Southwest Washington

Updated October 3, 2026

Southwest Washington runs from the Long Beach Peninsula on the Pacific east along the Columbia River to the Gorge and Klickitat County, and north past Mount St. Helens to the farm towns of Lewis County. Vancouver anchors it, right across the river from Portland.

7 counties: Clark · Cowlitz · Klickitat · Lewis · Pacific · Skamania · Wahkiakum
See all six regions on the map

Seven counties make up the region on the state road map: Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania and Wahkiakum. That puts Vancouver, Longview and Centralia in the same region as Mount St. Helens, the Columbia River Gorge and the beach towns of the Long Beach Peninsula.

Use this page as the index. If you know where you are headed, start with a town guide. If you are going somewhere smaller, scroll down to the towns without a guide of their own, where every coffee shop, market, museum, golf course and local business we list is filed under its town.

What Southwest Washington is known for

Mount St. Helens

The 1980 eruption left a crater and a blast zone you can see from viewpoints on several sides of the mountain. Some approach roads have been closed by slides in recent years, so check road status before you go.

Visit Mount St. Helens

Ape Cave

A lava tube on the south side of Mount St. Helens that you walk through in the dark. Bring two light sources and a warm layer, even in August.

Hike the Ape Cave

The Long Beach Peninsula

A long run of open beach with kites, razor clams and small beach towns, from Ilwaco and Seaview to Oysterville.

Long Beach town guide

Cape Disappointment

Two lighthouses where the Columbia meets the Pacific, plus the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center on the bluff.

Cape Disappointment State Park

The Columbia River Gorge

The Washington side of the Gorge runs along SR 14 through Stevenson and White Salmon. Beacon Rock is the climb that gives you the whole river.

Climb Beacon Rock

Maryhill

A full size Stonehenge replica and an art museum on a bluff above the Columbia near Goldendale.

Visit Maryhill

Vancouver

Fort Vancouver, a walkable downtown and a busy waterfront, all a bridge away from Portland.

Spend a day in Vancouver

Packwood and White Pass

A mountain town on US 12 below White Pass, with the southeast side of Mount Rainier up the road.

Explore Packwood

When to go

Spring

Waterfalls in the Gorge run full and the wildflowers start on the dry east end near Klickitat.

Summer

Beach season on the Long Beach Peninsula and the best weeks for the Ape Cave and Mount St. Helens viewpoints.

Fall

Harvest in Clark County and quieter beaches. Storms start to roll in off the Pacific late in the season.

Winter

Storm watching from Cape Disappointment and skiing at White Pass.

Getting around

  • By car: I-5 runs north from Vancouver through Longview and Centralia. SR 14 follows the Columbia through the Gorge, US 12 crosses White Pass, and US 101 reaches the Long Beach Peninsula.
  • By air: Portland International Airport is a short drive across the river from Vancouver.
  • By train: Amtrak stops in Vancouver, Kelso and Centralia.
  • By ferry: A small county ferry crosses the Columbia from Puget Island near Cathlamet to Westport, Oregon.
  • Before you go: slides, storms and fire season close roads here. Check our conditions page first.

Southwest Washington town guides

Centralia

Centralia

Founded in 1875 by Black pioneer George Washington, Centralia built itself into Lewis County's largest city…

2 listings in our directories

Chehalis

Chehalis

Lewis County's county seat and self-styled Rose City since 1955, Chehalis anchors the twin-city corridor with…

4 listings in our directories

Goldendale

Goldendale

Perched at 1,634 feet on the Columbia Plateau, Goldendale holds one of the nation's largest public…

2 listings in our directories

Long Beach

Long Beach

Twenty-eight miles of drivable Pacific beach, two lighthouses at the mouth of the Columbia River, and the…

2 listings in our directories

Stevenson

Stevenson

Forty-five minutes east of Portland on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge, Stevenson is the county…

3 listings in our directories

Vancouver

Vancouver

The other Vancouver, and the older one. A Columbia River waterfront with a 90 foot pier, a reconstructed fur…

20 listings in our directories

White Salmon

White Salmon

Ten minutes from Hood River across the Hood River Bridge, White Salmon sits on a 550-foot bluff above the…

1 listing in our directories

Locals on the podcast

Conversations from the Exploring Washington State Podcast with people who live here.

Small towns in Southwest Washington

These towns do not have a full guide yet. Everything we list in each one is right here, grouped by county.

Clark County

Amboy

Brush Prairie

Camas

Ridgefield

Washougal

Cowlitz County

Ariel

Kelso

Longview

Woodland

Klickitat County

Bickleton

Bingen

Maryhill

Lewis County

Packwood

Toledo

Winlock

Pacific County

Ilwaco

Raymond

Skamania County

Carson

North Bonneville

Wahkiakum County

Cathlamet

Rosburg

Southwest Washington state parks and rest areas

Parking at a Washington State Park needs a Discover Pass: $45 a year or $10 a day. How the Discover Pass works and where to buy it.

State parks (23)

Rest areas (8)

Everything we list in Southwest Washington

Read next

Liberty TheatreSpending a Day in Downtown Camasjellyfish on beachSpending a Weekend in Willapa BayCoffeeTop Five Cozy Vancouver Coffee ShopsLongview’s Crown JewelLongview’s Crown JewelWhite Salmon Landscape, Canyon CreekSpending a Weekend in White SalmonCowlitz Falls swimming hole in East Lewis CountyDiscovering Solitude And Serenity In East Lewis County

Questions people ask

What counties are in Southwest Washington?

Seven: Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania and Wahkiakum. That is the state road map, which every listing on Explore Washington State uses to find its region.

What are the biggest cities in Southwest Washington?

Vancouver is by far the largest. Longview, Camas and Battle Ground follow, with Centralia and Chehalis the hub of Lewis County.

Is Mount St. Helens in Southwest Washington?

Yes. The crater is in Skamania County and the west side approach runs through Cowlitz County, both in this region.

Is Vancouver, Washington close to Portland?

Yes. Vancouver sits right across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon, and the two are linked by the I-5 and I-205 bridges.

Which small towns in Southwest Washington are worth a stop?

Cathlamet on the Columbia, Ilwaco and Oysterville on the Long Beach Peninsula, Stevenson in the Gorge and Ridgefield north of Vancouver are good places to start. The small towns section above lists every town we cover that does not have its own guide yet.

Do I need a pass to visit the parks here?

Washington State Parks need a Discover Pass. Mount St. Helens and the Gorge also have federal sites with their own fees and passes.

Counties

Clark County · Cowlitz County · Klickitat County · Lewis County · Pacific County · Skamania County · Wahkiakum County

Explore Washington's other regions

Region boundaries come from the Washington State Department of Transportation, and every listing gets its region from its county. See how the six regions work.