Help Planning the Pacific Northwest tour 2014!

[evotech]

Thanks to your suggestions, our family has enjoyed 4 years of unbelievable cross country trips with our 2 kids. This year we will be starting from Redding, CA and ending back in San Diego. Looking for suggestions for National Parks, State Parks, hidden gems, great campgrounds. We want to cover as much of the pacific northwest as we can in 3 weeks. We are a self contained class A. Prefer scenic beauty to commercial campgrounds. As always your help is greatly appreciated. :)We will begin this adventure on June 28th.

[Fuzzy_Bear]

From Redding I too would go north to see Crater Lake. Then off to the Oregon coast. We did this a few years ago and it was great. We did Bulllards Beach just north of Bandon, then Beachside just south of Waldport. Beachside can get you right on the beach. After that we continued north with a lunch stop in Pacific City at Pelican Pub and then on to Ft Stevens and later Cape Disappointment. Last year we did the coast south from Oregon to San Diego. A couple of places I wouldn't miss are the Redwoods around Humboldt Redwoods park and Hearst Castle. Our southbound trip started on Saturday and we were camping at Huntington Beach on Wednesday. We will be doing a repeat of that next month minus the Hwy 1 from Ft Bragg to Bodega Bay.

Doug

[GGeorge]

There are several books available at the rv book store for the entire area you are planning to travel. One in particular named "The long and winding road" highlights US 97 from California to BC. It talks about all the nooks and crannies of places to see and do.

Good luck,

GGeorge

[4runnerguy]

First, let me say congratulations on your idea to store the RV and fly back and forth. Saves days and days crossing the US.

Since you only have three weeks, let me make some suggestions based on your kids ages. And with this limited time frame, I've concentrated primarily on OR. There's obviously lots to see and do in WA also, but I imagine your kids would rather be out exploring rather than sitting in the RV going down the road. Believe me, the list below will keep you busy for the entire three weeks and you'll still feel rushed.

From Redding, head east to Lassen Volcanic NP if you haven't been there. Hike to the top of Mt. Lassen. Visit some of the thermal features at Devils Kitchen and Bumpass Hell. Manzanita Lake CG is on the north side of the mountain. No hookups, but flush toilets. Easy access to Manzanita Lake for evening strolls.

From Lassen, head north to Lava Beds NM. Your kids will love poking around the lava tube caves. Bring flashlights or led headlamps. We also had bicycle helmets to protect our heads. They also lend flashlights at the visitors center. The campground there says up to 30', but we've seen bigger units in several of the sites. When we were there last, our PUP and 4Runner combined were nearly 40' long.

From Lava Beds, head north to Crater Lake. Plenty has been written here over the years, do a search for more info.

Then it's on to Bend, OR. We like to camp at Newberry Crater NM. There are NFS CG's around East and Paulina Lakes that are great. These lakes are in the bottom of an old volcano, so it's like camping along the shoreline of Crater Lake. While there, check out the short Obsidian Trail and don't miss the Lava Lands Visitors Center (see the Newbarry guide linked above). We often spend a week in the Bend area.

But when it's time to move on, head north on US 97/197 to The Dalles and the Columbia River Gorge. As noted, some great hikes to great waterfalls. We camp at Ainsworth SP. You're close enough to Portland to go to town and restock on supplies and visit this really interesting city.

From Portland, you can head north to Mt. St. Helens, but with only three weeks, you might save this for a later trip that focuses more on just Washington. The routes into Mt. St. Helens aren't quick, so it takes time to visit the park.

Then it's to the coast. The northern OR coast, being closer to Portland, is busier and has more shops, restaurants, etc. Our favorite part of the coast is from about Lincoln City on south (just because we like fewer people). Of course the Tillamook Cheese factory with it's tours and ice cream is north of this, so you'll have to decide where to start your OR coast tour. There are so many great CG's along the OR coast. Beachside SP, Sunset Bay SP, Tlllicum NFS CG, the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, Harris Beach SP. Many have easy beach access. Of course the beaches aren't so much for swimming (BRRR :E ) as they are for beachcombing.

Some brochures for the Oregon Coast:

Lighthouses

Tidal Pools (Get a tide table and try to visit the pools at the lowest tide possible).

From Harris Beach SP in southern OR, you can day trip to the Redwoods of Northern CA. By this time, you'll be out of time and it's time for the long drive back to San Diego.

If you follow all my links, you'll find a wealth of information that will make your trip much more informed and enjoyable.

[JBinOR]

Personally, I would go north on I5 and shoot of to hit Crater Lake, staying at Valley of the Rogue State Park, unless you can get into Crater Lake. Maybe a trip over to Bend. Definitely a couple days in Portland and Seattle. Then head back south on the 101 in Washington. We love staying at Fort Stevens State Park in Astoria. There are a number of other really great Oregon State Parks on the beach, like Harris Beach State Park in the south. I've always wanted to stay at Beachside State Park in Waldport, but haven't had the opportunity. They have a few spots where you can literally back your rig up to a perfect view of the ocean 30 ft. away. Then hit the Redwoods for a few days. If you head south on the coast, you will get the benefit of a little better view, but if being that close to a cliff makes you nervous, reverse the order.

