The 10 Best Historic Walking Areas in Washington, United States

A mile-long walking trail takes you to the peak of this 800-foot geological structure formed from an ancient volcano, and rewards you with a spectacular view of the Columbia River Gorge.

A wide walkway lined with old buildings and shops.

This historic drive is lined with 21 restored Victorian homes built for military officers of the Vancouver Barracks, including Ulysses S. Grant, General O.O. Howard House and George C. Marshall. Two of the homes are open for tours.

Horsethief Lake attracts fishing and camping enthusiasts primarily, but anyone interested in beautiful scenery will enjoy the park and nearby Celilo Falls just as much.

A unique National Historic Site inspired to represent the waves of time passing, the sinuous, curving Memorial Wall is built on the historic Eagledale Ferry dock landing site where the first of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans - two/thirds of them U.S. citizens - were banished from their West Coast homes and placed in concentration camps during World War II.On March 30, 1942 - with only six days notice and only allowed to bring what they could carry or wear - 227 Bainbridge Island men, women and children were forcibly removed by bayonet-armed U.S. Army soldiers. They were the first mass community to arrive at the Manzanar concentration camp in California and later most were assigned to the last barracks at the Minidoka concentration camp in Idaho, becoming the emblematic bookends of the Japanese American incarceration story.The 276-foot long contemplative Memorial Wall of old-growth red cedar, granite and basalt honors the names of all 276 Japanese Americans at the start of WWII who were exiled from Bainbridge Island by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 and Civilian Exclusion Order No. 1. It also honors the unique legacy of a community that stood by their friends and neighbors and welcomed them home. Five large terra cotta friezes along the Memorial wall movingly illustrate this American story of perseverance, patriotism and courage.Guided tours - some with living survivors of the forced removal - are available with a minimum of three weeks notice. Please indicate the size of your group, date, time and expected duration of your visit. As a fully volunteer organization, we will do our best to accommodate requests. The Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Association (BIJAEMA) is a private non-profit organization that designed and supports the maintenance and operation of the memorial. The memorial is a satellite unit of the Minidoka National Historic Site located at the west end of Pritchard Park co-owned by the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreation District and the City of Bainbridge Island. These organizations, along with the Bainbridge island Historical Museum, cooperate in partnership with the BIJAEMA in the management of the site.