Places You Are Banned From Visiting In WA

While traveling across Washington, I discovered many fascinating places to see and visit. But even attempting to visit a few places could get you into trouble.

Mt. St. Helens 

You can hike around the mountain and stay on the surrounding Loowit Trail. However, if you wish to hike above Loowit to the rim of Mt. St. Helens overlooking the crater, you must first obtain a permit. 

Can you walk into the crater itself?

No, The U.S. Forest Service prohibits the public from entering the crater area because it is considered a living geology lab. Only scientists are allowed into this fragile zone. 

Hanford Nuclear Site

The Hanford Site is a decommissioned nuclear production complex. To tour the facility, you must visit its website. Otherwise, it's strictly off-limits. We have a link that explains what happens there now.

US Military installations

Regular civilians not employed by the Department of Defense or its approved contractors are not allowed on military bases without approved authorization. If the base has a museum, they can visit it. If they are visiting someone who lives in government housing, they can go there, but only to the residence of the people they have been invited to visit. They must enter buildings with an approved purpose and usually have an escort. 

Civilians can attend ceremonies or special events like air shows and Armed Forces Day festivities.

Here are US Military locations in Washington that won’t allow access without prior approval. 

Yakima Training Center

The Yakima Training Center is an extensive training location comprising 25 ranges over 327,000 acres, allowing service members to train. 

Fairchild Air Force Base - Spokane

Fairchild Air Force Base is home to various US Air Force units, the most prominent of which are the air refueling squadrons. Fairchild has two wings: the 92nd Air Refueling Wing and the 141st ARW.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord

Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a training and mobilization center. If needed, units can be deployed from McChord Field and Sea-Tac Airport. The base's strategic location allows Air Force units to conduct combat humanitarian airlift to any location in the world with the C-17A Globemaster III,

Naval Station Kitsap - Bangor/Keyport/Bremerton

The Bangor location along the deep waters of Hood Canal is home to the US Navy’s Submarine Group 9.

Not far from Bangor in Central Kitsap County is Keyport—home to various undersea warfare weapons and systems engineering and development activities.

The Bremerton location is home to Carrier Strike Group 3 and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility.  

Naval Magazine Indian Island

Naval Magazine Indian Island is located near Port Hadlock in Jefferson County, Washington, across Puget Sound from Whidbey Island. Indian Island provides munitions support to Navy, Joint, and Allied vessels.

Naval Station Everett 

The current home to the US Navy’s Guided Missle Destroyer Pacific group.

Naval Airstation Whidbey Island - Oak Harbor, WA

Home of all Navy tactical electronic attack squadrons, the EA-18G Growler, and eight Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance squadrons flying the P-8 Poseidon and EP-3E Aries (it uses the recently retired P-3 Orion airframe and is expected to retire in 2025.)

EA-18G Growlers regularly fly training missions over Lake Wenatchee. 

Bonus location across the Columbia River in Oregon.

The heavily guarded Google Data Center, in nearby The Dalles, Oregon. It is only one of 40 Google data centers worldwide. Read more about this high-security location here.