How to see the state of Washington

[ArchHoagland]

We will be going to the state of Washington for a month or longer in the August through September time frame.

We will be coming into the state from the south from Oregon on I82.

I'm thinking of hitting Spokane then north on 395 to HWY 21 and follow it to Manilla Creek road and head west to The Grand Coulee Dam.

Eventually we want to hit the Seattle area and spend at least 10 days around there or longer. The Boeing plant tour is a must see.

Any suggestions on a good route to see the whole state?

I don't mind small roads at all and I'm about 38 feet long and pulling a toad.

When we leave we want to head south into Oregon and will probably head down 101 as I want to explore Astoria and then will go to Florence to visit friends.

[ArchHoagland]

Hmmm Looks like about $300 one way. Those package deals are starting to look pretty good!

Good info!

[bigred1cav]

Leavenworth is a very nice replica of a German bavarian town. Nothing is close in the west states are humongous and allow a day to go anywhere, have plenty of money for ferries if you travel the Seattle and Islands. Pt Townsend is our favorite place. The Pioneer Square and Sky Ride in Seattle is nice so is the Rock and Roll venue. Cleveland Hall of Fame is better but Seattles looks like a guitar.

Pike Place is a must and absolute do not miss. You can easily spend a day there. Any kind of food you want, fish being thrown through the air, artists with some weird stuff I've got several pieces. And if the guy that sits on the sidewalk with the sign "Don't want to work, will buy beer" sign is there you must give him some money for being honest. You used to be able to sit on a bench in Pioneer Sq and watch drug deals go down at Pizza Shop. I think they had a delivery service also.

Seafood if you like it is top notch. You are in a nest of great seafood and of course don't miss Starbucks. The salmon running in the locks are also a treat to see.

If you have children it depends on their age and of course attention span., We always took our kids to nature stuff and very little of the glitz and zero game arcades. In my opinion there is just too much of our magnificent country to see, to waste time in some room playing with a dot on an electric scree.

[profdant139]

If you like to hike, Rainier is great:



And so is the Mt. Baker area in the North Cascades -- this is Mt. Shuksan:



We have been to Washington several times and we will be going back again this summer on our way home from Canada.

[paulj]

http://www.cohoferry.com/Fares

[ArchHoagland]

Islandman...

I'd like to go to Victory with the coach....about how much is the ferry cost....ballpark figure.

[revump]

Covers it pretty well

Islandman wrote:
Our favorite places are the North Cascades NP along WA 20, Mt. Rainier NP, Olympic NP, Boeing Museum of Flight in Seattle, Mt. St. Helens, Whidbey Island, and many other spots. Organize your trip so that when you leave WA and head to OR, you can tour the Columbia Gorge area along I-84, really great area with several OR SP's along the way with first-class camping. It would be nice if you could work in a 2-3 day trip over to Victoria, leave your RV in WA somewhere and stay in the hotel or motel area in downtown Victoria. The ferry expense is kind of steep for RV's and once in Victoria the public transportation is an excellent and economical way to get around, so you won't really need the RV over there. WA is a small state but has many wonderful places to visit and a variety that's hard to match. I second the Dry Falls area recommendation, lots of geologic history there. Also go through the Palouse wheat country in eastern WA, thousands of acres of amber waves of grain!

[Islandman]

Our favorite places are the North Cascades NP along WA 20, Mt. Rainier NP, Olympic NP, Boeing Museum of Flight in Seattle, Mt. St. Helens, Whidbey Island, and many other spots. Organize your trip so that when you leave WA and head to OR, you can tour the Columbia Gorge area along I-84, really great area with several OR SP's along the way with first-class camping. It would be nice if you could work in a 2-3 day trip over to Victoria, leave your RV in WA somewhere and stay in the hotel or motel area in downtown Victoria. The ferry expense is kind of steep for RV's and once in Victoria the public transportation is an excellent and economical way to get around, so you won't really need the RV over there. WA is a small state but has many wonderful places to visit and a variety that's hard to match. I second the Dry Falls area recommendation, lots of geologic history there. Also go through the Palouse wheat country in eastern WA, thousands of acres of amber waves of grain!

[ArchHoagland]

Thank you all for the Excellent replies!

I wish I had ask for information like this when we spent a month in Texas.

Keep the replies coming and I'll refer back to this thread as the trip commences. Makes me want to leave today!

[pfidahospud]

If you end up going cross-country on Hwy 26, near Washtucna, is Palouse Falls. I think it's worth adding in as a waypoint. It's like Dry Falls, but wet 🙂 (and a lot smaller).

[DesertHawk]

Many moons ago, we drove most of the way down from the Vancouver, BC area to about Ventura, CA. We spent sometime on the Olympic Peninsula in the Sequim area and did drive to see the Rain Forest part of the Nat'l Park, but mainly just did a drive and stop along the coastal area. Some neat views. We have not been over on the "Dry" side. Here is an old post with some info: :CClicky :C. It is an old post, some of the links may not be working any longer.

