Canada, Washington, Oregon

[gypsyrose1126]

Hello All! I am in the process of planning my trip to the above areas. I am thinking of going up to Canada from MN, driving across to Jasper and Banff. I will then go to Vancouver and take the ferry to Port Angeles, WA. and eventually meet a friend at Mt. st. Helens. We will then explore the coast, down to the Redwoods and then back up thru Oregon into Idaho. I am thinking 2 months, August and September. I have not been to Canada before and would like to hear from you all on some sites I should not miss! I have not made any reservations as of yet, but think I will for Jasper and Banff. I am not fond of reservations, prefer to get there when I get there, but that area is so busy!
I will explore the Olympic Nat. Park in Wash. we will hit Mt. Rainer also. We are catching the Columbia gorge and Mt. Hood, dozens of waterfalls and a lot of other stuff we don't want to miss. Hopefully Sept. will be a good month to visit in Oregon.
So any suggestions, places not to missed, anyone else going to be in the area at the same time, I would love to hear from you. Thanks and safe travels to all.
Rosemary

[Bethers]

Rosemary, that will be an awesome trip. Please add Crater Lake in Oregon to your list of must sees. They have (at least they did when I last was there) a free shuttle tour that I felt was very worth it... I'd have paid. And I rarely take these because I think I can do better on my own. Then make sure to see Sheila and if lucky get a tour from her of parts/areas in and around the Tetons.

[chalet05]

You are in for a grand trip! August and September should be good, but with all the crazy weather who knows!

I grew up in Port Angeles and moved back there for a few years after my husband died. Still have family there. Last I knew they have a great visitor center near the ferry dock. The Olympic Peninsula covers a lot of area. The Hoh Rain Forest is near the west coast. Hurricane Ridge is right out of Port Angeles.

To get to Port Angeles from Vancouver, you would have to take two ferries. You may already know this but wanted to make sure.

In Victoria, British Columbia, be sure to visit Butchart Gardens.

[snowball]

Beth I thought we paid for that shuttle??? or have you been there since 2012?
Rosemary for sure if you plan on going to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone get in touch with me as I am not far from either... I grew up in GTNP. also there is lots to see and do in Idaho... Craters of the Moon, Glacier National Park just lots of places... let Google be your friend
as to those in the areas.. Karen is in Oregon, JudyB will probably be still in Oregon,, Kerry who is never on here is also in Bend Oregon,,, I can get in touch with her for you if you desire. check the GTG page and see if there is one going on in that area when you will be there. sorta seems like it but not sure...
sheila

[JudyJB]

You really will need reservations for August. I have been having problems getting reservations anywhere in Oregon and Washington then. After the kids go back to school, it will be easier, but maybe not.

And yes, I will be in Oregon and Washington in late September and early October, but will be heading east on October 10.

[BirdbyBird]

When I was up that way a couple of years ago I survived without reservations most of the time. I also stayed in several of the National forests, etc that didn't take reservations. I wasn't trying to move that far up the road and would drive a couple hours and show up before or by noon and found spaces available. I talked with one of the Hostesses at a campground up in the National Park in the peninsula and she mentioned that it always amazed her when friends traveling together both driving 36 foot rigs (or bigger) would drive in around 4:30 and be disappointed not to find spaces left to fit their rigs. FYI, many of these campground have no hookups or are electric only. Even in the state parks I often found a couple of spots available even if they were not always first choice. I didn't worry about what my spot looked like overall. I had a car to drive off in and explore the sights and I had dogs that required me to hike all over the campground so if the campground had really nice sights, I got to soak them in, too, before I was done.

Traveling with a smaller trailer will provide you more possibilities that travelers with larger rigs don't have.

Yes, reservations are nice if you can get them and are able to plan ahead for where you want to be when. Winging it is a little harder on the nervous system but is also a learned skill that is sometimes needed and is another useful "tool" in the bag of any traveler and allows a different sort of freedom. It is also another reason why I like driving a smaller rig.

Enjoy the possibilities and spread those wings and fly!

Tina

[gypsyrose1126]

Ladies, thanks for the info! Yes, Crater Lake is on the list, but did not know about the shuttle, thanks.

