Ashford is a census-designated place in Pierce County, Washington, United States. Located just a few miles west of the main entrance to Mount Rainier National Park, it features numerous shops and accommodations for visitors. The surrounding mountains and narrow Nisqually River valley are heavily forested.
Ashford, WA is a quaint and hidden town behind the large fir and cedar trees of the Cascade Mountain Region in Central Washington. Many cabins and cottages are interspersed within the forest and offer an enchanting escape.
Most visitors are just making a stop before venturing onward to Mt. Rainier National Park, the most visited national park in Washington State. While some find all they need in the solitude of their own little forest escape.
Well within the forest, Ashford is close to many natural attractions and makes a convenient base camp from which to go exploring. Mineral Lake and Alder Lake are in very close proximity. Mt. Rainier National Park offers the Henry M. Jackson Visitors Center, Historic Paradise Lodge & the National Park Inn, Park Museum at Longmire, over 300 miles of hiking trails, wayside exhibits, guided climbs, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, sledding & sliding areas, and rock climbing.
High atop a giant 200-year old Western Red Cedar tree, 50 feet above the ground is the Cedar Creek Treehouse. The tree house boasts an out of this world vacation rental and the newly opened Treehouse Observatory showcasing 100 feet high in a nearby fir tree.
You can also visit Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad, Mt. Tahoma Trail Association ski trails, the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, and Pioneer Farm Museum.
Source:
http://www.gonorthwest.com/Washington/cascades/Ashford/Ashford.htm