The Southwest Loop of the Washington Birding Trail features 270 of Washington’s 346 annually recorded bird species.

This loop takes travelers from the deltas and wetlands of south Puget Sound out to breaker-washed coastlines. Sandy shores rumple into dunes below sculpted rock headlands above the Pacific Ocean, home to pelagic birds. Rivers flow from forested hills into sheltered bays, winter havens for waterfowl and nourishing stopovers for hundreds of thousands of migrating shorebirds.

Turning east, the trail retraces some of the 1805 Lewis and Clark journey along the Columbia River, exploring the sloughs and uplands of the Columbia Gorge Scenic Area. Finally, the loop guides you north through the rugged Cascade Range, land of restless Mt. St. Helens, lakes, streams and prairies. 

The map features original art by Ed Newbold on the cover and along the route of the map. Thank you to the many dedicated Birding Trail volunteers, and to the funders: Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, State Parks Commission, Clark and Grays Harbor Counties, the Cities of Aberdeen, Lacey, and Olympia, and our many individual contributors.

Click here to purchase your map. 

Click here to learn about the app for iPhone and iPad.

Good birding to you!