There's Olympic and Rainier national parks, Mount St. Helens, the San Juans ... all wonderful, high-profile destinations.
But some of Washington state's most delightful attractions, rank, in terms of respect, along with Rodney Dangerfield: they don't seem to get much of it.
Grays River covered bridge
More than 10,000 covered bridges were built in the United States between 1805 and the early 20th century. Only 893 are still standing. Of those, only six are in Washington State. (Oregon is blessed with 54.)
Five of this state's covered bridges are on private roads. The only one on a public road spans Grays River, a quarter of a mile south of State Route 4 (just off Wahkiakum County's Loop Road) in southwestern Washington.
Built in 1905, covered about 1910 and now a National Historic Landmark, the bridge underwent a $350,000 restoration in the late 1980s.
Tie this in with a trip to the ocean coast and the dunes of Long Beach Peninsula, to the west.
More information: Phone the Southwest Washington tourist information center in Longview, (206) 425-1211.
Mima Mounds
The Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve, near Little Rock in west-central Washington, is for those who enjoy a scientific whodunnit.
What caused the formation of thousands of earthen mounds - roughly 30 feet in diameter and seven feet high - in the Little Rock and Tenino areas?
Unfortunately, it's harder to find the Department of Natural Resources Interpretive Center than to understand the theories.
Driving south, take the Little Rock exit off I-5. Drive west through the town's junction and up a slight hill to a T-fork in the road. Turn right on Waddell Creek Road, even though left (Mima Road) seems to make more sense. Drive about three miles to the sign for the interpretive center.
Don't give up. Lt. Charles Wilkes, heading the Wilkes Expedition, "discovered" the mounds in 1845, and Paul Kane, a frontier artist for Hudson's Bay Co., described them in his diary in 1847. And they didn't have cars.
Visit the interpretive area, open 8 a.m. to dusk. Walk the trails, examine the mounds and formulate your own theory.
Information: (206) 743-2400.
Ohme Gardens
It's Washington state's best-known garden, which the Herman Ohme family carved out of a hillside overlooking the Columbia River more than 60 years ago.
The Ohmes planted thousands of evergreens and covered the dry slopes with a blanket of low-growing alpine plants. Hundreds of tons of rock were gathered and placed by hand to create winding paths, pool settings and borders for lawns and plantings.
Although there are some colorful shade-loving flowers, the dominant color of the nine-acre garden is green. At several junctures, there are clearly marked choices between gentle and very steep inclines.
Admission: $3, 7-17; adults, $5; age 6 and under, free; no discounts for seniors; open April 15 through Oct. 15. Information: (509) 662-5785.
Be sure to pick up a free leaflet listing the various plants to be found in the garden.
Tie this in with a trip to popular Leavenworth, the Bavarian-style village in the Cascade mountains. Drive over east of Seattle Stevens Pass and continue on Highway 2 to the exit just before Highway 97. Follow the signs to Ohme Gardens, north of Highway 2, west of Highway 97. If you get lost, ask a Wenatchee native. This is one place they do know.
Gingko petrified forest
For years you've been telling yourself that on the next drive to Spokane or Pullman, you're going to check out Gingko Petrified Forest.
Do it.
Exit at Vantage, in at the bottom of that very long hill you encounter shortly after leaving Ellensburg, in central Washington, on Interstate 90 East.
One sign points right, to Wanapum State Park on the lake formed by Wanapum Dam. The other points left, to Gingko Petrified Forest, which contains two distinct areas: Heritage - a state park, "Trees of Stone" trail and an interpretive center; and Natural - ranger station and more trails.
The interpretive center, which has over 50 varieties of cut and polished sections of petrified wood on display, is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily May 16 through Sept. 15. But when state funds are short, it may be closed.
Nearby Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park has 10 picnic sites, restrooms, ample parking and three miles of hiking trails.
You'll learn that this was an area of trees and swamps 15-20 million years ago, when the climate was warm and moist. Many trees grew on the shore of a large, growing lake, or fell into the lake as it expanded.
Nothing lasts forever. Lava began welling up through cracks in the earth's surface, sealing the logs in the lake's bottom in almost pristine condition. Later, Ice Age floods and years of erosion exposed some of the wood - now petrified and resembling marble.
Warning: You're in rattlesnake country. The rattlers come out in cooler weather. Stay on the paths and keep your eyes open. And don't pick up rocks. It can be dangerous, and it's illegal to take them anyway.
Information: (509) 856-2700.
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
If you enjoy animals in the wild, 435-acre Northwest Trek, not far from Tacoma, is for you.
Board a picture-windowed tram, accompanied by an expert naturalist, and hunt - with your eyes and camera - for bison, elk, bighorn sheep, cougars, lynx and bobcats. Watch a moose cool off in Horseshoe Lake, while a bald eagle catches a fish nearby.
At the conclusion of the 30-minute tour, continue exploring in a walk-through area, populated by beavers, otters and raccoons.
Then visit Cheney Discovery Center, to examine a life-size moose cutout, a beehive and a 150-gallon fish tank. Children especially enjoy the "touch tank," where they can get a feel for reptiles and amphibians.
Northwest Trek is on land donated to the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma by Dr. and Mrs. David Hellyer, who specified that it be used as a sanctuary for North American wildlife.
Animals in captivity aren't likely to find a place that's closer to their natural habitat, and visitors see something different every season.
Trams are equipped to handle wheelchairs, and all of the trails are accessible to the handicapped.
Schedule: March through October, open daily; January, February, November and December, open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and selected holidays.
Admission fees (include tram tour and all exhibits): Adults, $6.85; youth, 5-17, $4.85; seniors, 62 and up, $5.85; tots, 3-4, $2.25; under 3, free.
To get there from Seattle: Take I-5 South to exit 142B (Puyallup). Turn right at the end of the exit ramp and immediately go to the left lane and turn left at the first light (Highway 161 to Puyallup). Follow Highway 161 for approximately 15 miles, past the Western Washington Fairgrounds and onto Puyallup's "South Hill" area. Highway 161 takes a full left hand turn at the top of the hill. Follow the signs to Eatonville. Northwest Trek is 17 miles south on Highway 161.
Information: (206) 832-6116 or (206) 847-1901.
Whitman Mission
Walk where Dr. Marcus Whitman and his wife, Narcissa, established Waiilatpu Mission among the Cayuse Indians in 1836. It's near Walla Wall, in southeastern Washington.
Follow well-marked trails to the sites of the mission's large adobe house, gristmill, sawmill, blacksmith shop and "emigrant house." The latter was a waystop for those coming West from Independence, Mo., on the Oregon Trail.
Airplane pilots say it's still possible to look down and see remnants of covered-wagon tracks on the Oregon Trail. At Waiilatpu, you can do even better - touching with your hand dirt packed hard by thousands of wagons heading West.
Don't miss the Great Grave that honors the 13 massacre victims.
Waiilatpu Mission is just off Highway 12, about 10-minutes west of Walla Walla and less than an hour's drive from the Tri-Cities. The Visitor Center is open daily. It might be combined with a trip through the Columbia Gorge.
Information: (509) 524-2761.