Trip to Washington & Oregon advice needed

[Stan Simpson]

We are planning to attend the FMCA rally in Redmond OR in August. On our way to the Northwest, we plan to stop at Glacier NP, and then move on to the Seattle area to take in North Cascades NP and Olympic NP before heading down to Astoria OR. Google maps has us jumping off I-5 at Burlington WA on to State Rte 20 to North Cascades. Is that an okay road for the coach, or should we park it in Burlington and drive to the NP entrance?

From there we are routed down I-5 to Edmonds WA to take a ferry across the Puget Sound to Kingston WA and on to US 101 to the entrance to Olympic NP. Is that something we can do with the coach? Any idea how much the fare might be?

I'll have some more questions when I start getting an idea how we are going travel OR on our way to and from Redmond and then down to Crater Lake. That will be in another post.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Stan

[Keith Moffett]

Hi Stan, perhaps we can be of some help here.
Highway 20 is (as I understand it) only open part of the year and can suffer from heavy winter damage.  It is a smallish state highway and good for a slow drive even with the MH.  (www.wastate.gov/dot) I think this is the right web site for more accurate info.  I do understand there to be a couple state parks up that way with some hook up so logicaly MH can go there.  Last I heard there were some gravel sections and so on but I think that is further east.
Last I looked at the fee schedule for the ferries the mh with toad would cost nearly $200.  Also I have seen the ferry workers cause damage to awnings and so on so I would have to cringe very hard to force myself to do it.  It takes about an hour to drive on down to Tacoma and cross at the Tacoma Narrows bridge.  It would be free from that direction and it is 99 miles from the bridge to Olympic National Park HQ here in Port Angeles.  Regardless of what the brochures might say please dont take your MH up to Hurricane Ridge as the last 7 miles the road is too small and slow traffic palys hell on any brake system.  Turn around at the top is also chancy.
There is big rig parking at Sequim Bay State park and Salt Creek state park just 15 minutes past Port Angeles on hwy 112.  Consider touring the area for a few days.
I do go on about our area here so if you need more give me a hollar.
Keith

[Bill Sprague]

With due respect for my friend Keith's experience, I might offer a different suggestion.  

There is always a trade off in time, scenery and road width.  If you want to see the best of some of Washington State's variety of scenery, I would make sure I slowly followed the US and state highways while doing your best to avoid I-90.  One or two of the small towns may have a 90 degree turn at a four way stop, but you will be behind trucks, buses and motorhomes that do it every day.  

I'm attaching of map of the route I would take.  (It should enlarge to be readable if you click on it.)

There can be a problem with ferries.  I've never loaded the Beaver on a Washington State ferry but have ridden them all my life.  The issue is more with the design of our brand, than the ferries themselves.  If you check around, you'll see that the Beaver is the "lowest slung" motorhome on the road.  (Had I known that, I probably would have not bought one!)  The loading crew on the ferry will not know that.  All day long, they are used to the biggest of trucks and busses, but none as low riding as our Beavers.  They can and do adjust the ramps to help, but you have to stop and ask them.  Other motorhomers have told me they will use thick mooring lines and lumber under the tires to help.  If you drag and damage something, the state will not help with the payments!

That said, the loading process can be relatively easy on a high tide because the ramps will be flat.  I've driven cars on at low tide and seen ramps so steep a motorhome of any brand would not make it.  

The price of a ferry ride makes what we locals call "driving around" very reasonable.   The added bonus is thrilling drive over the Tacoma Narrows bridge.  

[Stan Simpson]

Keith,

Thanks so much for your local expertise. I will be taking yours and Bill Sprague's advice and not use the ferry. At $200, I can do the drive for much less, and we have lots of time! Did you mean there are campgrounds at Sequim Bay and Salt Creek?

Bill,

Thanks so much for your response. Can you tell me what map program you used, please? I'm using Google Maps and I can't get any of them to save and be able to print or post like you did. Likely, I'm doing it wrong.

A few years ago, we went around Lake Michigan, including traveling over Big Mac, the 7 mile long suspension bridge over the straits of Mackinac between the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan. We went back and forth three times (and paid the toll) just because it was so cool. I'm looking forward to traveling on the Tacoma Narrows!

I love bridges and trains! We are going to a FMCA rally in Goshen in June and the last time we were at that facility, we were parked about 75 yards from the train tracks. Trains rumbled through at all hours of the day. I never slept so good!!

Thanks again gentlemen,

Stan

[Mandy Canales]

[size=14][/size]Stan and Becky...After reading your request from our great northwestern Beavers about your travels I noticed you mentioned attending the convention in Redmond.  I don't recall receiving your names for our security venture there in Redmond or that you're not on the Rising in Redmond rally in a rally listing.  We'd very much like to have you with us on both of those ventures.  Let me know of your interest in security volunteering and also let Connie Bradish know if you would like to attend the Beaver rally while in Redmond.
Mandy

[Keith Moffett]

Stan, yes there are campgrounds at Sequim bay and Salt Creek Rec. area.  Also at a private campground near Salt Creek rec. area called 'Carols Beach' or something close to that.  All have some 40 ft. spaces or so I have been told.  You would want to confirm this info.
There is a functioning Walmart in Port Angeles that has MH's parked there frequently, and an old Walmart lot that is not used at this time so you likely could park there though its dry camping.

