Route to Olympic peninsula

myredracer wrote:

The narrow road through Deception Pass is nothing. I could drive back and forth all day long there. There's a lot worse in some places out there. Just watch out that you don't flatten a tourist darting across the road on the bridge. :E

And let your passenger do the gawking while crossing the bridge. There are parking areas if you want to stop and walk.

An annual day use park pass would be a good idea - that lets you visit the many state parks along way.

The Port Townsend ferry is fun and a must do! Yup, def. avoid going the long way down through Seattle to Olympia and all the way back up the west side of Hood Canal - the traffic through Seattle is pretty bad and can be hard on a TV and trailer esp. in rush hour. We normally avoid going through or around Seattle and take the ferry and 101 south out of Port Townsend instead. Plan on spending a little time in the old downtown area of Port Townsend.

'Course, you could take the ferry from Anacortes to Vancouver Island or go up into BC and take a ferry to Vancouver Island and then take the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles. :B

The narrow road through Deception Pass is nothing. I could drive back and forth all day long there. There's a lot worse in some places out there. Just watch out that you don't flatten a tourist darting across the road on the bridge. :E

Red Eagle wrote:
Thank you all for the great information. Appreciate it.

Trust all that say skip Everett, Seattle, Tacomaand maybe JBLM! Take the Ferry to Port Townsend! Take the stress out of the trip enjoy the northern coast of the Olympic Peninsula stress free. If you wish to go further south, then take 101 south on either side, but the Canal side to Olympia is just beautiful and not an issue for an RV.

Thank you all for the great information. Appreciate it.

Highway 20 is fine. Deception Pass bridge can feel a bit narrow with on-coming trucks on one side and pedestrians on the other side. At least there is now a barrier to separate the tourists snapping "selfies" from traffic, and the speed has been reduced to 30 mph through the park.

Notice the street-side trees when driving through Oak Harbor that are too low for their intended purpose. There are bites in the foliage where it overhangs the outside lanes that are about 13 feet high.

There is nothing wrong with WA 20 through Deception pass area. It is not the straightest, however it is nothing to be afraid of.

gotsmart wrote:

My thoughts:
I don't like taking an RV through Deception Pass (Rt 20). Road is twisty and narrow. If there is construction or an accident the road comes to a stop. Guard rails in places look like they were built during the WPA, or CCC, or chain-gangs, or by Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble.

We see thousands of large RVs using Highway 20 thru town every summer and don't see a lot of accidents involving the large RVs.

I will advise any large RV check the tides when boarding the ferries, the ramps can get very steep. and you may drag when the tides are low.

To the OP,
I'm at an RV park in Sequim.

Peak Season for the WADOT ferries is May 1 through September 30.

Mount Vernon to Sequim:

via Coupeville/Port Townsend ferry: Rt 536 to Rt 20 to Rt 101. about 82 miles. Most direct route, but may also take 5-6 hours to complete - based on ferry schedule. If the 2017 ferry rates don't change much from 2016, a 60' to 70' RV costs about $101 USD (1 way) during peak season.

via Edmonds/Kington ferry: I5 to Rt 104 to Rt 101. about 100 miles. more frequent sailings, costs more. a 60' to 70' RV costs about $131 USD (1 way) during peak season.

via I5/Tacoma: I5 S to Rt 16 to Rt 3 to Rt 104 to Rt 101. about 190 miles. no tolls.

via I5/Olympia: I5 and Rt 101: I5 S to Olympia to Rt 101. about 230 miles. no tolls.


Rest-A-While RV park is off Rt 101 in Hoodsport, WA. 70 miles south of Sequim


My thoughts:
I don't like taking an RV through Deception Pass (Rt 20). Road is twisty and narrow. If there is construction or an accident the road comes to a stop. Guard rails in places look like they were built during the WPA, or CCC, or chain-gangs, or by Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble.

I've never taken the Kingston ferry.

Driving I5 from Joint Base Lewis-McCord to west of Olympia sucks. West of Olympia, all the way up Rt 101 to Sequim is a nice Scenic drive. Views of Puget Sound, Olympic National Forest, small tourist trap towns, yadda, yadda, yadda.

I5 to Tacoma, up Rt 16, is probably the most cost effective route to take. You'll have a view of the ships docked at Bangor Naval Base.

RV parks in the Port Townsend/Sequim/Port Angeles area:
Escapees SKP park in Chimacum, WA
Fort Worden in Port Townsend
Diamond Point Resort in Sequim
Sequim Bay State Park
John Wayne Marina in Sequim
GilGal Oasis RV Park in Sequim
Rainbow's End RV Park in Sequim
Conestoga Quarters RV Park in Port Angeles
Salt Creek Recreation Area

enblethen wrote:
OP says next summer.
Tom/Barb: what boats make the run? Didn't they put larger boats then the old Rhodie?

Yes they have new boats on the run, next summer they will have the 400 car ferries on the summer schedule

OP says next summer.
Tom/Barb: what boats make the run? Didn't they put larger boats then the old Rhodie?