Trip Report for the ROF Journey thru the WA/OR Cascade Mtn. Backcountry

[Eugene15]

Great pics and write-up.

Not to be picky George but you were in the Pacific Northwest on the IDBDR.

The Pacific Northwest (PNW), sometimes referred to as Cascadia,[1] is a geographic region in western North America bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and (loosely) by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common conception includes the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) and the U.S. states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

Thanks for the info, I just assumed that PNW would be states that were on the ocean. I think I need a pass on this, because I was a Midwesterner.

 

[vevans]

Thank you all for the good words about this trip. Wish you all could have been there.

One thing that has not been said about this trip. That is it is a great trip for women. I am very sorry that Susan did not accompany me. It was a mistake not to bring her. It is a good trip for women because the driving times for each day are relative short. We stopped pretty early each day. The route did not have long stretches of rough road. I know that Susan is not fond of bouncing around in the Jeep all day long. The route is relatively clean (It is always clean if you are the lead vehicle ) using organized campgrounds with toilets most every night. There are places to stop along the way at mini marts and gas stops for bathroom breaks. Most of the sites where we spent time looking around had facilities that in spite of COVID-19 were open to the public using masks. These things all add up to a relatively stress free trip.

The technical information about the trip - route and mileages - is available to everyone at the start of the post in the trip planning area. I encourage everyone to incorporate it in any trip you plan in the Pacific Northwest. If you have questions about the trip send me a PM. I will be glad to respond to your question.

I really enjoyed this trip so much that I am thinking about how to make it better for next time? What things can I add for next time? Can I include visits to both sides of Mt St Helens? What about adding the beaches, North Cascades, Olympic Peninsula? Making it a loop trip instead of one direction? Think really big and include a part of BC? This trip was REV. NEW. Stay tuned for REV. A in 2021.

Vince

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

Depending on time constraints, a loop would work awesome. Beach, The Olympic Peninsula, taking the North cascades Hwy, across the top, North Cascades National park, Etc

 

[Ovrlnd Rd]

Start in Sandpoint, ID and take Hwy 20 to Oak Harbor. From somewhere in the area grab a ferry to Victoria for a day trip to the Buchart Gardens then a ferry from Victoria down to Port Townsend. Hit the Olympic National Forest then down the coast to Kelso and either take Hwy 12 back across the state or follow the Columbia back to the Tri-Cities THEN grab Hwy 12 across to Clarkston. You should get all the zones of WA - mountain, ocean, desert.

 

[vevans]

Oh my!! Mark, I like your thinking. There are many ways to see this country. Keep your thoughts going.

What if......

The planning for this trip has a few options for the group to consider:

• Route A is pretty much a given with some side routes to consider.
• Route B starts in Twisp, goes up into BC to Williams Lake, goes west to Bella Coola, takes ferry to Vancouver Island, drives south to ferry to Anacortes, WA.
• Route C Starts in Twisp, stays in US and goes over the North Cascades Hwy, ends in Anacortes, WA
• Route D Starts in Anacortes and goes to the NW corner of the US, continues south down the WA and OR coasts ends in Brookings, OR?

Route A:

• We start at Klamath Falls, Oregon and go north to Crater Lake driving the West loop this time and camping again at Diamond Lake.
• We take a little more direct route north , drive the Cascades Lakes Byway and camp where we did for camp 8.
• Continue north from sisters. Skip Olallie Lake and go directly to Mt Hood and Timberline Lodge. End the day at Hood River.
• Cross to Washington and go west and north to Castle Rock where we go to the west side of Mt St Helens. Observatories better on this side.
• Go north then east on Hwy 12 to Packwood. See Mt Rainier (Paradise side) if desired) then over Cayause and Chinook Passes.
• Up over Manastash Ridge and down to Ellensburg. Over the hill to Wenatchee. (either BDR route or hwy).
• Drive up the Columbia River (either BDR or hwy) to Chelan then on to Twisp (either BDR or hwy).

Twisp is a decision point in the trip.

If we choose Route B:

• We continue north to the border crossing at Osoyoos, BC (either BDR or hwy).
• We continue north to Kamloops by either the fast route thru Princeton and Merritt to Kamloops or
• Travel north thru the more scenic Lakes District of Penticton, Kelowna, and Vernon to Kamloops.
• From Kamloops we go west to Cache Creek
• Then north to Williams Lake, BC
• At Williams Lake we turn west and travel thru the high Chilcotin plain to Bella Coola BC.
• We take the BC Ferry down the inside passage to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island.
• Go south from Port Hardy to Sidney, BC where we catch a Washington State ferry thru the San Juan Islands to Anacortes, WA

If we choose Route C:

• Continue west thru Winthrop, WA to Mazama.
• Drive a side trip to Slate Peak
• After Slate Peak continue on over the North Cascades Hwy stopping for pictures at the top of the pass.
• Continue down to Newhalem and the North Cascades Visitor Center to get information about Ross Dam tours.
• Continue down the pass thru Sedro-Woolley and Burlington to Anacortes.

Route D:

• Drive south across Deception Pass onto Whidby Island and continue down the island to Fort Casey Ferry Terminal
• Take the Port Townsend-Keystone Ferry to Port Townsend.
• Drive thru Sequim to Port Angeles and the Olympic National Park Headquarters and visitor Center.
• Take the side trip to Hurricane Ridge.
• Take the road thru Joyce, Clallam Bay, and Neah Bay to the northwest corner of the continental United States.
• Go south thru Forks, along the WA coast to Hoquiam, WA
• Side route here to the west to more and better Washington beaches
• Continue south to Seaview and Long Beach where driving on the beach is allowed.
• Cross the bridge to Astoria, OR and continue south down the Oregon Coast
• The Oregon Coast has too many things to see and do to list here. The group will have to decide how much time they wish to spend on the Oregon Coast.

This is a rough draft of one trip or if it is too long it could be two trips or even broken into three trips. These are ideas meant to tease the imagination of folks like Mark. Keep the discussions going. maybe it is time to move these posts to the Backcountry Adventure and Event Planning area. Perhaps it should be in the ROF's Future Trip Ideas thread. That thread is meant to be a discussion area for all kinds of trip ideas. What happened to your ideas? There was only one new post. ?

Vince

 

[Ace Brown]

Yes I agree all that planning stuff should be moved to your “ideas thread”. The principle planning thread should be for individual trip planning. Not so much for general ideas.

But while you have my attention I don’t think I’d be interested in going into Canada. Even ferry rides don’t appeal. Too much money and too many rules. Like issues with dogs, propane, guns and mis-matched socks. Hehe.


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[2025 deleted member]

Thanks for sharing! It is neat you all had the chance to meet the gentleman that had first hand experience at Mt St Helens, and he was able to share the pictures!