Seattle and rest of Washington state roadtrip - on a shoestring budget

Oh yes, we need to buy camping gear in Seattle? Any good suggestions of place with GOOD prices?

August is summer-time in this area. It will likely be anywhere from nice & warm to very hot. We can always possibly get rain, any month. But generall it's a beautiful month for the weather.

I'm not sure how you will save money camping, if you have to buy all your gear in Seattle (and just for a 2 week trip). Do you mean tent, 2 sleeping bags, stove, etc. etc.? Would you consider second-hand equipment?

Do you have a car to drive to Minneapolis?

The budget those first 3.5 days in Seattle on a "shoestring" is going to be kind of hard. It's generally quite expensive in downtown Seattle for food & lodging.

suze in seattle

You should make sure of the rental car (assuming you are renting). There is a substantial 1 way fee. Its usually per mile so driving Seattle to Minneapolis will be a costly road trip. Definitely worth it but potentially more than you are looking for.

I would recommend Snoqualmie Falls near Seattle. I would also go the Air and Space Museum in Seattle if aviation interests you.

You can buy cheap camping equipment at any Target, K-Mart or large sporting goods store--but not REI. The cheapest camp sites are in National Forests where you will usually find a parking space, a table, a fire ring, and flat enough ground to place a tent. I do not recommend private campgrounds because they tend to cater to RVs. Click on my name and you will find my two reports on camping in the Northwest.

Even shopping atKmart if you have to completely outfit two people for camping + doing a 1-way car rental Seattle to Minneapolis, seems an awful lot of expense for a 2-week trip on a "shoestring" budget.

Also I'll gently say that Space Needle, Boeing, Pike Place Market, Mt St Helen, Mt Raineer, and the Underground Tour is a pretty packed itinerary for only 3 days.

For about $300 one can outfit a camping trip for two persons. Factor in the cost of the motel rooms and meals at restaurants instead of cooking at the campsite, and the investment in camping equipment definitely meets the requirements of a shoe-string budget.

Hey guys... thank you so much for all the replies, I really appreciate it. Maybe "shoestring" was the wrong word, but we don't want to go the hotel route, if you know what I mean.

We are staying with a friend in Seattle. We are renting our car from National, best prices I could find which includes a $200 one-way drop off fee. My husbands best friend lives in Minneapolis, so he is posting his camping equipment to our friend for us to collect, which we will return when we see him in Minneapolis. We will be bringing our own sleeping bags, self inflatable mattresses and whatever we can fit in along. So we actually just need a coller box, some cuttlery and plates, and a few other odd things. My husband has camped and travelled through some of the US, and we have planned to camp at State Parks.

Thanks again, your input is much appreciared!

That 1 way fee is definitely not too bad - I was expecting much higher. Avis and Budget use a $0.50 per mile charge so that would have been much higher.

For what you need, a Target, Wal-mart, etc would be your best bet. You can definitely get those items cheap.

Driving across the state on the North Cascades route (HWY 20), the only largish and interesting place to stay is probably Winthrop. It has an invented Old West theme which some feel is a bit tacky, but there are accommodations of all descriptions there.

I would also recommend Fred Meyer in addition to Target for shopping for a cooler, etc.

If you're planning to camp in August (especially if it's on a weekend) you may want to check ahead and see if you can get reservations to guarantee you have a campsite.

And as Suze mentioned, your list of must sees is a bit ambitious for a 3 day period in Seattle.

So how would you suggest our itinerary for 3.5 days? What would you do?

Consider Mt. Rainier and/or Mt. St. Helens as part of your road trip instead of the 3.5 days of Seattle time. Before leaving Seattle, pick up some shell fish at the Pike St. market, and that night, at your camp site, you can have pasta with shell fish pan fried in olive oil and with parsley--the small in the shell bay scallops were the best, if available. Ask them to wrap a piece of salmon for a two day journey and have that on the second day.

You could drive to Mt. Rainier, hike there (at Paradise) and camp at Cougar Rock campground that night instead of driving back to Seattle. Then you are well-placed for the drive to Mt. St. Helens the next day, returning to Seattle. On day 3, you could do the Boeing factory tour (which takes a half-day including travel time) and visit Pike Place market and do the underground tour. That is 3 packed days but it all fits in. (Don't bother with the Space Needle. You can see it from all over Seattle and you don't need to pay to go up the elevator.)

There are some nice campgrounds on Highway 20 (Colonial Creek is especially nice), but if you want a cabin, you might try these near Mazama:

http://www.rollinghuts.com/the_herd.htm

http://www.lostriverresort.com/

Or this just outside of Winthrop:

http://www.chewuchinn.com/reserve.html

Lots of places around the Methow Valley are pricy or have a 2-night minimum.

Another place to camp---a spectacular one- would be to drive up to Hart's pass and camp at the campground there. You need to carry your water up.

Thanks for the details. That all sounds good!

I might suggest Value Village or Goodwill for 2nd hand kitchen stuff.

As already suggested, if you move Mt Rainier & Mt St Helen to be part of your road trip heading out of town, that would make more sense.

I would skip Boeing, but maybe that has special interest to you? Definitely Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square historic district, International district (Chinatown), the Waterfront. Either the Space Needle or the Smith Tower to get up high for a city view.

