 named islands (most uninhabited) in the Salish Sea northwest of Anacortes. The combination of old-growth forest, rocky shorelines, whale-watching (Southern Resident orcas), and small-town charm (Friday Harbor on San Juan Island) makes this the finest island destination in the Pacific Northwest. Sea kayaking through the archipelago's protected waters is exceptional.

Olympic Coast (Rialto Beach and Ruby Beach)
The Olympic Peninsula's Pacific coastline is one of the least-developed and most dramatic stretches of the US coast. Rialto Beach, north of La Push, has towering sea stacks, driftwood-strewn shores, and the Hole-in-the-Wall sea arch accessible at low tide. Ruby Beach, the most-visited point on the coast, has extraordinary red jasper-flecked pebbles and sea stack formations.

Hood Canal
A fjord-like natural waterway on the southwest side of the Kitsap Peninsula, Hood Canal is the setting for oyster farming (the oysters are exceptional), shrimping, and scenic drives along the canal shore. The view of the Olympic Mountains from the canal's southern reaches is spectacular. The floating bridge across the canal at Belfair is one of the longest in the world.