Washington, Oregon, Idaho Trip Help!!

[kevinruss]

Please read - this is a little long of a post.

My wife wants to complete her bucket list. Three states we have not been in with the kids are Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. She has incurable cancer and this year is the only time we will be able to do it.

As the cancer progresses, she will not be able to travel after this summer. It is marginal as it is. Having a Class A is the only thing making it possible. She can rest while I drive. Plus have access to facilities while we are on the road. Being immune compromised the RV will help since we will not be exposing her in hotel rooms. She knows the risks at our destinations and she want to do this.

Our middle son is going away to college this summer. Our oldest is working a full time job. We can only take off for two weeks. 17 days including the weekends.

We are traveling from the Midwest.

Currently the plan is go though Boise Idaho (Day 3)
On to Mount Saint Helen's in Washington (Day 4, 5, we can add a day).
Leave there for Crater Lake in Oregon (Day 6 and 7).
We'll drop down to the pacific coast highway in Crescent City California.
On to the Redwood National Forest (Day 8 and 9).
Then to Lassen National Park (Day 10 and 12).
We'll work our way home from there. It gives us maybe 2 days wiggle room.

Facts:
We are pulling a trailer with a car on it. We will use the RV as a base station at each destination.
Yes this is a whirlwind trip.
Yes it is a lot of miles (about 5,800 if I am right).
Yes the cost of gas is through the roof, and we are going to max out credit cards doing this. Since I started the planning, our fuel budget has gone up by $3,000. I'm looking at $6,000 for fuel alone.
If I had any choice I would wait, and take more time.
We bought the RV before she was diagnosed, with the idea it would be our retirement home. Life changes and you have to roll with the punches.


Here are the questions we need help with.
Where can we stay near each of these destinations? National park campgrounds, or other inexpensive places would be my choice.
Because of the road travel time I'd rather not be tied to a specific reservation date at each place. So places that we can pull in and likely have a spot.
We have a generator and can boondock as long as we are able to drop the car to use it.

Last are there any "Must See" places along our route. I've kind of looked but we have taken out places because of the time constraints.
So the Boeing Museum is out. Seattle is out period. Portland will be a drive through without stopping. Likely Salt Lake City too.
Idaho I'd like someplace nice for a stop. It looks like we will get to the state in late morning or around noon. We can spend the day and night there.

Thank you in advance for any advice you can give.
Kevin

[rk911]

several thoughts…

- sounds like a happy/sad/memorable trip, honoring what may be your wife’s final wish. I sincerely hope you can pull it off.

- start trying to make your reservations now but you may be out of luck with regards to natl psrk campgrounds. Mon-Thur nights may be easier to book than weekends.

best wishes to your family.

[RRR]

Sorry that you have to do this trip under the circumstances. May your Guide be with all of you.

Assuming you will be coming into Oregon on I-84 there is a decent park in Boardman. https://boardmanparkandrec.com/camping-reservations/ and there is a COE park near John Day Dam, Rufus, OR

For Mt St Helen's area you might check out Seaquest State Park https://www.parks.wa.gov/581/Seaquest as it is directly across the street from the visitor center which is quite informative. Been years since we were there but it is decent.

Also close by is Toutle River RV Resort| Toutle River RV Resort, Castle Rock Washington Camping Overnight, Washington RV Resorts No experience at it. It is next to I-5 at the bottom of a small hill and RR tracks. Noise doesn't bother me but if you like traffic noise, engine brakes and the main line of the UP Railroad...

My go to near Crater Lake, Collier State Park https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index....ile&parkId=165 is closed due to last year fire damage but you might check the site. Suppose to be open mid 2022. Check out https://klamoyacasino.com/ for "Free" RV parking, generally the lowest cost fuel in the area at the enjoining truck stop. The designated parking lot is kinda funky and a free-for-all, decent food, and friendly help. I can't recall what their time limit is 3 days sticks in my mind. Talk to them about it.

Crater Lake can be done in a long day trip from the casino. Take the loop around the lake, lots of turn outs. Also trams that do the trip with a tour guide. I have done the loop twice in or 35' MH, road is narrow and rough and you might not be able to get in some of the popular spots due to size, but you can fix a snack and got the potty.

Their is lots of casinos in the N. Cali area you might take a look at https://www.casinocamper.com/ to see if something might fit in the area for overnighting.

We have stayed a couple of times at https://www.lucky7casino.com/ in Smith River. It would be a long day trip into the redwoods. They really are a great bunch so they might make allowances for you. Google Map it getting in to it. You got to wind around the casino and motel to get to the RV parking and the spaces are short so you will likely need to drop the trailer.

Take Avenue of the Giants, CA 254, for some true awesome views of the trees. Lots of pullouts, I wouldn't recommend taking your MH down the road. You might end up with some redwood bark in the paint and there is proof of that on the trees.

