Need suggestions on trip to the PNW

If you are coming to Seattle, please be advised that there are very few parks and the demand is very high. We are at Issaquah Village RV Park just 15 mins east of Seattle. Last year, from 500-1000 people were turned away each week because there aren't enough RV parks for the demand. In addition, one park just closed down in October 2015 and will not reopen and another one has sold but not sure when they are closing down.

So, please make your reservations now or you may not get a spot and no overnight stays are allowed in parking lots here.

I was through the area last summer.
First, a warning--The road to Mt St Helens is terrible. More so if you're towing.
Dozens of deep dips in the road that are 5-20 feet long. Appears the roadbed is sinking. They are almost impossible to see due to tree shadows along the road. I had to drive 20-25 to get through safely.
Redwoods is great. Lots of trails right off the road.
Mt Ranier Oshpakanosh campground is terrific. Try to get loop B 6-7-8. Right on the river.
North Cascades is remote and rugged.
Olympic is huge. The rain forest on the west side is really nice.
Craters of the Moon is a huge volcanic field. Nice campground in Arco,ID.
You missed Capital Reef in Utah. Great scenery and hiking. Park campground is fairly cheep. Wonderland campground in Torrey has the best shower room you will ever see on the road.
RVs cannot use the Going to the Sun Road. Take the shuttle. It's free and relaxing. Driving won't be.
Zion will be very hot and crowded by June. They have a campground with electricity.
Didn't see Bryce mentioned. Shouldn't miss it.
Dinosaur National Monument is interesting.
Little Bighorn Battlefield is well worth it. You'll be near both.

Executive wrote:
This brings you UP the COAST from California to Washington. Later today I'll get you some info on the inland cities and campgrounds. Hope this helps.....Dennis

That's a great list so far. Thanks Dennis. Now I'll have to incorporate these into my travel planning.

CALIFORNIA

REDCREST -Ancient Redwoods RV Park. easy access. right on the Avenue of the Giants. Use it as a base for exploring the Giant Sequoias. Fresh vegetables at roadside stand about 2 miles north of CG. CG has all the raspberries you can pick.

OREGON

BROOKINGS - Elks Lodge W/E no sewer good for a stop over no longer than 2 days.

BANDON - Bullard's Beach SP. - about 1/4 mile hike to the ocean but a good choice to visit Old Town Bandon. Tour Ocean Spray Cranberries.

COOS BAY - Mill Creek Casino. We are not casino people but the CG is good if you need a place to stop.

WINCHESTER BAY - WB RV Resort. Nice cg, not our cup of tea. Lots of dune riders use this CG. Too much party atmosphere.

FLORENCE - Port of Suislaw CG. Overlooks the Suislaw River. Get a premium spot. Get fuel at Fred Meyers north end of town. Harbor Vista County Park - Excellent CG. Elks Lodge - Skip the one in town. They have a new CG about 3 miles north that's really nice but usually full. Be sure to see the Haceta Head Lighthouse.

NEWPORT - Whaler's Rest just south of town. Excellent TT cg. Pacific Shores Motorcoach Resort. Beautiful CG but IMO overpriced. We stayed there when it was Outdoor Resorts. New mgmt so I can't speak for them. Beverly Beach State Park. Get site B12 if possible. Park is crowded and VERY BUSY. Excellent CG. Visit Devil's Punch Bowl.

NESKOWIN - Neskowin Creek RV Resort. RPI park. Good CG to use as a base camp. Lincoln City is nearby.

PACIFIC CITY - Pacific City TT nice CG if you're a member. sewer sites in the lower section. Ocean Views from "I" section. Cape Kiwanda - didn't stay here but big rig access and close to the water. Watch the Dory fleet.

GARIBALDI - Harborview Inn and RV Park One of our favorites. Ask for one of the bayfront sites. You won't regret it. Take the steam engine ride north thru Pirates cove and shop at Rockaway Beach. Retrace to Tillamook for the factory tour. Take OR131 to Netarts, Oceanside and Cape Mears. Return via Bayshore Drive if it's open. Visit Pacific Oysters.

SEASIDE - Another TT park in Seaside. Nice park but it's not next to the sea. Lots of shopping and a great CG to tour.

WARRENTON - Fort Stevens State Park. Good luck with reservations. Huge park, with lots of amenities. Fills up fast. Great location and good base for visiting Astoria. Take the Astoria trolley along the waterfront. Visit the Astoria Column.

WASHINGTON

LONG BEACH - TT Long Beach is a good base park. Easy walk to the beach. Cape Disappointment State Park. Big rig friendly but way overpriced. Visit the lighthouse. You can drive on the beach from the LB pier. Take OR103 north (toad) to visit Oysterville

COPALIS BEACH - Sunrise Copalis Beach Resort. Right on the water and a great cg. Use this CG to visit Grays Harbor, Aberdeen and Ocean Shores. Bring your kite. Kite festival just north in Moclips. Day trip to the Quinault Rain Forest. Great hiking trails.

