Washington's Major Rivers Reaching the Pacific: Columbia and Fraser

Two major rivers flow from Washington State into the Pacific Ocean:

1. Columbia River: The dominant river of the Pacific Northwest. Rises in British Columbia, flows 2,000 km through Washington (Grand Coulee, Hanford Reach, Tri-Cities), forms the Washington–Oregon border, and empties near Astoria. Drains 668,000 km²; massive hydroelectric, irrigation, salmon, and navigation resource.
2. Fraser River: Rises in the Canadian Rockies, flows 1,375 km through British Columbia. Only its lower reaches and delta (near Vancouver) touch the U.S. (Whatcom County, Washington) before entering the Strait of Georgia (Salish Sea) and the Pacific. The Fraser is the longest river wholly within Canada to reach the Pacific.

Other Washington rivers (Skagit, Snohomish, Nooksack) flow into Puget Sound (Salish Sea), which connects to the Pacific via the Strait of Juan de Fuca.