3 Best Sights in Olympia, Washington Cascade Mountains and Valleys

This 15-acre swatch of towering evergreen trees is bisected by the roaring Deschutes River and set around the late Victorian buildings that once housed Olympia Brewery. At the south end of the park, you can visit a small salmon fish hatchery and then follow wooded paths and cross foot bridges as your make your way north alongside the rushing cascades. The path leads to Tumwater Historical Park and then under Interstate 5 to downtown Olympia's Capitol Park. Owned by the nonprofit Olympia Tumwater Foundation, this stretch of greenery offers an interesting mix of historical industrial architecture and nature, including local birdlife.

Framing nearly 4 acres of landscaped desert gardens and bird-watching areas, this lovely waterfront spot stretches along a 1-mile boardwalk through a beachy section of the West Bay shoreline. The park overlooks yachts bobbing in the water at several marinas, and its amenities include beach pavilions and a playground. You can see it all from three stories up by climbing the winding steps of the viewing tower at the north end of the complex, in Port Plaza, where open benches invite visitors to relax and enjoy the outlook.

This leafy 314-acre tract, called Priest Point Park until 2022, is a beautiful section of protected shoreline and wetlands. Thick swaths of forest and glistening bay views are the main attractions, with picnic areas and playgrounds filling in the open spaces. The 3-mile Ellis Cove Trail, with interpretive stations, bridges, and nature settings, runs through the Squaxin Park area and around the Olympia coast.