Easiest route to North Cascades NP from Spokane

stinksweet wrote:
Thanks for everyone's suggestions. We ended up traveling I-90 to exit 151 and then going north through Quincy and then west on Hwy 2 through Wenatchee and Leavenworth. Hwy 2 is predominantly a two lane road and the grade going up and back down Stephen's Pass was not bad. The drive was beautiful and worth taking a little extra time.

:B

That's why RV's are so great- we can change our plans any time. Sounds like you just skipped the North Cascades National Park altogether...hope you stopped at the Aplets and Cotlets factory in Cashmere!

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. We ended up traveling I-90 to exit 151 and then going north through Quincy and then west on Hwy 2 through Wenatchee and Leavenworth. Hwy 2 is predominantly a two lane road and the grade going up and back down Stephen's Pass was not bad. The drive was beautiful and worth taking a little extra time.

Another recent WA20 thread
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27097752/gotomsg/27100979.cfm

there is also a recent thread about driving US101 from Port Angeles down.

In a sense that doesn't answer the question. You could head to Oregon on I5 (through Seattle traffic), on US97 (down the east side of the Cascades), or even continue on WA20 across the Sound, and take US101 along the coast.

Francesca Knowles wrote:
All the posts talking about going through Seattle lead me to wonder if I got the O.P. wrong...I thought the final destination was the Park, not the Puget Sound corridor.

Hey, O.P.!

Are you going through, or turning around and heading back east after the Park? If the latter, what part of the Park are you headed for?

After leaving North Cascades NP, we will be headed south to Oregon. Thanks for the suggestions!

We use 2 out of Spokane, to Wilber then north to Grand Cooley, to 97 at Okanogan and then 20 across the cascades, enjoy the view, the roads are good and easy traveling, the climb starts at Mazama Wa. to 5400+' and the down hill stops at Newhalem.

the best and easiest way to enjoy the area is to use the hiking trails out of Mazama, or Hearts pass, (no vehicles over 21' the last 16 miles). or the Baker Lake camp grounds on the west side.

The Area is remote, don't expect full hooks ups, or service of any kind.

All the posts talking about going through Seattle lead me to wonder if I got the O.P. wrong...I thought the final destination was the Park, not the Puget Sound corridor.

Hey, O.P.!

Are you going through, or turning around and heading back east after the Park? If the latter, what part of the Park are you headed for?

All above posts good. But the "easiest" for mountain passes or traffic? The more you keep away from Seattle the less traffic but more passes.

Going around by way of Seattle has the easiest driving, but that involves some big city traffic, and only gets you to the park headquarters. But the most scenic part of the drive on WA20 is the east side climb to Washington Pass. Most people 'see' the park by driving through on WA20. I write 'see', because the highway never enters the park itself. The park is on both sides.

There isn't a best drive. Options include:

US395 to Kettle Falls, WA20 the rest of the way. WA20 climbs to Sherman Pass, the highest paved pass in the state. But I haven't read any complaints of it. The rest of the way to US97 is rolling hills. There's another pass between Okanangan and Twisp (Loup Loup). The climb into the Cascades starts after Winthrop.

US2 Wilbur. 174, 155 to Omak and WA20. US2 is flat; crossing the Columbia below the dam involves grades down and up. 155 crosses an upland.

You could also take WA17 to US97.

An alternative to WA20 over Loup Loup is WA153, which follows a river valley.

US2 to US97 is also possible. This has a goodly grade dropping down to the Columbia River. US97 from Wenatchee follows the river, so is scenic without much in the way of grades.

US2 over the Cascades is also scenic, and a bit higher than I90. Local Chambers publicize a North Cascades loop using US2, US97 and WA20.

Since the only highway that actually GOES to the North Cascades NP is 20, I presume you just want to avoid as many of the steep grades as possible getting there. Many of those grades are east of Winthrop and can be avoided.

I've driven all the main roads in that area, and for most forgiving grades here's the route I'd pick:

From Spokane, Hwy 2 to Wilbur, then north on 174/17 through Grand Coulee to Bridgeport. (Do stop at the dam: fantastic!)

At Bridgeport, short dogleg to Pateros, where you pick up Hwy 153 north through Twisp. Connects to Hwy 20 near Winthrop.

Have fun!