The Humbolt Redwoods Visitor Center (Site down now) in Myers Flat, CA is worth the stop but it is small and crowded. There is also a State campground adjacent to the visitor center but I think it has some length restrictions.

There is also a casino west of Arcadia on 299. They pissed us off about staying the day so we left. Another one in Crescent City, Elk Valley, but the wife was not happy because it was "a dump" but they did have a large area to park.

Wife likes to support the Native Americans, that is why the casino references.

[andy29847]

I'd go I-90 to Missoula, then cross to Idaho on US -12. It's one of the most beautiful drives in the country. I'd use I-81 to get to the Hood Mountain Area. First glimpse of Mt Hood is awsome. It's big with numberous glaciers near the top. From thye Mt. Hood area into Portland is the Columbia River Gorge. Old US 30 runs on the south side of the gorge. There are several large waterfalls along the gorge off Old US 30.
Multinoma Falls is one of them and is the most popular tourist attraction in the state. You do NOT want to take your RV on Old US 30. It is very narrow. From Mt Hood, the drive to Acadia, OE and Long Beach, WA is easy. This area was the western terminal of the Lewis and Clark Exploriation, so it is both scenic and historic. From there, drive down the coast on Highway 101. This drive can be done in a motorhome with the trailer. The road is big enough. I think Bandon, OE is the neatest stop on the Oregon coast. There are numerous campgrounds near there. At OE/CA line is Jediah Smith Redwoods State Park. We toured there and enjoyed the ride. It's mostly just a dirt road through the Redwood Forest with places to stop along the way. The trees are big. Intresting fact: Redwood Trees grow close together to support each other because their root systems and very small compared to the tree size. From the Redwood Forest, you can go inland to Crater Lake on US 199. Crater Lake is one of the most awsome spots I have been too. You can see virtually everything without getting more than a few feet from your car.

At the major attraction areas, you need reservations well in advance of you visit. For camping while traveling between the big spots, I always use RV Parky and make my reservation for the night with a phone call just before lunch.

Good Luck and have fun.


Mount St. Helen has always interested me too. The research I have done, IIRC, indicates that you can't really get close to the mountain by vehicle. You basically drive through the woods and look at the lump.

[Robot17]

The Oregon Coast is the best part of traveling in the area IMO. The entire coast was declared a state park so the beaches are not private property and are quite accessible. Astoria, Seaside, Brookings, Canon Beach and Cape Arago State Park all have a variety of features depending on what you're looking for. Look all of these up, especially Cape Arago. There are a million little towns and Hamlets to wander around in.

If you want city stuff go to Fay Bainbridge State park and you get the best of both worlds. Nice campground, usually easy to get into if you book in advance, on Bainbridge Island and a 35 minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle. The Park is on the North end of Bainbridge about 15 minutes from the town of Winslow and restaurants, groceries etc on an Island full of high end homes. There is no dump station but about 5 minues away is Eagle Tree RV where they charge $10 to dump your tank. Park and look out into Puget Sound and Seattle. Try to grab site one - it's listed as a 16' or something but can easily take larger rigs. Most of them can. Unobstructed northerly view of Puget Sound with Mt. Baker in the background. Ranier is visible from the beach but is to the south.

St. Helens is a great trip. Windy Ridge is one of our favorites. The drive around the back is not for newbies. Check road conditions. Unbelievable views. The guy who took the famous pictures of the eruption hangs at one of the entrances - talk to him if you see him. You can drive right up to a spectacular view of the mountain and it's very close. Just a little tricky to get to, especially for large RVs. We have a 30' Class C. The hike up to the main view point is steep but take a look at the images online. I'm pretty sure the views from the lot are good too.

Best of luck to you!

[Fushux]

Hi Kevin,

We literally just did a similar trip 2 weeks ago and I'll begin posting a trip report about it tonight. In this trip, we did Yosemite, Lassen Volcanic, Mt St Helen, Mt. Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic.

My two favorite parks were Lassen Volcanic and North Cascades. If you swing North Cascades, I strongly suggest it. It's north of St Helen but the park is tourable (is that word?!) in a day. Plenty of hikes, even though you're wife may not be up to for that. Stayed at the Newhalem Campground which was in the park. No hook ups but an extremely quiet park covered in shape/trees.

In Mt. St Helen, we stayed at Taidnapam Park. It was a nice spot with I believe full hook ups. They have spots large enough to fit your rig. It was a bit of a drive to the national parks/monuments and we spend nearly the entire day driving but the campground was nice and quiet.

In Lassen, we stayed at Manzanita Campground, which is in the national park itself. No hook ups but a nice/quiet campground. Wasn't too big rig friendly. I have a Jayco Redhawk at 33ft and pulled a Jeep. Took some tetris to get them both in a spot. Beautiful area from the lakes to the sulfur beds. The eastern portion was ravaged by the Dixie Fire but the west is still in great shape.

