Washington State’s wild, varied landscapes host an array of rock formations so outlandish and dramatic, you’ll want to brave miles of hiking trails and rough backroads just to see them. From volcanic spires to petrified forests, Ice Age relics to mysterious mounds, here are 10 of Washington’s most astonishing rock features that reward every adventurous mile:
1. Beacon Rock
Rising 848ft from the shore of the Columbia River, Beacon Rock is the core of an extinct cinder cone volcano, exposed after eons of erosion and cataclysmic floods. An iconic volcanic plug, the sheer prominence and switchback trail to its crown make it both a geologic marvel and a hiker’s rite of passage.
2. Steamboat Rock
An 800ft basalt butte on Banks Lake, Steamboat Rock dominates the Grand Coulee’s landscape. Once an island in the glacial Columbia River, it now towers over dry land, offering panoramic views to those who scale its steep trails.
3. Umatilla Rock
Below the remains of ancient Dry Falls (once the planet’s largest waterfall), Umatilla Rock is a narrow, massive blade of basalt, shaped by Ice Age floods. Hike around it to see toppled pillars, coulee walls, and volcanic landscapes that rival any on Earth.
4. Frenchman Coulee
Known for its towering hexagonal basalt columns (some up to 75ft tall), Frenchman Coulee stuns with cliffs, canyons, and vast pillars formed by ancient lava and sculpted by the Missoula Floods. It’s a haven for rock climbers and geologists alike.
5. Yeager Rock
Sitting in wheatfields on the Waterville Plateau, Yeager Rock is a giant glacial erratic—a boulder plucked and transported by glaciers from nearby mountains, then dropped in farmland as the ice retreated. Its improbable presence and immense size make it an Ice Age monument.
6. Shi Shi Beach & Point of Arches
At Olympic National Park’s edge, Shi Shi Beach features a surreal array of sea stacks, arches, caves, and tidepools. The rugged Point of Arches, accessible by a muddy trek, is one of the state’s most photogenic wild shorelines.
7. Ginkgo Petrified Forest
Central Washington holds a fossil wonderland—ancient trees encased in stone beneath layers of basalt. Lava and mudflows preserved this Miocene forest, now exposed as logs of agate and opal. Trails wind among the petrified remnants and “raft forests” of this ancient landscape.
8. Mima Mounds
South of Olympia, the National Natural Landmark “Mima Mounds” presents hundreds of unexplained, rounded mounds across acres of prairie. Their origins (gophers, earthquakes, or ancient floods?) remain a subject of debate, making them a geological enigma unlike any other.
9. Sims Corner Eskers and Kames
On the Waterville Plateau, this National Natural Landmark boasts landforms sculpted by retreating glaciers—ridges (“eskers”) and gentle hills (“kames”). Grooves and scattered rocks here bear witness to the scale of glacial forces that once shaped the region.
10. Grand Coulee
The Grand Coulee is a massive desert canyon—over 1,000ft deep—carved not by a river, but by continental ice and catastrophic glacial outburst floods. Sites like Dry Falls, Steamboat Rock, and Umatilla Rock lie within this mind-boggling landscape, revealing the scars and wonders left by water and ice on solid stone.
Each of these outlandish Washington rock formations is more than a scenic stop—they’re touchpoints to the state’s tumultuous geologic past, and proof that the best views often require some rough roads, sweat, and a sense of adventure.
Whether you’re scrambling through coulees, marveling at ancient petrified trees, or braving ocean spray at a sea stack, Washington’s rock wonders promise unforgettable experiences and jaw-dropping vistas.
Sources
[1] https://parks.wa.gov/about/news-center/field-guide-blog/beacon-rock-state-park-history
[2] https://wa100.dnr.wa.gov/south-cascades/beacon-rock
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beacon_Rock_State_Park
[4] https://iafi.org/beacon-rock/
[5] https://washingtonlandscape.blogspot.com/2013/01/beacon-rock.html
