Forum Discussion

JQgolf's avatar
JQgolf
Explorer
May 11, 2014

Best Route from Jasper to Portland?

After a tour of northwestern US Nat'l parks, and CA southern parks, we are looking for a route from Jasper to Portland. We have been to Vancouver several times and would like to avoid traffic there, plus border crossing, and also on I5 in Seattle area. We will be in 38ft motorhone towing suv. On map, it looks like Hwy 5 from Jasper to Kamloops, hwy 97 to Kelowna and Oosyoos and on down to Wenatchee and Portland. Are there things to see and along here and or to look at while driving? We have about 860 miles total, and will take 3-4 days to get there if needed or there are things to see along way. Any help? Alternative routes that have better scenery that are ok for motorhome?
Appreciate any help fron those who know the area.
  • Wrong Lane wrote:


    Route 5 is the Coquihalla Highway you may have seen on the Discovery Channel TV show, "Highway Thru Hell" Interesting drive and not really dangerous in the summer.
    You watch to much tv, it's just the idiot's that drive the coke that make for a so so tv show, the road is excellent to drive on till the snow hit's, and Like I said the idiot's come out.
  • Several years ago I worked my way north through Banff to Jasper. For the return I debated backtracking to Lake Louise, and taking 1 west. That certainly is scenic, and well worth it, especially if it is your 1st time.

    But I ended up going w to Mt Robson (nice camping, and maybe views of the Mtn), then south on 5. Nice lunch stop and hike among sand dunes not too far south on 5. Then Wells Gray. It is paved to the main waterfalls (and 1st campground), then gravel to the lake.

    After Kamloops I took 5A south to 3 (less busy than 5), and then 3 west to Hope.

    3 east, Princeton to Osoyoos, would be a good alternative to 97 through the Vernon and Kelowna. That part of 97 is too busy for my taste (vacation and orchard country).

    If coming from Keremeos, the Nighthawk border crossing is an interesting choice. It's one of the smallest and most remote border crossings.

    US97 through Washington mostly follows rivers, but also has a couple of mountain passes (ridges extending east from the Cascades). Some use WA17 to bypass those. But keep in mind that the Columbia River is the low point in this area, so there will be drops/climbs as highways cross it.
  • Wrong Lane wrote:
    There is always route 5 from Kamloops to Hope on to Abbotsford and cross the border there. You turn off route 1 in Abbotsford just before the traffic starts to thicken up. What the road is like on the US side, well I don't know.


    I just drove the route south of the border from the Abbotsford (Sumas) crossing. It is about 45min of country roads to get to the I5. It's an easy drive but it won't help the OP avoid Seattle traffic.