Bill, yup you said it better than I did and I have not driven the whole thing especialy in a MH so I was being cautious.

See ya both at the Beaver rally before the FMCA in Redmond?

Keith

[Joel Ashley]

The last, and unfortunately only, time we made the Olympic Park loop, in 1996, we spent a couple days in either a State Park or Natl. Park campground where the Worlds largest spruce tree was;  Keith and Bill probably know which park I'm referring to.  We did a little fly fishing on the lake that is there and did some hiking.  

At Port Angeles we put in at a private RV park that's been there awhile, put the German Shepherd in a veterinarian's kennel nearby, and took the ferry to Victoria for 2 days, staying at the motel across from the ferry docks.  If you elect to stay overnight like that, make reservations first and don't forget your Passports these days.

It's been since well before then that we crossed the North Cascades, sleeping one night in the back of our '82 Toyota SR5 pickup.  I recall a pretty decent road and would expect it to be at least as good now.  It does wind around and through the mountains, but the views are great with pull outs that allow time to fully appreciate them.  Similar to Glacier Park's Going To The Sun Highway in scenery, you can do so from your coach in North Cascades;  GTTSun road is no place for a motorhome, so you will have to spend a day on it in your toad after parking the coach in a campground at the east end.  Then take the road westbound that's south of the Park.

You may consider a sashay south while taking Bill's Idaho Panhandle route, so to see not only Sandpoint, but also Couer d'Alene, and the lakes of the area.  We've more often traveled the Missoula/Kellogg/Cataldo Mission path because of the facilities and mining histories and tours, museums, and mountain trams, etc. along the way, and the Mission.  There was a relatively undeveloped campground near the mission at the west end of the route from which we took the toad south and west on explorations.  

I have fond once-in-a-lifetime memories of largemouth bass fishing one evening at Round Lake, maybe 10 miles? south of Sandpoint.  We stayed at the campground at the lake, but the Pace Arrow made it through its tree-bound road where I'm not sure a Beaver would - check ahead if you go in case things haven't improved.  But dang if I haven't dreamed of returning for another experience like one bass per cast and the one that hauled my boat across the lake, then wrapped his hog-like self around a deep log, never to be seen!  

Joel

PM or email me for the secret of fishing Round Lake if you go  

[Jerry Carr]

Hi Stan.

Here is an additional and non conventional route, this alternate will show you some of the diverse terrain in Washington.

After you pass Spokane on I-90 take I-395 south its a good hi-way that will cut across 1/4 of the state it's wheat country then take Hwy 26 to Othello then take Hwy 24 south this will run into Hwy 12  & 410also know as Chinook Pass you can then run all the way to Puyallup. The route take you on the North side of Mt. Rainier (stop at Paradise with a Golden Age Pass it's Free)

Hwy 410 runs into I-5 take this south bound to Olympia then take Hwy 101 to the Hood Canal (no ferries and no toll bridges on this route) Hwy 101 will take you to the Olympic National Park and will also take you to the WA/OR coast.

This will be a very scenic alternate and does not add many miles, should you have further interest in the route give me a call and I can give you RON spots on this route.

The beauty of the state on the route is worth the drive you will see Wheat/ Columbia River/Wine country a beautiful Mt Pass/Hood Canal and have the opportunity for stops at Pt. Townsend or Pt. Angeles  (if you have your pass port with you and over night in this area you can do a walk-on day trip to Victoria BC .

The route will avoid traffic/tolls/ferries
 

  

[Bill Brown]

Stan,

Something I have not seen mentioned for camping during your travels is the availability of camping facilities at Elks Clubs, provided you are an Elk member.  If you are, while in the Squim area you might check out the Squim Elk's Club.  They have a very nice facility, with 30 amp electric and water at each site.  I am not sure what their current nite donation may be, but seem to remember it's around $15 per nite.  There's also a nice Elks Campground in Hayden, ID (Coeur D' Alene) $18 per night, they have 50 amp and water at most sites.  Just something else to consider.  Enjoy your travels.

Bill Brown
06 Monterey, Laguna IV
CAT C-9 400hp

[Jerry Carr]

I wanted to add this map in my post

[Bill Sprague]

Bill,.... Can you tell me what map program you used, please? I'm using Google Maps and I can't get any of them to save and be able to print or post like you did.

Stan,

I've used Microsoft Streets and Trips for a decade.  It does not need an internet connection.  Google didn't do routing when I bought my first copy.  

To post the map, I used the Microsoft Snipping Tool that comes with Windows 7.  It is clever and simple.  It lets you take and save a "picture" of whatever you have on your computer screen.

[Stan Simpson]

Stan,

I've used Microsoft Streets and Trips for a decade.  It does not need an internet connection.  Google didn't do routing when I bought my first copy.  

To post the map, I used the Microsoft Snipping Tool that comes with Windows 7.  It is clever and simple.  It lets you take and save a "picture" of whatever you have on your computer screen.

Thank you Bill. I learn so much here!!  

Stan