Northwest US

UMAlum wrote:
We are hoping to spend 3 weeks with our 3 boys (10 to 17). We are not big hikers but would enjoy short hikes. No pets on this trip. Probably not long distances on gravel roads.

Thanks

It's still raining quite a bit - almost every day for the last two weeks and last week it was cold enough that parts of the Cascades got 6" of snow in the campgrounds that are open.

You didn't say when you were planning to come out... but no matter, in the mountains you take what you get as it comes. Dress in layers when you go on hikes. Sun screen, Special hiking socks (not cotton) and good shoes....twice the water you think you'll need.
ok, enough of that.

I'd pick the end of July for Glacier. Going to the Sun might be closed until just before then. Keep Checking Progress
You need 5 days minimum to see Glacier NP without rushing through it.
That's a whole thread on itself - and has been talked about plenty.
Depending on the weather...skip it and hit it on the way back after Washington/Oregon.

If you come out in August - the area around Bridgeport WA, Omak and the Methow Valley will have a variety of fruit stands to enjoy. Queen Ann cherries are the yellow/gold colored ones...fresh picked mmmmmm!!

Take Interstate to Hwy 20 (North Cascades Highway)through Winthrop up and over Washington Pass. FHU's at Good Sam CG between Winthrop and Twisp. Do you have a toad? Lots of day trips around there. Do you have bikes along? Lots of biking trails in the Methow Valley Methow Valley Recreation There is a Smoke Jumper base in Twisp. They give tours. It has quite a bit of history. Don't be fooled by the size. Two of my favorite hikes... Maple Loop at the Rainy Pass parking area ( ABOVE Lake Ann) but it would be an all day hike for you (there is a handicap paved trail for a flat hike out of that same parking area). Or if you have a car and don't mind gravel on an steep mountain road... head to Hart's Pass (above Mazama) and take a 3 or 4 hour hike on Grasshopper hiking Trail. Information can be gathered at the National Forest office in Winthrop (up on the hill at the far west end of Winthrop, across from the baseball diamond...look for the American Flag on the hill...that's it.)

Favorite CG on the east side of Washington Pass... Klipchuck CG. No hookups. Pit toilets. Incredible amount of birds and deer birth fawns in the campground around June 10th to the 20th...and then they hang around most of the summer. Should have a camp host. 1.2 miles off hwy 20 on a PAVED road. Two hiking trails out of the campground. one easy (trail starts between tent sites 8 and 9)and one very very steep trail, Monument hiking trail, from the horse . Watch for bear on the trails. Watch for rattlesnakes, too. The campground is a figure 8... tent sites to the left and MH sites to the right. The camp host site is across from the fee box and he's parked in the MH loop. There's probably only 4 sites to put 36 ft to 40 ft units into. Watch for tree limbs.

North Cascades highway is well paved, not steep, only has one switchback at the top and is an easy drive to do. Of all the paved mountain highways in the NW... it's the easiest. jmho.


The bridge over the Skagit River (near Mt.Vernon) on I5 is OUT and it's going to be a month before they temp in a bridge and a couple more months to get it fixed. Hwy 20 crosses I5 on the west side of the Cascades. Pick your time of day to get to the west side. I think it will be bearable and certainly worth it to get to "the end of hwy 20". Do at least a walk on or take the bikes along and go on a San Juan Ferry ride. Not worth taking the big RV but worth at least a day trip. Others gave you advice on Deception Pass and other campgrounds. Seattle info has been given, too. I'm not a person that likes city stuff.

Then head south to Port Townsend and check out Olympic NP... Forks, WA... I heard there is a fantastic cg in LaPush, WA right on the cliffs above the ocean and you can hike along the shore.
Hike a rain forest.. Hoh Rain forest

Doing all of the above... driving from Michigan (not stopping at Glacier NP yet)... I'd guess would be a full 10 days worth of doing.

There are only five ways to cross Washington East-West.
Hwy 20 - AWESOME -North Cascades highway / Mt. Baker
Hwy 2 - Pretty
I90 - Kinda nice
Hwy 12 - 2 lane but wow ... side trips to Mt. Rainier
and I-84 The magnificent gorge... stop to see Multnomah Falls

And then it's back to Glacier Park if you didn't do it on the way out.