Washington’s topography is strikingly varied, ranging from sea level on the Pacific coast and inland marine waters to some of the highest peaks in the contiguous United States. The Cascade Range runs north-south through the state and acts as both a topographic and climatic divide.
- **Highest point:** Mount Rainier, 14,410 ft (4,392 m) - **Lowest point:** Sea level along the Pacific coast and marine shorelines - **Major mountain systems:** Cascade Range, Olympic Mountains, Blue Mountains, Kettle Range, Selkirk Mountains - **Major plateaus/basins:** Columbia Plateau, including the Yakima Valley and broader Columbia Basin - **Notable canyons/coulees:** Grand Coulee and the Channeled Scablands, shaped by Ice Age floods - **Coastal areas:** Pacific beaches, headlands, estuaries, and tidal flats, especially along the Olympic coast - **Flood plains:** Extensive flood-prone lowlands along rivers such as the Skagit, Snohomish, Chehalis, Yakima, and lower Columbia
Western Washington tends to have glaciated lowlands, rolling hills, marine shorelines, and steep mountain relief. Eastern Washington is generally more open and elevated, with basalt plateaus, coulees, wheat country, and irrigated valleys. The state’s topography reflects tectonic uplift, volcanic activity, glaciation, and catastrophic flood events from the last Ice Age.