And no I did not know I would have to take 2 ferries, thanks for that info. I will have to check that out more closely. I have several cousins in Port Angeles that I have not seen since the 60's!! Hey, maybe we are related!! LOL

I know that there is a GTG in Oct. but I won't be there at that time.

I will have to check the info on Butchart Gardens, as have not really gotten down to specific places yet. I am starting to get serious about planning. Tina, my trailer is pretty small 18' and like you, I don't really care about the site I camp at, as I can always drive around. I think Canada also has some areas for boondocking that I still have to check out.

Shelia, not sure we will be hitting the Tetons, although it is one of my favorite places. I was there 2 years ago, but if we decide to go there, I will drop you a note.
Judy B we are traveling down the coast of Oregon into CA. and then back up to Crater Lake. I will check to see where you are at that time.

Anyone planning a trip to Alaska next year??

[Cudedog]

Hello Rosemary! Sounds like a fabulous trip.

If you are interested in volcanoes - as I am - there are a great many in the areas you will be travelling through. Most (like Mt. Hood) are massive - and you might not even know that they are volcanoes, if you only see them at a distance. The area around Mt. St. Helens can be "iffy" to find reservations - St. Helens is a major tourist destination - I suggest making reservations at Harry Gardner State Park in Toutle, Washington. It is about 25 miles from the Johnston Ridge Observatory (the observatory is not to be missed) at St. Helens. I stayed there two years ago, and (for my purposes) it was very nice. Sites were very widely spaced, water and electric (I think - be sure to check) and a dump station, and vault toilets:

https://www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/facilities/facility/details/2-Harry-Gardner-Park-2

The park is right on the South Fork of the Toutle river, and the park was completely wiped out by lahars (mud flows) from the volcano during the eruption of St. Helens (although the volcano is more than thirty miles away!), and the park was only finally rebuilt and re-opened in the last couple of years. Remnants of the lahar flows are still there and still evident, especially river-side, if one knows what one is looking at.

Here is a short article about a couple that was caught in the lahar - it was at Harry Gardner that they were finally able to escape the lahar, as it washed in, burying the the park in feet of mud from the volcano. They were very nearly killed:

https://www.pdxmonthly.com/articles/2017/10/12/survivors-of-the-mount-st-helens-eruption-tell-their-story

If you are interested in volcanoes, my all-time favorite volcano book is "Fire Mountains of the West, the Cascade and Mono Lake Volcanoes" by Stephen L. Harris:

https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Mountains-W ... way&sr=8-1

Although it is non-fiction, and a bit technical, it somehow also reads like a combination of a travel/adventure book. But maybe that is just me!!

Also keep in mind (sorry if you already know this!) but Oregon and Washington west of the Cascades (of which St. Helens is but one volcano of many in the Cascades) is generally cool-ish, lush and green in summer, on into the autumn months.

East of the Cascades, Washington and Oregon are desert and can be very hot in the summer and autumn months (think 90's on into the 100's). I was there at Harry Gardner in late September, and temps were in the upper 90's - and this is still west of the Cascades!! There is no shade at the Johnston Ridge Observatory at St. Helens (all of the amazing conifer forests that once surrounded the volcano were wiped away by the eruption, and have not grown back), pets are not allowed on the grounds or in the buildings, so not so good if one is travelling with pets.

For my money, (LOL - since I am so interested in volcanoes) I would also visit Newberry volcano, near Bend, Oregon (it would be a quick stop). It is a shield volcano (St. Helens is a stratovolcano) and has an amazing and very large obsidian flow (obsidian is volcanic glass) well worth viewing. Interestingly, the city of Bend is built on ancient flows from Newberry - and Newberry very likely will erupt again one day! This could happen fairly quickly - from the time St. Helens first indicated she might be "waking up" to the time of her major eruption, was only about 8 weeks!!

Any questions, please ask!!

Anne

[gypsyrose1126]

Anne
Thanks for the great info. We will be by Bend, so I have added the Newberry volcano to our places to see list. Good to know the info on the dogs, as my friend does travel with her dog. I am looking forward to see all the great sites in Oregon and Washington. While we used to live in Washington when I was very young, for a few short years, we never did much sightseeing. I have never been to Oregon so very excited for my trip.
Another rainy day in WI, hope weather a little better on the West Coast.