Northwest Passage

Old Apr 28th, 2017, 10:47 AM
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Northwest Passage

My wife and I are planning a first-time road trip from Missouri to Oregon, Washington and Banff National Park and/or vicinity. The idea (so far) is to make a giant loop focusing on the following: Portland, coastal and northern Oregon, Columbia Gorge, up the Washington coast to Olypic National Park, Seattle and vicinity, possibly Vancouver, then on to Banff and Glacier National Park in Montana, then back home.

We'll probably take the interstates to "get there" but would appreciate knowing about particularly scenic highways, or noteworthy things to see anywhere along the way. We are seniors and won't be doing much wind surfing, whitewater rafting, or taking in kitschy roadside attractions. We do appreciate artistic, historic and cultural locations and events, especially those off the beaten path or less touristy.

Any suggestions or tips would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Old Apr 28th, 2017, 11:43 AM
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Your car and hotels/motels? I'm guessing you will be coming into Utah from Wyoming on I-80. Unless you want to visit SLC, turn off onto I-84 to Ogden. There is a large rest area at the split of I-80 and I-84.
I-84 takes you past Boise to Oregon near Ontario.
It's your choice if you want to drive across the Oregon High Desert on US 20 to Bend or continue on I-84 to Hood River.
Just west of Hood River take the old Columbia Gorge Highway (old US 30) to see the waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge.
Hood River is a better place to stay the night than Portland IMO.
If you are going to go into Canada with your car, get an insurance card from your agent (usually free) that covers you in Canada.
The Canadian Rockies are not that much different from Glacier NP.
Vancouver is a great city but I wouldn't try to drive there and park.
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Old Apr 28th, 2017, 01:21 PM
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Should be a great trip, but help us out on a couple of fronts. First, when, and second, for how long do you plan to be away?

Some logistical issues that might not be a concern in your case, but without knowing your timing, I think they should be brought up.

First, there's a solar eclipse on Aug. 21 that's going to cut a swath across Oregon and on to Missouri. A lot of accommodations, especially in eastern Oregon, are booked up solid for the days around that event, so a word to the wise.

Second, this is the 150th anniversary of the creation of national parks in Canada, and the Canadian government's promotion of this occasion, along with waiving all entrance fees, is causing bookings to skyrocket. Again, depending on your timing, this might or might not be an issue.

Regardless, accommodations in national parks (on both sides of the border) can be very hard to obtain. Olympic NP in particular has very few places to stay within the park boundary, and the main highlights of the park are located mainly on the northern and western edges, and can be hours apart. So a lodging plan for Olympic NP is also a priority.

You don't mention Yellowstone or Grand Teton NPs in your post, but of course the same accommodation problems apply to them too, maybe worse.

Remember too that winter comes early and stays a long time at the higher elevations. The alpine visitor centers at Mt. Rainier, for example, will have snow on the surrounding trails well into July this year (it's been a very snowy winter) and at higher elevations, you can see autumn come quite early in Banff or Jasper. I've been snowed on in August in Yellowstone.

On the other hand, we say locally that summer in Seattle starts on the 5th of July, and it's not uncommon for "June gloom," a la southern California, to raise its head in the coastal northwest (i.e. overcast days.)

In terms of a route, why not use your thread title as an inspiration, and follow the footsteps of Lewis and Clark all the way to Cape Disappointment at the mouth of the Columbia? (You'd have to decide which of the optional L&C paths to follow through the Rockies.) You'd go through some pretty wonderful country and have plenty of places to detour or hang out for a couple of days.

Oh, you might also give a sense of budget. The big cities, particularly Seattle, can be extremely expensive in the summer owing to the pressure of tourism, especially cruise passengers. Hotel prices in Seattle climb to New York or London levels in the summer. Fair warning.

Anyway, let us know your timing and more help can be forthcoming.
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Old Apr 29th, 2017, 07:03 AM
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Sorry - I forgot to include dates and details. We plan to travel roughly between June 10 and 30th, three weeks. We hope to spend nights outside of national parks but close by, possibly some airbnbs. On road trips we usually picnic along the way, seeking out pleasant surroundings. Travel budget is reserved for special things like cruises, (whale watching in this case) and not spent on expensive hotels or meals.

I appreciate both responses... would never have guessed that Vancouver could be a problem for drivers, or that Seattle could be that expensive in the summer. But the cities will not be a focal point. Much more important for us is to take in the "feel" of the Northwest in terms of scenery, culture and way of life, esp as compared to midwestern states. We're more or less scouting for a retirement destination. Hopefully, we'll be able to miss the "June gloom" you mentioned!

