Heading to the Northwest

[MandAtaco]

The family and I are planning a 2 week long trip to the Pacific North West from Vegas. Time frame will be around mid June. Hoping to make a big loop around both states and see whatever we can see, maybe dip into Canada if we able too. I've never been up in that part of the country before so I was curious if some of you guys could maybe shout out any points of interest you would recommend. Looking for off road trails, camping locations, ghost towns, mining history, off the beaten path kind of stuff.

Appreciate any advice you guys have!
Thank you!

 

[trikebubble]

Leavenworth and Winthrop in Washington are really nice places ot stop and wander aroubnd. The North Cascades Hwy from Winthrop over to the PMW is an epic drive. I'm a real fan of the central Oregon Coast (Newport area, Hwy 101, and the amazing beaches). My Wife and i try to visit and camp there every couple years (we are hopeful that we will be able to cross the border and do so in the next year or so). Crossing the bridge over the Columbia into Astoria is also something great to experience if you are over in that area.

 

[Shakes355]

Big states; lot to see. I can also recommend highway 20 (north cascades highway) from Winthrop to the west side. Very beautiful and will be open by June (hopefully). I will also point you to the Washington Back Country Discovery Route (WABDR). You definitely don't have to do the whole thing, but I'd recommend working in at least one section to your trip.

Additionally, it's worth going out to the WA peninsula and visiting the Olympic National Forest. It's a temperate rain forest. Amazing place to visit and explore.

Just a note: Highway 101 down the Oregon coast is a yearly thing for us (down to Manzanita and Cannon Beach anyway).

 

[J&V_Bird]

The family and I are planning a 2 week long trip to the Pacific North West from Vegas. Time frame will be around mid June. Hoping to make a big loop around both states and see whatever we can see, maybe dip into Canada if we able too. I've never been up in that part of the country before so I was curious if some of you guys could maybe shout out any points of interest you would recommend. Looking for off road trails, camping locations, ghost towns, mining history, off the beaten path kind of stuff.

Appreciate any advice you guys have!
Thank you!

What is the route you are planning to travel? State's?

 

[MandAtaco]

@trikebubble and @Shakes355 Thanks for the feedback! I'm going to start looking into these places now!

@J&V_Bird Our current goal is to get up in those 2 states, I know its a ton of real estate! Once I figure out what we want to see I'll base the route off of that. It will definitely be a flexible route once were in route also, we like to play it by ear.

 

[J&V_Bird]

@trikebubble and @Shakes355 Thanks for the feedback! I'm going to start looking into these places now!

@J&V_Bird Our current goal is to get up in those 2 states, I know its a ton of real estate! Once I figure out what we want to see I'll base the route off of that. It will definitely be a flexible route once were in route also, we like to play it by ear.

Ok we are in southern Idaho so if you decide to ever come this direction let me know and I can give you some ideas or just be your guide.

 

[M Rose]

I put together a list of Ghost Towns and abandoned mines in Oregon. Lots of on and off road exploration to get to them... Oregon Mining Ghost Town and Abandoned Mine Tour

 

[JLLT4R]

Coming into SE Oregon from Nevada can bring you right through the Alvord Desert/Steens Mountain area. Camping on the desert dry lake bed is a blast, and there are several hot springs around. Not sure if snow will be clear from the Steens Mountain loop in June, but that’s a great drive (gravel) if it’s open.

 

[MrWilsonWJ]

Lot to see and do here in the PNW, if you come for a visit you might not want to leave. If I were planning a trip like this I would do as @JLLT4R said, come into Oregon on 95 to the Alvord Desert/ Steens Mountain area, explore there for a couple days then head north to the Ochoco Forest. From there go check out the John Day Fossil beds and surrounding area. I'm sure a lot of this could be done by running sections of the Oregon BDR but I'm not to familiar with the routes. Once done in that area I would head for sections 1 and 2 of the WABDR, maybe 3. If you opted out of section 3 of the BDR you can take HWY 97 out of Ellensburg north to Leavenworth(section 3 consists partially of hwy 97). From there east to Wenatchee and continue north on 97 to Winthrop where you can get on HWY 20 (or keep heading North into Canada). Take 20 all the way west across an island and a boat ride until you hit an ocean. Leave yourself a few days to explore the Olympic mountains and peninsula, then follow the coast south until you're ready to turn inland and back to Vegas. With so many things to do and see in the NW you kind of need to lock in a route and then pick what to do along the way. I think I would end up zig zagging all over if I tried to cram everything into one trip.

