Cascade Mountains, Crater Lake, Mt. Ranier

[j_sgypsybuggy]

Hi--we are trying to plan a trip from Minnesota to Mt. Ranier, through the Cascades and down to Crater Lake NP. and home again. I've heard that the Cascades are beautiful and the area around Bend OR is magnificent. Trouble is trying to find a route. Seems there are several low bridges and lots of hairpin curves. My husband doesn't mind driving in the mountains (we have a 31 foot 5th wheel)but will be accompanied by friends who have a really long rig and I'm not sure about the curves. Good Sam routes us on NF25. Does anyone have a better route? Also, what things should we absolutely not miss. Any suggestions for campgrounds would also be appreciated. We will need full hook ups. We plan to go in August so hopefully the weather will not be an issue. You have given us great advice in the past so whatever info you can share will be appreciated.

[Bigdog]

Going down from the top westbound,you have two "hairpin" turns,actually real switchbacks,where you'll be cutting across the center line on the first one to the left and then you'll have to swing out to the left across the line on the right turn one. I did see a guy with a p/u and a 24' TT not swing wide enuff and put it up on the corner and held up traffic for about an hour till they were able to get him off. The intersection at the bottom is easy.

I was suggesting that the OP stay in Packwood or Randle and take a day trip loop to the mountain w/o their rvs. From either one of those places they can take FS 47,Skate Creek rd, north and come out near Ashford and then to Longmire,Paradise,Stevens Canyon rd,etc. They could even possibly fit in a run to Chinook and back to US 12 in a long awesome day.

[mockturtle]

The difference in Chinook Pass is that the tight turns happen over a drop-off of several hundred feet. It is beautiful but I would not want to drive it in a long motorhome.

[paulj]

How tight are the 'sharp hairpin turns'? Tighter than a freeway cloverleaf or tighter than a city street intersection?

To me a sharp hairpin turn is one where the vehicle has to backup once or twice to make the turn. Or if you prefer to call that a switchback, rather than a hairpin turn, how about having to straddle the centerline to make the turn (which could endanger oncoming traffic). On Google Maps streetview the curves on the west side of Chinook Pass are no where that tight. A big certainly needs good speed control on that downhill west side, but the loop curves shouldn't be any harder to negotiate than the WA123 intersection at the bottom of the hill. Or viewpoint turnoffs along the way.

My guess is that driving to the major visitor centers in the park will involve just as much in the way of grades and curves (e.g. Paradise and Sunrise).

To get to Sunrise you have to take WA410 and WA123 (from US12). To get to Paradise you have to climb from 123 in the east, or make a long loop around to the SW entrance to the park.

[Bigdog]

Do not attempt to take a long rig over Chinook Pass as there are several sharp hairpin turns and steep downhills on the west side. I have ridden and driven over it many times as my Grandparents lived in Yakima. Grandpa was the person that got Chinook Pass built where it is.
I would go to Spokane and then take US 2 west to Wa 174 and then to Grand Coulee Dam and over to the Columbia at Bridgeport. From there I'd take 97 south to Lake Chelan,Wenatchee and US 2 to Levanworth. After that,I'd backtrack a few miles and catch 97 south to Ellensburg,Yakima, then US 12 over White Pass to Packwood or Morton as there are several campgrounds along that route. An awesome day trip would be to go up to Mt Rainier at Paradise and the take the Stevens Canyon road to 103,south back to your campground for a loop trip. From there, US 12 to I-5 and south to Castle Rock and Wa 504 into Mt. St. Helens. Nice campgrounds at the highway. Next would be south to Portland, I'd spend a day in Portland, lot's of great places to see and awesome restaurants. Good place to stay just off of I-5,Jantzen Beach RV park and another one on I-84. Now,here is where you have to make a descion, up over 26 over the shoulder of Mt Hood or up the river to Hood River and they are both awesome trips. Again south on 97 to Bend,great little town and from there down to Or 138 and up to Diamond and Crater Lakes. From Crater Lake,I would head for K Falls and take 139 to Susanville and south to Reno and I-80.

[dave54]

Not all Forest roads are unsuitable for towing. Look at the road sign. The shape of the sign tells you what kind of road it is.

If the road sign is vertical with the numbers going down it is a dirt road, not suitable for most passenger cars.

A horizontal sign with the numbers going across it is probably OK to tow to get to a location that road accesses. Wouldn't want to use it as a through route. You could, but it would likely be long slow drive.

The 'rounded trapezoid' sign is suitable for all vehicles and towing will generally not be a problem. Many of these roads are two lane paved and meet state highway standards.

