By Air

Washington’s two major airports are Seattle-Tacoma International (Sea-Tac) and Spokane International, served by nearly all the major carriers and a handful of smaller airlines. Horizon Air (a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines) (800/252-7522, www.horizonair.com) is the big “little” airline, connecting many Washington cities including Seattle, Spokane, Bellingham, Lewiston, Pasco, Port Angeles, Pullman, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, and Yakima.

By Train

Amtrak (800/872-7245, www.amtrak.com) serves Washington with two routes. The north–south route along the West Coast is aboard the Coast Starlight, which has service several times a day to Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia/Lacey, Centralia, Longview/Kelso, Vancouver, Portland, and south to Los Angeles. The modern and stylish Cascades provides daily train connections north to Vancouver, B.C., via Edmonds, Everett, Mount Vernon, and Bellingham. The east–west route to Chicago is on the Empire Builder, which has daily service to Spokane, then turns southwest to Portland with stops at Pasco, Wishram, Bingen/White Salmon, and Vancouver, or to Seattle via Ephrata, Wenatchee, Everett, and Edmonds.

Note that Amtrak requires advance reservations; you can’t just go down to the station and climb aboard.

By Car

Highways and roads are generally well maintained in Washington. The main approaches to Washington are I-5 from the north or south in the coastal area, I-90 from parts east, and I-84 from eastern Oregon.

© Ericka Chickowski from Moon Washington, 8th edition