[WishWeWereCampi]

If you like to fish Paulina Lake is great, it's near Bend. There are some nice campgrounds there, many right on the lake. The area is beautiful and part of the Newberry Crater National Monument. We really enjoyed the hike around the Big Obsidian Flow, this area is different from any we have ever visited. If you plan on hiking around the lake, take mosquito repellent!

Have you ever been to Mt. Lassen? Lots of beautiful areas around there, great hikes, Juniper Lake, the Boiling Lakes, Devil's Kitchen, Bumpass Hell to name a few. Lake Almanor is nearby and has great beaches, boat rentals, and warm water for swimming.

We also enjoyed visiting the Lava Tubes National Monument. Crater Lake is also spectacular.

I wish we could have visited the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, but we didn't have time.

The Columbia Gorge is cool too...along with a lot of other places in OR, Silver Falls, Multnomah Falls, the Bonnevile Fish Hatchery, OR is so beautiful.

[jamesu]

From San Diego...PCH101 north of Santa Barbara up the California Coast, up the Oregon Coast, up the Washington Coast. Once up here: Olympic NP; WA-20 through N. Cascades National Park; head down to Mt. Rainier NP/Mt. St. Helens; head south to/through the Columbia Gorge; Mt. Hood. (From here I'll let the Oregonians take over.)

Plan on a couple of weeks for my suggested itinerary alone. You're a long way from Long Island so take your time and see what you can while you're here. The Pacific N.W. is a huge area.

[evotech]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I had several questions from people about this trip being that we are from New York. Let me clarify things a bit if may:

We have done 5 years of cross country adventures from NY to California. On our way back home 2 years ago we had a epiphany. What if we left our RV in the west at a self storage facility and flew home? Honestly, we were only interested in everything west of Denver anyway. We decided to station the RV in the West and fly to our start point.... from there forward? We have kept the RV in self storage facilities ever since. We applied the money we would have spent on gas and converted that to airline tickets and it was about the same. So the RV is now in self storage in Redding CA and we have a great relative in San Diego willing to store the RV while we are not there. It saves us a ton of time and the money is about the same. Happy trails.:)

[bikendan]

Ditto on Oregon Coast. no problems driving it with your rid on highway 101.
though i would hate to miss Silver Falls SP and Crater Lake NP.

but you seriously need to start making reservations, especially for coastal campsites.

[Mike_NW]

My vote would be to venture along the Oregon coast. Some of our favorite destinations on the coast would be Newport, Cannon Beach, and Seaside. All of these areas are great stops for kids and adults.

We enjoyed Newport so much two years ago that we are planning a week trip again this summer. Newport still ranks as one of our favorite destinations even thou it is about a 10 hour trip from our home.

[2gypsies1]

If you're heading north from Redding, CA your route should be along the Oregon coast - Hwy 101. Your 35' will fit in the majority of the awesome state parks and county parks along the whole coastline. We have no problems finding sites with our 40'.

From northern Oregon, stay on 101 through Washington and around the Olympic Peninsula. Cape Disappointment State Park is the first one you'll come to and is great. You could easily tour the Astoria, OR area from the Cape. There's a huge kite festival late summer there.

Just west of Port Angeles, WA is Salt Creek County Park which is a nice base for touring Olympic Nat'l Park. Another favorite area of ours is the Port Townsend, WA area Fort Worden (beach campsites, not the wooded ones) and Fort Flagler have nice big campsites. From there you can take a day tour of Seattle by using the ferry or a whale watching day trip from Port Townsend.

There is just so much that you'll have to move fast for a 3-week trip and back to San Diego. You might want to consider from Redding to get on Hwy 97 up through Oregon and returning to San Diego via Hwy 101. The coast drive from north to south will give you the best views and easy scenic pull-offs. Hwy 97 north will give you a chance at Crater Lake by staying at Collier Memorial State Park right on 97. Then north to Bend and 26 to Portland, OR is a nice drive. You could head directly for Port Townsend area and then head west and south for the coastline touring. Have fun!

[2oldman]

For scenic beauty visit Kalaloch Campground on the ocean. Some of the spots will handle that size rig, or, go south 3 miles to South Beach.

For kids that age, I'd also recommend Lake Chelan, but, the city CG gets reserved very early in the year. So it may be too late for that already. 509-682-8023

[mockturtle]

Ed, some of the national park campgrounds in WA won't accommodate that large an RV so you might want to check the campground info carefully. There are plenty of nice alternatives, though.

[evotech]

OK Here are some more details.


RV is 35ft. Class A
Kids are 16 and 12
Destination is the pacific NW. San Diego is simply where we are going to store the RV after this trip.
We have no route yet. We are still in the planning stages.

thanks
Ed

[profdant139]

How old are the kids, and how far can they hike? For example, there are lots of amazing waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge, just a short walk from the parking area, and they are at their peak in late June and early July. Some of them (like Tunnel Falls on Eagle Creek, below) require a longer walk -- but how often do you get to walk right behind a thundering waterfall??