In '97, we found a small state park right on the Sound. As I remember, it was a little south of Seattle. Saltwater sounds about right. Or Dash Point. We only used it for an overnight.

We did a visit with a cousin in 2010 (Flying back from Alaska). This old post has some photos taken in the area & places we got to see: Please Click to See. We saw some nice campgrounds by Mount Rainer as we drove by them.

We did some exploring from Sequim Bay State Pk by taking a Ferry to Seattle on a previous trip in '86. It took a 56 miles drive to get to Bainbridge Island & the Ferry to do so.

We used US 101 to the West (might be considered southbound) from Sequim, WA to Astoria, OR. It was very neat along the Pacific Coast once it turned south there.

We used Cape Disappointment State Park (formerly Fort Canby State Park) to see the Astoria area. Super High Bridge over the Columbia River to get to Astoria, neat drive.

Washington State PKs: Pacific Coast and the State Map Finder.

In '97 we came up the coast in OR to Newport then went east to Portland then up to Seattle. We stopped near Mt St. Helens at a Nat'l Forest Campground, but didn't dive too far up towards the mountain. In 2000, I went up to the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, it was neat to see. Also went from Portland east along the Columbia River Gorge...some neat sights up that way. The Multnomah Falls was neat area.

We kept on 101 down into California. Oregon has very nice state parks as well.

[paulj]

Another way to enter Washington from the south is US97. Like the Oregon part this hugs the east flank of the Cascades, but with a few more ups & downs as it crosses ridges. After Satus pass it joins I82 through the agricultural area along the Yakima River (hops, grapes, other orchards). There are several ways to turn east to Grand Coolee, WA24, I90, US2.

Google Maps is a good tool for getting a sense of the terrain and road side views.

[obgraham]

I posted this in another thread. Still valid:

Do you like technical stuff? The Hanford "B" Reactor tour. Magnificent visit to a true National treasure. It was the world's first full scale nuclear reactor, and there are now tours available, which are extremely well run. Check here:

http://manhattanprojectbreactor.hanford.gov/

If the tours are not available on your dates, they are often open by calling the office listed on the website. The only downside is that children aren't allowed, if I recall.

You can park your rig at my house if you wish, while you take the tour!

[vermilye]

Another interesting part of Washington are the San Juan Islands. Park the RV at Washington Park, Anacortes, and take the toad on the ferry to visit.

Our visit in 2004.

[paulj]

ArchHoagland wrote:
...
We will be coming into the state from the south from Oregon on I82.

I'm thinking of hitting Spokane then north on 395 to HWY 21 and follow it to Manilla Creek road and head west to The Grand Coulee Dam.
...

That Spokane reference might throw people. That's the entry point if coming from the east on I90.

I82/US395/WA21/WA174 is a fine way of getting to Grand Coolee. This mostly crosses flat irrigated farm land (and non irrigated wheat fields in the north). US395 is divided hwy.

An alternative to 21 would be WA17. This has town traffic in the Moses Lake area. But further north it follows an ancient canyon with lakes and 'dry falls'. At US2 take WA155 along Banks Lake to the dam.

Banks Lake is a reservoir filling one of those glacial age canyons. It's water is pumped up from the dam, and then distributed to the irrigation canals. Beware that all Columbia River crossings involve a drop and then a climb (including I90).

Options for crossing the Cascades include:
US2 to Wenatchee on the Columbia. Leavenworth is a Bavarian themed tourist town. US2 puts you into the north suburbs of Seattle, with good access to the Everett Boeing plant.

Or you could take WA20 over the Cascades (through North Cascades NP). WA155 takes you to Omak, then WA20 crosses a pass to Twisp, then through Winthrop (western themed town), and on over Washington Pass.

Another sequence to Twisp is 174/15/97/153. This stays closer to rivers.

WA530 is a good way from US20 to Arlington and I5 south. Parts pass through a tunnel of big leaf maples. While Darington is a logging town with good access to mountain hiking, there are no passes to cross (just a low river divide).

While the bridge collapse on I5 complicates travel around the WA20/I5 junction, it does not make it impossible. Locals would like your business. But you could continue on WA20 to Whidbey Island (lots of great state parks). The ferry at the south end puts you into Boeing's back yard.

Camping close to Seattle is limited. Lake Pleasant in Bothel is most frequently recommended as full service RV park. Snohomish County has camping in several parks north of Seattle (Kayak Pt, Wenberg, Flowing Lake).

As for your exit -
take the ferry (or WA16) to Kitsap Peninsula, and then Hood Canal bridge to the Olympic Peninsula. Or catch US101 north from Olympia. Then loop around Olympic NP. Port Townsend is a nice Victorian era town, with good state parks. Or skip the Olympics and take 8/12 to Aberdeen. Some don't like US101 along the coast since in passes through a lot of clear cuts. But there are side roads like WA105 that stay closer to the coast. Most of the southern Washington coast is beaches and lagoons, not bluffs.

These routes skip the whole south Cascades (Rainier, St Helens). WA410 and US12 are the main highways across this part. NS routes through the Cascades are not as common as in Oregon.