[ReneeG]

amandasgramma wrote:
Good advice to stay away from NF roads when towing. Okay for exploring, but NOT for a "route". Hwy 26 from Portland to Madras/Bend has beautiful scenery and circles Mount Hood.....yes, do that route..I love it! From Bend, go on down to LaPine State Park....they have full hookups and it's beautiful out there.LAPINE STATE PARK From there, you can go on down to Hwy 138 and to Hwy 232 into Crater Lake Ntl Park. There is Diamond lake RV Park near Crater Lake at Diamond Lake, but the website shows 2013 rates....don't know if it's still open. Check here...DIAMOND LAKE RV PARK

As a side note: The route from LaPine State Park to Crater Lake is a 1 1/2 hr drive. We used to live in LaPine and took people to visit there when they came to visit. It was a good day trip. You may not be able to get into either park that time of year (for camping) and I failed to double check to consider the length of your rig. You may have to resort to RV parks because Oregon campgrounds are old and built for small trailers. 😞

And note two ------be prepared for mosquitoes. 🙂

I am not the OP but want to thank you for your RV park and CG recommendations. After driving through Crate Lake's Mazama CG on a car trip several years back, I knew that taking our fifth wheel in would not be a good idea.

[paulj]

The NF25 is probably the road south from US12 at Randel. NF99 is a turn off to the Windy Ridge viewpoint for Mt Helens. At NF90 you can either go west to I5 (north of Portland), or jog east a bit and take the Wind River road to WA14 on the Columbia Gorge (Carson?).

NF 25 and 99

These are good way of seeing the east side of St Helens, and traveling from the Rainier area to the Columbia Gorge. They are paved, but not quite up to state highway standards. They do twist and climb. Not a problem if you are a logging truck driver, but not the best for flat landers.

From the east side (e.g. Yakima) US12 is the best way to the Rainier area. WA410 is a more scenic alternative, with one of the best views of the mountain at Chinook Pass (in the morning). But read about park roads at the park website. It is a mountain after all.

US97 may be your best choice for traveling the length of the Cascades - along the east side. It has some modest passes in Washington, but is mostly flat in Oregon. It gives access to Bend area (Cascades Lakes) and Crater Lake.

There are paved scenic byways in Oregon that travel NS along the Cascades, but like NF25, they are better in a car or small RV.

[amandasgramma]

Good advice to stay away from NF roads when towing. Okay for exploring, but NOT for a "route". Hwy 26 from Portland to Madras/Bend has beautiful scenery and circles Mount Hood.....yes, do that route..I love it! From Bend, go on down to LaPine State Park....they have full hookups and it's beautiful out there.LAPINE STATE PARK From there, you can go on down to Hwy 138 and to Hwy 232 into Crater Lake Ntl Park. There is Diamond lake RV Park near Crater Lake at Diamond Lake, but the website shows 2013 rates....don't know if it's still open. Check here...DIAMOND LAKE RV PARK

As a side note: The route from LaPine State Park to Crater Lake is a 1 1/2 hr drive. We used to live in LaPine and took people to visit there when they came to visit. It was a good day trip. You may not be able to get into either park that time of year (for camping) and I failed to double check to consider the length of your rig. You may have to resort to RV parks because Oregon campgrounds are old and built for small trailers. 😞

And note two ------be prepared for mosquitoes. 🙂

[mockturtle]

In WA, the three major passes have good roads. I-90 (Snoqualmie pass) is, of course, a freeway. Stevens Pass (Hwy 2) is more scenic. My personal favorite is White Pass (US 12) which is fine for all-size rigs. There are some curves around the pass but not excessive. Good route to Mt. Rainier from there. As has been stated, I-84 in Oregon along the Columbia River Gorge is an excellent freeway with multiple state parks along the way. The North Cascade Highway (20) is gorgeous, too, but has a lot steeper grades and more tight curves.

[donn0128]

NO you do not want ANY NF road. IMHO you will come west on I90 to Seattle or there abouts. South around Mt Rainier. Back to I5 south to Portland area east on I84 through the Columbia River gorge and all the waterfalls. South on US97 to Crater Lake. Either west out of Crater lake or back east to 97. As an option from Portland west to US101 south and see the Pacific, and the Redwoods. Back past Oregon Caves toward Crater Lake.

[RoyF]

Is NF25 a Forest Service road? GPS devices and automatic route finders are famous for taking people down dirt roads never to be heard from again. The route may have been selected for "shortest distance". Like mdamerell said, stick to main highways. Interstate will be OK, highways 2 or 12 are also OK, although 12 across Idaho has many sharp curves. (I have always enjoyed that part, but I don't mind curves.)

[mdamerell]

Personally, I'd stick to the US routes or Interstates when crossing mountain ranges as the grades on "I" roads are limited more than the US or other secondary roads. I look at it; if my semi will fit, so will my 5er.