The Stunning Landscape In Washington That Appears As Though It Was Ripped From An Andrew Wyeth Painting
By Andrea Verschuyl|Published November 21, 2023
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Andrea Verschuyl
Author
Having grown up in Washington, Andrea is a self-admitted Pacific Northwest snob. In their opinion, there's simply nowhere else in the country with the Evergreen State's beauty. After attending university, Andrea devoted themselves to writing full-time. They're thrilled to represent Washington for Only In Your State while pursuing other professional and personal projects. They currently reside in Olympia, where they enjoy leaf-blowing their yard, perfecting homemade ramen, cuddling with their three tiny dogs, and feeding their pufferfish, Sea Biscuit.
It’s hard to live in Washington without falling in love with our state’s magnificent nature. From mountains to rugged shorelines, we really do have it all. But many Evergreen State residents have yet to hear of this natural wonder in Washington. Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve looks like something straight out of an Andrew Wyeth painting, though its other-worldly beauty may possess a touch of Dali’s surrealism, too.
Learn more about this unique habitat that’s confounded scientists for years and may hold the secrets to our state’s geologic past.
While our state is known for its dense coniferous forests, Washington does contain patches of prairie. These fragile ecosystems are, unfortunately, our most endangered. Created 15,000 years ago by receding glaciers, Washington prairies were once home to various unique species. However, their historic desirability for farming and development means that only three percent remain today.
Comprising 637 acres of woodland and vital prairie habitat, Mima Mounds became famous for its strange, undulating landscape. Some of the area's earliest European visitors featured the mounds in their journals. In 1840, Sir James Douglas of the Hudson's Bay Company hypothesized that nearby rivers could've created a deluge of water, leaving behind the odd banks. Indigenous oral histories pose similar explanations.
The opinion of Douglas and Indigenous nations is supported by some scientists. It's thought that the Mima Mounds formed 16,500 years ago from deposits left by a glacially dammed lake.
Intuitively, it's easy to understand where the water theory came from. The mounds really do look like ripples of beach sand, only much, much larger. This leaves visitors to wonder about the sheer scale of whatever flooding event created them.
As you explore this fascinating area, read up on other theories explained through interpretive signs along the trail. These signs can also enrich your appreciation of this ecologically sensitive area.
A visit to Mima Mounds leaves me with lots of questions. Not only about how it came to be here and what that could teach us about Washington's geologic past but also about the critical role these prairies once played in our state's environmental health.