Thanks so much for your responses.
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Old Apr 29th, 2017, 08:09 AM
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Thanks, having the timing really helps. Some comments:

You don't have a lot of time to linger. If you want to complete your trip in that time frame without making the whole thing a drive-by experience, you're going to have to decide what can be skipped. Even a basic loop route like this - https://goo.gl/maps/3RAcAqkjK8S2 - puts 5000 miles on the odometer, not counting side trips or detours. With 20 days that's 250 miles (say 5-6 hours wheels turning) every day, which doesn't give you many days off.

I'm just wondering out loud if you might want to think about flying and renting a car. In June you can fly round trip from St. Louis (assuming) to Vancouver for around $300 per person or Portland for a few dollars more, giving you either more time in the Northwest to explore, or allowing you to save hotel nights by shortening the trip altogether.

Either way, I'd probably be inclined to skip the Canadian Rockies in this case. The combination of crowds and the snowy winter that I mentioned might well combine to make it a less-than-ideal experience, and the extra driving distance would add a lot of hours that could be spent elsewhere.

On the other hand, the timing will be perfect for seeing the waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge, which will be spectacular with melting mountain snows filling them. Out on the Pacific side of Olympic National Park, the Hoh Valley rain forest will be at its spooky best; at Paradise on Mt. Rainier, there will still be something like ten feet of snow on the ground away from the roads and car park; on Mount Hood they'll still be skiing at Timberline Lodge.

You could compensate for Banff by a couple of days at Whistler, up the (gorgeous) Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver, or take a couple of days to explore Whidbey Island or the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound country. (Note if you're auditioning possible retirement locales I'd strongly recommend you look extra hard at Hood River, Oregon, and the "rain shadow" of the Olympic Mountains - Sequim and Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula, and Whidbey Island, all of which are fairly affordable and have drier and sunnier weather than the Portland/Seattle areas.)

Anyway, some thoughts to consider.

PS, I don't find driving in Vancouver to be hard at all. It's a typical big North American city - traffic, costly parking, etc. - but nothing out of the ordinary. A car really helps in my view because there's so much to see both in the city and in the surrounding countryside.
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Old Apr 29th, 2017, 08:50 PM
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Perhaps you would consider my favorite method of travel.
Amtrak and then renting a car and making a big loop. If you run out of time, you could always fly back.
Leaving Sat. 6/10 from STL at 6:40AM on the Lincoln Service to Chicago. You have 1-2 hours in Chicago before boarding the Empire Builder to Portland. You arrive in Portland on Monday morning. Rent a car in downtown Portland (10 days?) and go to see what you want to see in Washington and Oregon.
Return the car and return on the Empire Builder back to Whitefish MT. Rent a car there to go see what you can of Glacier National Park. The Going to the Sun Road over Logan Pass may or may not be open on June 22.
My favorite memories of Vancouver are walking in Stanley Park and in Gastown with no worries about parking.
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Old Apr 30th, 2017, 08:32 AM
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Gardyloo and tomfuller: You guys amaze me. Are you travel agents in disguise or what? You have put forth some excellent advice and suggestions. Although I was aware that our proposed trip would put a few miles on the odometer I had not calculated that we would, on average, be looking at 250 miles of driving per day! Thanks a million, Gardyloo. And, tomfuller, as much as I've always talked about wanting to try Amtrak, it had not occurred to me that this trip might offer the best opportunity for that.

I will now take a much closer look at our plans with your observations in mind. Seriously guys, we really appreciate your comments. Thank you!
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Old Apr 30th, 2017, 09:18 AM
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If you do decide to go the Amtrak route, I would encourage you to join Amtrak Guest Rewards (free).
All Amtrak trips that you pay for earn 2 points/dollar.
Most of my online shopping is done through the AGR website.
Some of the merchants give up to 8 points per dollar.
At least once per year, you can buy points with 30% bonus points added on.
Three weeks from today we will be in New York state.
We are leaving from Winnemucca Nevada on May 17 and riding the California Zephyr all the way to Chicago in a roomette on AGR points. We go onward from Chicago on the Lake Shore Limited in Business class seats to Erie PA.
Renting a car from Enterprise (earning AGR points) for 11 days and making a loop that will take us to coastal Maine and back through Pennsylvainia.
Taking trains back to Winnemucca and will be back in central Oregon on June 2.
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