Western Washington has many bodies of water. Snowmelt and rainwater from the Cascade Mountains feed rivers and lakes located in the region extending from Washington's northern border with Canada to its southern border with Oregon and west to the Pacific Ocean. The Puget Sound provides substantial ocean access in northwestern Washington, where the Olympic Mountains occupy much of the Olympic Peninsula.
The Pacific Ocean stretches along the entire western coast of Washington State. Its waves break on the western shoreline of the Olympic Peninsula and lap at the eastern shores of the peninsula on its Puget Sound side. Admiralty Inlet at the north end of the peninsula connects the Pacific Ocean to Puget Sound. The Puget Sound provides additional ocean-water access to western Washington’s interior along the shores of the major metropolitan corridor of Everett, Seattle and Tacoma, south to Olympia on the sound's east side, and up the eastern coastline of the Olympic peninsula on the sound's west side.
Puget Sound is a large ocean inlet full of channels, smaller inlets, estuaries, embayments and islands that stretch from the Pacific Ocean at the northern tip of the Olympic peninsula down to the state capitol, Olympia, at its southern end. The Washington State Ferry System and bridges create access from the Interstate 5 metropolitan corridor on the east side of the sound to the islands in the sound and to the Olympic peninsula. Seattle is located in the central part of the Puget Sound, with Elliot Bay located to the west and Lake Washington situated to the east.
Many rivers flow from the tops of the Cascade and Olympic mountains. The Snoqualmie River rushes over Snoqualmie Falls just off Interstate 90, and the Cedar River Watershed provides most of the drinking water to the Seattle metropolitan area. The Green River offers recreational opportunities to western Washington residents and tourists. The Columbia River divides western Washington from Oregon to the south. Other major rivers in western Washington include the Quinault, Chehalis, Lewis, Cowlitz, Nisqually, Puyallup, Skykomish, Skagit and Nooksack.
Lake Washington, with a drainage area of nearly 560 square miles, forms the eastern border of Seattle and touches Bellevue, Kirkland and other Seattle suburbs. The community of Mercer Island is located on the southern part of Lake Washington. Lake Union links the Puget Sound to Lake Washington through the heart of Seattle and the Lake Washington ship canal via the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. Green Lake is a popular recreational area in Seattle’s north end. Other significant lakes in western Washington include Ozette Lake and Lake Crescent, both of which are located on the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula.