LA PUSH - Quileute Oceanside Resort. Excellent CG on the water. Fireworks are allowed so keep that in mind. Sky rockets over the water. $10 for 35 skyrockets. enjoy. If vampires are your thing be sure to visit Forks. Day trip to the northwesternmost point of the contiguous USA.

PORT ANGELES - Salt Creek RV Park. Not much to choose from in this area. Salt Creek has a 9 hole GC that's not bad. CG is so so. El Wha Dam RV Park. Sites are tight and no amenities. Day trips to Hurrican Ridge- a must and Vancouver Is. unless you plan on taking the rig. We did the day tour ferry with the bus trip.

PORT TOWNSEND - Elks Lodge has an excellent CG. Fort Worden is a great choice if you can get in. Port Hudson Resort. Try to get a waterfront site. Watch cruise ships in the harbor. If you're taking your coach on the ferry, get reservations when you arrive, they're required. $100 for rig and toad. You won't have to unhook. Ferrys are controlled by the tides.

LA CONNER - TT La Connor is an excellent CG for this area. Day trips to Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor and Deception Pass. You can pick up the tours to the San Juan Islands here too.

SEATTLE - There are many campgrounds in the Seattle area but we found none that suited our wants/needs/comfort factors. We finally stayed at the Washington State Fair Grounds in Puyallup. Excellent CG with FHU/$25/night. Great for day trips into Seattle, ride the ducks, space needle and shopping. Original Nordstrom and Starbucks Cafe. We toured/hiked Mt. Ranier during the day, then finished the day with dinner at the Salish Lodge overlooking Snoqualmie Falls. Easy day trip.

BIRCH BAY - Another excellent TT park. Ask for the new section. Stay here before crossing into Vancouver, B.C.

This brings you UP the COAST from California to Washington. Later today I'll get you some info on the inland cities and campgrounds. Hope this helps.....Dennis

CarnationSailor wrote:
I'm not a fan of go-go-go either. I like to pick a spot with lots to see and stay for 5 to 7 days, and then move on. This has been a good compromise for us between the extremes of spending weeks in one spot or go-go-go on the other hand.

That's me to a "T." Under 7 days, I feel as if I'm always on the go. Over 7 days, I'm climbing the walls.

Executive wrote:
Holstein, if you need advice on CGs shoot me a PM....Dennis

I definitely need advice on campgrounds. The focus of this trip will be on Oregon, Washington and Canada. The rest is gravy and some repeats. I'll go quickly through California and quickly once I'm past Glacier.

Since you say you are going to Vancouver Island (Butchart Gardens) a totally amazing experience would be to travel north up the east side of the Island to Comox and from there take the ferry over to Powell River on the mainland. Make your way from there down the Sunshine Coast to Gibsons and take the Langdale ferry to West Vancouver. Then you can continue your journey eastward from there via the Fraser Valley. Probably another 2 days not including stops.

The east side of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine coast are on opposite sides of the Salish Sea (formerly Straight of Georgia). The Salish Sea is a protected waterway as it is sheltered from the winds off the Pacific Ocean by Vancouver Island. It also gets warm ocean currents off the Pacific from Japan and the water is much warmer than along the US west coast.

Another suggestion if you did the above is to head north from West Vancouver up to Whistler and onward to Kamloops where you can over to Banff and Jasper Parks.

Executive wrote:
5 and a half months will be enough time to SEE it all. 5 and a half months is NOT enough time to ENJOY it all. Easy two weeks in Moab, easy two weeks in Yellowstone, easy month and a half along the Oregon coast. If you're one of these go go go types it may be possible. Myself, I can go go go for a couple days, then need a down day or two to recover. Different strokes for different folks.. We are completing a 6 month trip from Mesa, thru California up to the Olympic Penninsula across to Grand Coulee Dam and back down the other side of the Cascades and back to Mesa. Still didn't see everything we wanted to see. Will most likely repeat portions of this trip next year to pick up those sights.....Dennis

Holstein, if you need advice on CGs shoot me a PM....Dennis

Executive:

I'm not a fan of go-go-go either. I like to pick a spot with lots to see and stay for 5 to 7 days, and then move on. This has been a good compromise for us between the extremes of spending weeks in one spot or go-go-go on the other hand.

5 and a half months will be enough time to SEE it all. 5 and a half months is NOT enough time to ENJOY it all. Easy two weeks in Moab, easy two weeks in Yellowstone, easy month and a half along the Oregon coast. If you're one of these go go go types it may be possible. Myself, I can go go go for a couple days, then need a down day or two to recover. Different strokes for different folks.. We are completing a 6 month trip from Mesa, thru California up to the Olympic Penninsula across to Grand Coulee Dam and back down the other side of the Cascades and back to Mesa. Still didn't see everything we wanted to see. Will most likely repeat portions of this trip next year to pick up those sights.....Dennis

Holstein, if you need advice on CGs shoot me a PM....Dennis

Just a minor note for the OP and those who think the OP is trying to do too much:

May 10th to Oct 29th is actually 5.5 months, not 4.5 months to "explore from San Francisco to So. Fla."

I'm sure it will be a trip to remember!