Trip Planning - PNW
Looking for input from the good folks who live in or travel to the Pacific Northwest. Have done the obligatory search here and elsewhere, have checked Google Maps, and some things are somewhat set in stone, other things, not so much.
Starting point - Loveland CO. Destination - Olympic National Park.
Experienced Colorado mountain driver, lots of time in the areas of northern Colorado, primarily RMNP and USFS CG, as well as other areas of Colorado's central and southern mountains, so no hookups are required, but would be nice to have electric on occasion. Tow combo noted in signature.
Route of Travel - Fairly well set in stone, as the total trip has 14 days allotted and 6 of those will be travel. Not looking to sightsee on the way west, looking at approximately 500 miles/6-7 hours a day. I-80 to I-84 in Utah, first stop Snowville UT for an overnight only. I-84 through ID to Pendleton, OR area for 2nd stop, overnight only. I-84 to I-82 in to Washington, and continuing to US 12 to head west.
Option 1 - From US 12, plan on spending some time in the area of Mt St. Helens and Rainier, perhaps 2-3 days? Would 3 days be more appropriate to cover both?
Option 2 - Bypass Rainier, see MSH with a full day there, then continue on to Olympic National Park. I-5 to US 101 up to the Sequim/Port Angeles area. Spend the bulk of time there.
Questions about ONP - Best to stay in the northern part of the Park? Would a trip around to Hoh be worthwhile? Primary interest is hiking and sightseeing, perhaps some biking depending on weather.
Option 3 - Bypass MSH and Rainier and go directly to ONP. Perhaps not go to Hoh, and spend bulk of time in the northern part of the Park. Plan on leaving after 4 days, and allocate 4 days to exploring Whidbey Island and the San Juans? Take I-5 south to Everett and take US 2 to US 97, then south to I-82 and backtrack to Colorado?
The options are wide open! Olympic National Park is the primary destination, so would like to spend a goodly amount of time there and maximize the experience. Really not interested in going to Seattle or driving through the Seattle area, based on posts I've read. Seattle can always be one of those "fly in" destinations.
Question about the weather. When is the most favourable time to visit? I read that spring and fall are good times for wildlife viewing. I'm presuming that Sept/Oct are prime times for elk bugling there (different type of elk from what's in RMNP but presume their mating season is the same ;) ). Are moose prevalent in the area? Leaning more toward the fall season, for the same reasons I recommend in Colorado; snow has melted, temps are still fairly warm during the day, and the rain/snow season probably doesn't kick in until late October (yes/no??).
Any suggestions are welcomed! Never been up there, so want to enjoy the experience as much as possible. Any recommended campgrounds in the areas mentioned? Have some ideas about places to stay going out/coming back, but also open to suggestions for the areas mentioned.
Starting point - Loveland CO. Destination - Olympic National Park.
Experienced Colorado mountain driver, lots of time in the areas of northern Colorado, primarily RMNP and USFS CG, as well as other areas of Colorado's central and southern mountains, so no hookups are required, but would be nice to have electric on occasion. Tow combo noted in signature.
Route of Travel - Fairly well set in stone, as the total trip has 14 days allotted and 6 of those will be travel. Not looking to sightsee on the way west, looking at approximately 500 miles/6-7 hours a day. I-80 to I-84 in Utah, first stop Snowville UT for an overnight only. I-84 through ID to Pendleton, OR area for 2nd stop, overnight only. I-84 to I-82 in to Washington, and continuing to US 12 to head west.
Option 1 - From US 12, plan on spending some time in the area of Mt St. Helens and Rainier, perhaps 2-3 days? Would 3 days be more appropriate to cover both?
Option 2 - Bypass Rainier, see MSH with a full day there, then continue on to Olympic National Park. I-5 to US 101 up to the Sequim/Port Angeles area. Spend the bulk of time there.
Questions about ONP - Best to stay in the northern part of the Park? Would a trip around to Hoh be worthwhile? Primary interest is hiking and sightseeing, perhaps some biking depending on weather.
Option 3 - Bypass MSH and Rainier and go directly to ONP. Perhaps not go to Hoh, and spend bulk of time in the northern part of the Park. Plan on leaving after 4 days, and allocate 4 days to exploring Whidbey Island and the San Juans? Take I-5 south to Everett and take US 2 to US 97, then south to I-82 and backtrack to Colorado?
The options are wide open! Olympic National Park is the primary destination, so would like to spend a goodly amount of time there and maximize the experience. Really not interested in going to Seattle or driving through the Seattle area, based on posts I've read. Seattle can always be one of those "fly in" destinations.
Question about the weather. When is the most favourable time to visit? I read that spring and fall are good times for wildlife viewing. I'm presuming that Sept/Oct are prime times for elk bugling there (different type of elk from what's in RMNP but presume their mating season is the same ;) ). Are moose prevalent in the area? Leaning more toward the fall season, for the same reasons I recommend in Colorado; snow has melted, temps are still fairly warm during the day, and the rain/snow season probably doesn't kick in until late October (yes/no??).
Any suggestions are welcomed! Never been up there, so want to enjoy the experience as much as possible. Any recommended campgrounds in the areas mentioned? Have some ideas about places to stay going out/coming back, but also open to suggestions for the areas mentioned.