RRR hit it on the head with Collier State Park. Have stayed there in the past (not this trip) and it was a nice park. In my opinion, the state parks in Oregon are some of the best/cheapest options in the country.

If you go down the Washington coast, we stayed at Cape Disappointment State Park. It was just a layover for us but a nice park. Water and Electric with a dump station on site. Toured the coast and an old military fort that was still in good shape.

Not sure where you're traveling through Idaho but Mackay Reservoir was really nice. Stanley Lake is another great spot. It's been a few years since I've been up that way.

Before making some adjustments to this trip, we did have a spot at Humbug State Park in Port Orford, Oregon. It looked nice but we didn't end up staying there. In the past, we've stayed at Winchester Bay RV Resort and Windy Cove Campground which are across the street from each other. You've got some large travel days ahead of you. Ours was just over 3,000 miles and could have used a few more days.

Enjoy these moments while you have them and I'm praying for your wife and family.

Andrew

[RRR]

Originally Posted by andy29847

... There are several large waterfalls along the gorge off Old US 30.
Multinoma Falls is one of them and is the most popular tourist attraction in the state. You do NOT want to take your RV on Old US 30. It is very narrow...

The parking lot to Multnomah Falls from I-84 is by ticket only or take a shuttle bus. https://traveloregon.com/things-to-d...ltnomah-falls/ and I'm not sure they will let you in due to size. https://traveloregon.com/things-to-d...ltnomah-falls/

And as andy29847 said don't try to take the RV on old US 30. It can be done but with low limbs and several tight corners you might not like the results.

[HighDesert]

Collier State Park, on hwy 97 is still closed from the fires we had earlier.

[Jay D.]

defiantly do Crater Lake. camping sites are going to be hard to get. try Diamond Lake its just down the road from Crater Lake 20mi. or so. also do the Oregon coast from Astoria south to the Bandon area at least. you can cut over at Coos Bay 20 mi. north of Bandon to Rosburg and then on to Crater Lake.
Jay D.

[kevinruss]

I cannot express my gratitude strong enough for everyone that has replied. I'll update this after we get back with our final choices, many of them influenced by what you have suggested. We plan on leaving in a few weeks. Any more suggestions please keep them coming.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for my wife. It is a reminder that life is unpredictable.
We bought the RV to be our retirement home, when our third child goes off to college in a couple of years. Instead she got diagnosed about a month after, and within a few months we found out it was incurable.
We thank God for the progress made in breast cancer research. We love her medical team. Just a few short years ago she would have already been gone at this stage. Instead new treatments have extended her life, and improved her quality of life during this time. It is incurable We know the progression is happening. One of the primary medicines that was holding it back has now failed. She got about the average (20 months) that they said it works before the cancer beats it. We are at the place where it gets more aggressive.
Meantime the RV has proven to be the best method of travel. No unpacking every day into a strange hotel room. A lot less setup time than our trailer had at each campground. The ability for restroom breaks for everyone (except me) while on the road. Less exposure to others in with her compromised immunity. The ability to sleep, and bank energy for the destinations.
Thank You Again!
Kevin

[HighDesert]

Originally Posted by Jay D.

defiantly do Crater Lake. camping sites are going to be hard to get. try Diamond Lake its just down the road from Crater Lake 20mi. or so. also do the Oregon coast from Astoria south to the Bandon area at least. you can cut over at Coos Bay 20 mi. north of Bandon to Rosburg and then on to Crater Lake.
Jay D.

FYI....we just went down and drove through the Diamond Lake NF CG to see about sites that our 35' class A may fit in. Truth be told, out of all the sites there, maybe 6 I would consider attempting. Roads are narrow, single lane in many cases, tight spots for backing, very sharp curves at end of loops to get of of the sites, Pull through are obviously the best option. You may want to consider diamond Lake RV Park, which is directly across the road from the NF CG. They have both back in and P/T sites, 30 and 50 amp H/U's. Best bet is to reserve ahead of time. Be aware, that if you do go there, you are 80 miles from anywhere, s make sure you have all you need before getting there. Bu you do have access to Crater lake NP. If you are going to the coast from there, you can go ahead to Roseburg, then on to the coast.

[twogypsies]

This is where we've stayed for Crater Lake - Joseph H. Steward Rec. Area. Big sites. It's a nice easy drive and has about 150 electric/water sites and a dump station. It's just south of Prospect on Hwy 62.

https://jacksoncountyor.org/parks/Ca...rt-County-Park

[mxw1]

Sorry about your circumstances.

Ever heard of Red Fish Lake? It is near the middle of Idaho, great drive along two lane roads from the south. Redfish lake has several national forest campgrounds around it. Not commercialized. There are several other N.F. Campgrounds along the way. Many are first come first served. It’s very nice quite area.
If you like the scenery in the filming of Yellowstone, this is what the drive up to there is like.

Have a a trip. So sorry.
Mike