A few questions that might help narrow things down for myself and others reading this.
What type of vehicle will you be in and how much HWY vs Off Road are you looking to do?
If you're going off road, what difficulty of trails are you interested in?
Are you planning to move daily or stay multiple nights at each stop?
For camping do you prefer primitive dispersed sites or campgrounds?
What type of activities are you guys into?
Do you like tourist type stuff or stay away from the crowds?

Another thing you might try to get ideas of places to check out is go to the section for trip planning and downloadable routes and filter by NW region. See where others have gone and if any places peak your interest.

 

[MandAtaco]

Ok we are in southern Idaho so if you decide to ever come this direction let me know and I can give you some ideas or just be your guide.

Awesome, thank you! That part of the country is definitely on our list of places we want to explore!

 

[MandAtaco]

I put together a list of Ghost Towns and abandoned mines in Oregon. Lots of on and off road exploration to get to them... Oregon Mining Ghost Town and Abandoned Mine Tour

Dude that is great! Thank you!

 

[MandAtaco]

Coming into SE Oregon from Nevada can bring you right through the Alvord Desert/Steens Mountain area. Camping on the desert dry lake bed is a blast, and there are several hot springs around. Not sure if snow will be clear from the Steens Mountain loop in June, but that’s a great drive (gravel) if it’s open.

I believe that area is already on the list of places we are headed, I've heard nice things about it, thanks!

 

[MandAtaco]

Lot to see and do here in the PNW, if you come for a visit you might not want to leave. If I were planning a trip like this I would do as @JLLT4R said, come into Oregon on 95 to the Alvord Desert/ Steens Mountain area, explore there for a couple days then head north to the Ochoco Forest. From there go check out the John Day Fossil beds and surrounding area. I'm sure a lot of this could be done by running sections of the Oregon BDR but I'm not to familiar with the routes. Once done in that area I would head for sections 1 and 2 of the WABDR, maybe 3. If you opted out of section 3 of the BDR you can take HWY 97 out of Ellensburg north to Leavenworth(section 3 consists partially of hwy 97). From there east to Wenatchee and continue north on 97 to Winthrop where you can get on HWY 20 (or keep heading North into Canada). Take 20 all the way west across an island and a boat ride until you hit an ocean. Leave yourself a few days to explore the Olympic mountains and peninsula, then follow the coast south until you're ready to turn inland and back to Vegas. With so many things to do and see in the NW you kind of need to lock in a route and then pick what to do along the way. I think I would end up zig zagging all over if I tried to cram everything into one trip.

A few questions that might help narrow things down for myself and others reading this.
What type of vehicle will you be in and how much HWY vs Off Road are you looking to do?
If you're going off road, what difficulty of trails are you interested in?
Are you planning to move daily or stay multiple nights at each stop?
For camping do you prefer primitive dispersed sites or campgrounds?
What type of activities are you guys into?
Do you like tourist type stuff or stay away from the crowds?

Another thing you might try to get ideas of places to check out is go to the section for trip planning and downloadable routes and filter by NW region. See where others have gone and if any places peak your interest.

What type of vehicle will you be in and how much HWY vs Off Road are you looking to do?
If you're going off road, what difficulty of trails are you interested in?
We will be taking our more mildly built 4Runner, so easy to medium level trails, definitely ok with a good mix of highway and dirt days.

Are you planning to move daily or stay multiple nights at each stop?
Planning to move, unless there are several things in one area that we want to check out.

For camping do you prefer primitive dispersed sites or campgrounds?
Primitive for sure!

