Washington State

[KO]

Putting my summer trip together. I am planning on departing Tampa Fl (around July 4th) and heading out to the Northwest, specifically Washington State.

I will have our 12-year-old grandson. His parents will fly out to meet us and then do their thing in a rental vehicle and then fly back to Tampa. We will probably have around two - two and a half weeks of sightseeing.


Looking for ideas on where to go and stay. Not interested in Seattle.

When we return to Tampa, it will be thru Minnesota as we must be there for a grandson's birthday. Looking at taking 20 on the return trip.

Thanks...

[ScottG]

mockturtle wrote:
ScottG is right. However, IMO, WA State Parks are vastly overpriced and I usually avoid them.

Private places are even more expensive and often not as nice. Also, you never get as much space.
I think Washington state parks are worth every penny - they're that nice. In fact, I would be fine with prices going up to keep the parks open and maintained.

[Edd505]

I patrolled the Deception Pass area, make reservations if you plan on stay a few days, way ahead of travel date. I also patrolled San Juan Island in the San Juan Islands. Walking on the ferry is not an issue, taking vehicle can mean a long wait to catch a ferry which ran every 2 hours when I left the area. There is housing in the San Juan Islands, Lopez, Shaw, Orcas, and San Juan. Again reservations if you plan to stay.

[katmann343]

Deception Pass good stay, camped there many times when DW was living.

[Gjac]

Another place that I liked in WA and is worth seeing was Leavenworth, it is a recreation of an old German town.

[profdant139]

A member PMed me asking if the blue color of the ice in my photo above is real or is a result of photo editing. It is real! Depending on the sun angle and the color of the sky, parts of the glaciers are, well, ice-blue. The picture does not do it justice. Tip -- if you want to see it up close, bring binoculars! (Too dangerous to hike on a glacier.)

And to answer two other questions, yes, that is Mt. Baker, and yes, that is me and DW sitting next to the lupines.

[ppine]

If the weather is hot and dry just gain some elevation.

[enblethen]

Ppine; Yes, the lake and glacier.
Montana Lake

[profdant139]

ppine, the east side sure is pretty. But when we were there in July a few years ago, it was really hot -- too hot for hiking! So I guess it's "pick your poison:" cool and rainy, or hot and dry.

Cool and dry would be the best, but it's not easy to find in mid-summer. 😉

[ppine]

Most people tour around Washington for awhile visiting places there have heard about like the Olympic Peninsula and Mt Rainier. Then it occurs to a lot of them maybe they would like to get out of the rain and they head for the eastern Cascades.

[ppine]

enblethen wrote:
Much of central Washington was formed by the Montana Glacier. This includes Dry Falls (Must see) which was something like seven times the size of Niagra. It changed the course of the Columbia River.

Are you refering to the repeated floods from Lake Missoula?

[agesilaus]

Nice blog, I added it to my read list. We generally plan to do east Washington and the North Cascades then drop down thru OR into the evil empire for a revisit of Lassen. Last time we were there it was mostly snowed in.

I doubt we will be in shape to do multi thousand foot altitude gain hikes tho, being from the flatlands.

[profdant139]

We have spent many weeks touring Washington. So much to do! But speaking as folks who come from a warm climate (Calif.), I think the snowy mountains are the main attraction – snow in July, and lots of it! Not going to find that in Florida, right?

Here is the first of four connected blog posts that may be of interest:

North Cascades

This is just a sample to whet your appetite – that’s Mt. Baker in the middle of the shot:


Click For Full-Size Image.

Rainier is great, too – here is a blog post:

Rainier

(In that blog post, fast forward through the first section on the Calif redwoods.)

Rainier has lots of waterfalls, streams, wildflowers, glaciers, etc.

Note, also, that much of the hiking in the mountains of Washington is not at a particularly high altitude – roughly 5000 to 7000 feet. By contrast, hiking in the Sierras and Colorado is often at ten thousand feet or more, which is not as easy for us flatlanders! 😉

[enblethen]

Much of central Washington was formed by the Montana Glacier. This includes Dry Falls (Must see) which was something like seven times the size of Niagra. It changed the course of the Columbia River.

[profdant139]

Jon -- great shot of the falls!! I think this is part of the "channeled scablands" created by the breaking of an ice dam during the glacial era?? Very dramatic landscape.