Leaves of Washington with Kids: A Nature Explorer Guide + Free Map

Washington is a land of giant trees and brilliant autumns. Its wet western forests grow some of the tallest, longest-lived trees on Earth — towering western hemlocks (the state tree), Douglas-firs, and thousand-year-old western red cedars draped in moss in the Hoh Rainforest. In fall, bigleaf maples (whose leaves can be over a foot wide, the largest of any maple) and golden larches and aspens set the mountains ablaze, while the gardens of Seattle glow with color. From rainforest to high desert, learning to read the leaves turns any Washington walk into a discovery.

This guide maps the best spots to find Washington's most fascinating leaves and trees with kids. Give your young explorer a mission before you go with Nature Explorer Club's Leaves of Washington Activity Book to track every leaf your family discovers.

Best Spots for Leaf and Tree Spotting in Washington

We mapped the best tree-spotting locations in Washington so you can plan your adventure before you go.

1. Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle — A 230-acre arboretum with trees from around the world and a spectacular fall-color display along easy family trails.
2. Kubota Garden, Seattle — A beautiful Japanese garden whose maples blaze red and gold in autumn — a peaceful, accessible spot for families.
3. Discovery Park, Seattle — Seattle's largest park, with forest, meadow, and bluff trails showcasing native Northwest trees and Puget Sound views.
4. Leavenworth Waterfront Park — A riverside park in the Bavarian-themed town, lovely with golden cottonwoods and bigleaf maples in fall.
5. Mount Rainier National Park — A vast mountain park where conifer forests give way to subalpine larch and meadow, with golden larches lighting up the high country in fall.
6. Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park — A temperate rainforest of giant moss-draped western red cedar, hemlock, and Sitka spruce — one of the most magical forests on Earth.
7. North Cascades Highway — A spectacular mountain drive through deep conifer forest, brilliant with golden larches and aspens in autumn.
8. Columbia River Gorge — A dramatic river canyon whose oak, maple, and cottonwood forests show fine fall color along its waterfall trails.
9. Bloedel Reserve, Bainbridge Island — A renowned garden and forest reserve with native and ornamental trees and stunning seasonal color.
10. Lake Quinault, Olympic National Park — A rainforest lake ringed by giant ancient trees, including some of the largest of their kind in the world.

Make the Adventure Real The Leaves of Washington Activity Book turns your trip into a hands-on mission for ages 7–12 — with a species tracker, fun facts, drawing pages, games, and puzzles. Shop the Book Get the Full WA Set

Family Tips for Leaf and Tree Spotting in Washington

• Stand beneath a rainforest giant. At the Hoh Rainforest or Lake Quinault, have kids try to circle a giant cedar or spruce hand-in-hand — it takes a whole family and more.
• Visit a Seattle garden in October. The Washington Park Arboretum, Kubota Garden, and Bloedel Reserve put on a brilliant, accessible fall-color show that's perfect for families.
• Watch for golden larches in the mountains. Unlike most conifers, larches turn gold and drop their needles each fall — the North Cascades Highway and Rainier high country glow with them in October.
• Find a bigleaf maple leaf. The largest maple leaf in North America can be over a foot wide — a fun "how big is yours?" hunt for kids in fall.

Frequently Asked Questions: Leaves of Washington with Kids

What is the state tree of Washington?

The western hemlock is Washington's state tree — a graceful evergreen conifer recognized by the drooping tip at its top, which makes it look like a candle bending in the wind. It can grow up to 200 feet tall in the state's moist forests and is an important timber tree.

Where can families see fall color in Washington?

The Seattle gardens — Washington Park Arboretum, Kubota Garden, and Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island — are spectacular and accessible in October. For mountain color, the North Cascades Highway and Mount Rainier glow with golden larch and bigleaf maple.

What are the giant mossy trees in the rainforest?

The Hoh Rainforest and Lake Quinault are home to giant western red cedar, western hemlock, Sitka spruce, and bigleaf maple, all draped in thick moss and ferns. The constant rain and mild temperatures let these trees grow enormous and live for centuries — some western red cedars are over 1,000 years old.

Why do larch trees turn gold and lose their needles?

Larches are unusual conifers — unlike pines and firs that stay green all year, larches are deciduous, turning brilliant gold and dropping their needles each fall. Hikers in Washington's North Cascades treasure "larch season" in October, when whole mountainsides glow yellow.

What's an easy way for kids to start identifying trees?

Start with the big categories — is it a broadleaf tree (like maple, oak, or alder), a needle-leaf conifer (like hemlock, Douglas-fir, or pine), or a scale-leaved cedar? Then look at bark, cones, and leaf shape. Distinctive Washington trees like the huge-leaved bigleaf maple, the drooping-topped western hemlock, and the citrus-scented Douglas-fir make great first species to learn.

Turn Your Washington Adventure Into a Real Leaf Exploration

Give your kids a mission before you go. Our Leaves of Washington Activity Book is a nature journal for ages 7 to 12 — with a leaf tracker, fun facts about each species, leaf category guides, drawing pages, games, and puzzles.

Or get all five Washington nature books together — the Washington Nature Explorer Series bundles the Birds, Butterflies, Leaves, Wildflowers, and Seashells of Washington activity books.

Also exploring Washington's nature? Read our family guides to Birds of Washington with Kids, Butterflies of Washington with Kids, Wildflowers of Washington with Kids, and Seashelling in Washington with Kids.