What type of activities are you guys into?
Off-road, exploring, Ghost towns, mining towns, history type stuff.

Do you like tourist type stuff or stay away from the crowds?
I like staying away from the crowds, more back country stuff. Probably hit up some of the larger national parks though if they are in our general area.

Thanks for the information!

 

[Ubiety]

Steens for sure, make sure you view from the bottom and top; good burgers/food in Fields (and not much else) at the bottom. If you head up the 95 take a left onto Whitehorse road (gravel) and that will put you into Fields. I love Bend OR and that might be a little "busy" for you but is an awesome spot with the Deschutes river running through it. There are a lot of less busy opportunities around Bend as well. Parts of the WABDR can be mudholes in June. HWY 20 is also great as mentioned; there are a lot of less improved tracks shooting off from the 20 with some good dispersed camping. Typically East of the Cascade Mts will be dryer and West will be wetter. You are not going to find much offroading/caming within 40-50 mile of Seattle and I would recommend avoiding unless you want to catch a ferry to get over towards the Olympic peninsula - you don't have to take a ferry to get over there but it is a great experience. Speaking of ferrys, if you can get across the Canadian border the Tsuassen ferry to Vancouver Island is awesome - as is the island and I think most of the island is uninhabited. There are also some good tracks/camping/scenery near Cle Elum WA - and Mt Rainier Nat Park and Mt St Helens are good spots to sight see but Rainier proper gets real crowded on summer weekends. Let me know if I can help describe anything in the area or help with your route.

 

[madcratebuilder]

I've traveled the PNW for 50 years, my top three.
North Cascades
Olympic peninsula
Orygun coast
in any order.

 

[Cascadianoverlander]

Leavenworth and Winthrop in Washington are really nice places ot stop and wander aroubnd. The North Cascades Hwy from Winthrop over to the PMW is an epic drive. I'm a real fan of the central Oregon Coast (Newport area, Hwy 101, and the amazing beaches). My Wife and i try to visit and camp there every couple years (we are hopeful that we will be able to cross the border and do so in the next year or so). Crossing the bridge over the Columbia into Astoria is also something great to experience if you are over in that area.

I second that for sure! Pretty much the entire Oregon coast is great, but the Stretch from Florence to Depot Bay is the most breathtaking in my opinion.

Another amazing spot to check out it the Mt. Jefferson wilderness near the Metolius River. There are tons of forest roads surrounded by huge ponderosa pines to get lost (figuratively) in. Hit the Camp Sherman store for sure, it’s the best little market around.

Have fun!

 

[Ubiety]

Orygun coast

You have to make sure to pronounce it O-ree-gone - they like that and it makes you appear to be native! Hahahaha

 

[Trad77]

The family and I are planning a 2 week long trip to the Pacific North West from Vegas. Time frame will be around mid June. Hoping to make a big loop around both states and see whatever we can see, maybe dip into Canada if we able too. I've never been up in that part of the country before so I was curious if some of you guys could maybe shout out any points of interest you would recommend. Looking for off road trails, camping locations, ghost towns, mining history, off the beaten path kind of stuff.

Appreciate any advice you guys have!
Thank you!

If you are going to be near Bend Oregon, it is worth the trip to Paulina Lake and The Big Obsidion Flow in the Newberry Volcanic area. Lots of trails, disperse camping and views. Here is a link.

Deschutes National Forest - Paulina Lake

Deschutes National Forest - Paulina Lake

www.fs.usda.gov

 

[MandAtaco]

Thanks everyone for the info. Starting to look into some of these places and you guys did not disapoint! My problem is going to be trying to fit everything in 2 week!

 

[MrWilsonWJ]

Thanks everyone for the info. Starting to look into some of these places and you guys did not disapoint! My problem is going to be trying to fit everything in 2 week!

Keep us posted on where all you plan to go, I'm sure once you get a basic route figured out people will be able to suggest some more specific areas along the way for camping and trails to hit. I spent a lot of time last summer around the area that would be section 2 of the WABDR and know of some good spots (camping,trails,view points) if you make it through that area.