For fast-food history, nothing is better than the interpretive centers of our state parks. Most are free, many have child-oriented exhibits, some offer tours and others have outside areas with an interpretive focus.
Interpretive (and visitor) centers are all over the map with days, hours and seasons. Most have websites, but days and hours posted on those sites, or in a guide book, may be out-of-date, so call first or risk being disappointed. Most state parks require a Discover Pass.
Ginkgo Petrified Forest
Let’s start our tour at the Ginkgo Petrified Forest interpretive center (509-856-2290), about 30 miles east of Ellensburg at Vantage, on the west side of the Columbia River.
Before you go in, look around and imagine standing here, surrounded by swamps, shallow lakes and dozens of species of prehistoric trees. Fast-forward to 2019. Some of those trees may be part of one of the most diverse fossil forests in the world.
The Trees of Stone interpretive trail leads visitors by more than 20 species in the ancient lake bed where they were formed. The first-known specimens of the rare petrified gingko were found not far away.
High heat has been a challenge when I’ve stopped there, so the lure of the air-conditioned center can be particularly appealing. Inside, displays, samples from 30 varieties of petrified wood, including a shiny black slice of a gum tree, and videos outline the history of the petrified forest and the powerful Ice Age flood that helped shape the landscape.
Currently, the center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until May 15; then daily, same times, until Sept. 15. Call 509-856-2700 for more information.
Goldendale Observatory
Light pollution is not the friend of those who want to clearly see the night sky. But there is a way: Join the curious at Goldendale Observatory State Park, one of the nation’s largest and most accessible public telescopes, 2,100 feet above sea level.
It offers afternoon and evening science programs year-round. Two large telescopes in the observatory are powered up for visitors; portable ones are available, too. The staff will answer your questions and interpret the night sky. An afternoon program focuses on the sun, including the highest resolution live views.
Caveat: The observatory is closed for $1.5 million state-funded upgrades until fall, so call 509-773-3141 to get the latest information on days and times for solar and dark sky programs that are temporarily held at the nearby Maryhill Stonehenge Visitor Center.
Dry Falls
We have a geological wonder in Washington, Dry Falls, which 13,000 years ago was four times the size of today’s Niagara Falls. Now it’s a 400-foot-high, 3.5-mile-wide basalt cliff in the Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park, 3 miles west of Coulee City.
Today the cliff is a basalt skeleton framing the huge area below scooped out of the earth by floods that changed the landscape. The story is told through exhibits in the Dry Falls Visitor Center (509-632-5214), 2 miles north of the main park. Open Friday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 2 to 4 p.m.
It’s a story that includes the geology of a waterfall created and lost, lava flows, floods and Native Americans who lived in the area. Spend some time at a wall of windows looking out over the edge at dry lands that were once an oasis in the desert.
Or take a short narrow walkway that juts out over the edge for that unforgettable picture.
Sacajawea
Lewis and Clark’s expedition is part of the story at the Sacajawea Interpretive Center at Sacajawea State Park, but Sacajawea is a star. Her role was instrumental in the expedition’s success. The exhibit highlights their time at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers.
The center also features the Columbia Plateau tribal perspectives, hands-on exhibits and crafts. The Confluence Project features outside art installations along historic points of the Columbia and Snake, including at the park. Maya Lin was artist and architect.
The center is open through Oct. 31, Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Olmstead Place
Bring the kids for a visit to Olmstead Place Historical Park, a working pioneer farm near Ellensburg started in 1875.
Prepare to walk on level ground to see, and in some cases explore, the buildings, including a hay barn and a cottonwood log cabin with artifacts. Historic equipment offers a pre-technology look at farming. If you prefer a guided tour that may include the Smith House Museum, call 509-925-1943.
Lewis & Clark
The Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment State Park focuses on the story of the explorers who trekked halfway across the continent to the mouth of the Columbia River on their Corps of Discovery Expedition.
It sits on top of a 200-foot cliff where the Columbia River meets the ocean, also known as the Graveyard of the Pacific for its countless shipwrecked ships.
Exhibits include an original surf boat used for rescues and tools (and a flask) of Patrick Gass, expedition carpenter. The interpretive center (360-642-3029) is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A trail along the cliffs leads to the North Head Lighthouse, put into service in 1898. It’s still active but with an automated beacon. While currently closed for renovations, the plan is that it will reopen by July 4. There are admission fees and age limits. An interpretive guide takes small groups to the top.
Fort Worden
The interpretive center in this case is Fort Worden Historical State Park in Port Townsend. Using a self-guided map from the Friends of Fort Worden Gift Shop, visit the Puget Sound Coast Artillery Museum, Commanding Officer’s House and the Marine Science Center.
The science center on a pier features an aquarium with local fish and invertebrate species. Take the opportunity to view plankton through a microscope. The on-shore version focuses on the story of Hope, one of only six articulated orca whale skeletons on display in the U.S. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday; 360-385-5582.
The main Fort Worden number is 360-344-4400.
Mount St. Helens
If you don’t have time for a trip to Mount St. Helens, the next best thing is to stop at the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center, near Castle Rock. Across from Seaquest State Park, it’s run by Washington State Parks.
It covers the landscape before and after the eruption with displays that include a large, step-in model of the volcano, functioning seismograph and a chronological timeline leading up to the May 18, 1980, event. One focus is on the explosion’s impact on nearby ecosystems.
The center (360-274-0962) is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Fort Columbia
If you’re even remotely interested in military history, your next stop should be Fort Columbia State Park near the mouth of the Columbia River. Fort Columbia is considered one of the most intact historic coastal defense sites in the U.S.
The Fort Columbia Interpretive Center focuses on history, including Native American, early exploration and fur trade. Or take a self-guided interpretive historic walk with information on various fort features and site history. Interpretive panels near the gun batteries include historic photos and blueprints. There are two of the six 6-inch, rapid-fire World War II disappearing guns in existence.
Free tours are offered during summer weekends. For additional information, call Cape Disappointment State Park at 360-642-3029.
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or songandword@rockisland.com.
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