Enjoy!

Thanks all... you are great!!!!! If you ever come to South Africa, go to Mozambique, Zanzibar, Singapore or Thailand, I will be glad to assist you aswell! Be blessed!

Hi, lets see if I can help you with Spokane since I live here. I'd stay in Riverside state park at the Bowl and Pitcher it's lovely there along the Spokane river and 10 minutes from downtown. Try and go to Riverfront park in the middle of Spokane it's beautiful and fun.It's the only town in te USA that has a falls right in the middle of town in fact two of them. The name Spokane is an Indian word meaning children of the sun. There are lots of good inexpensive places to eat around and I'll be happy to give you some examples if you'd tell me what kind of food you like. Yes it's much hotter on this side of the state tems can be in the 90's easily and usually are in August. Feel free to ask me any questions and I'll be happy to answer. Google Riverside state park and the bowl and pitcher and it will give you the web sites or I can do that for you.

cheers

Donna

Dear Donna

Thanks a million... absolutely gorgeous! We like all kinds of food, anything except brussel sprouts and any funny animal, eg frogs We do prefer healthy food over fried unhealthy, but we are not picky at all.

You have been a great help!

Hey girl, well that leaves a whole lot of good inexpensive plase to eat so your choices will be good.
I'll think about some that are easy to get to and not very expensive, also I'll be happy to give you simple and explicit directions to the park if you'd like and I'm thinking you may need to book a spot at the camp grounds, you might want to check on that but if you have trouble doing that I'll look into it for you.

Please feel free to e-mail me at dkmcdonell@yahoo.com

and I'll be more then happy to help if I can.

Since you aren't taking the shortest or fastest route (congratulations on that wise choice) and are going up to the North Cascades, how about a more convoluted route to give you a better feel for this part of America. Highway 20 will take you over the North Cascades and lead you through Mazama and Winthrop on your way to Twisp. Notice the change in the forest as you cross this area. Continue on 20 through Twisp, then veer off onto highway 153 through Methow. At the intersection with highway 97, turn north to Brewster and watch for a turn onto highway 17 just beyond Brewster. Take highway 17 until it intersects with 174 and follow that to Coulee Dam. Take a tour if they still offer them, it's an impressive piece of engineering. There is a campground just beyond Coulee Dam off 174. Continue on 174 (maybe the next morning) until it intersects with highway 2 and take that to Spokane.

When you leave Spokane, stay on highway 2 toward Glacier National Park. If you like to hike, this is a great place and if not the mountain scenery is impressive. The park has campsites too.

Upon leaving Glacier National Park from the east side at St. Mary, head south on highway 89, following it south until it intersects I-15, then go south on I-15 through Great Falls to Helena, turning onto highway 12, then onto highway 287 to end up on I-90 heading east toward Bozeman. Before you reach Bozeman, turn south on highway 191 to West Yellowstone and enter Yellowstone National Park, your home for 3 or 4 days as you explore this natural wonder. Exit toward Cody, Wyoming on highway 14. Stay on 14 all the way to Ranchester, Wyoming where you will get onto I-90 and head toward Minneapolis again. At Moorcroft, Wyoming, take highway 14 again (you never really left it, it merged with I-90) and make your way to Devils Tower. When leaving Devils Tower, go south and then east to rejoin I-90 at Sundance, Wyoming. Turn off I-90 at Spearfish and follow highway 14A until you come to Lead, South Dakota. Just past Lead, turn south on highway 385 and stay on that until you see signs pointing the way to Mt. Rushmore. Leaving Mt. Rushmore, head to Rapid City and get back on I-90 heading east toward Minneapolis. Stop in Wall, SD at Wall Drug (there will be signs). It's a tourist trap, but a fun one to investigate. Turn south here on highway 240 to drive through Badlands National Park. This road will bring you back to I-90 and off you go again toward Minneapolis. You will cross the Missouri River at Chamberlain, South Dakota. Stop at the top of the hill beyond at the rest stop for a view of this river valley. Get back on I-90 east and stay there forever (well it seems that way) until you intersect I-35 and take that north to Minneapolis. Hope you make it in time.

Awhhhh, you are so so kind for helping us this way!!!!! How could I ever repay you?

Another thing... I love dancing, and would love to get to do some line dancing at a REAL cowboy bar, or whatever you call it. I want to be in between the people, feel as though I am part of the community, I want to drink your culture!!!! Any suggestions en route? And my Hubby wants to go to a Rodeo, and we LOVE modern country music, Brad Paisley is our favourite. No one even knows him here, we cant even get cd's here, our friends post them to us. So some kind of country show would, or live music at a safe country bar would be real nice.

What type of food is unique to america? What do you eat that is part of your culture... I want to meet locals, I want to make friends!

And perhaps one day they can come and visit me.

My husband is a farmer, do you know what the agricultar is along our routes, we are going to visit a farmer in North Dakota he worked for in 1998. He just loves the States, my first time and sooooo excitted. I hope I will be able to drink it all in, and not waste one opportunity to take it all in!

Is your country safe... we always have to on the loookout and always lock things... And are the bears a real real problem?

It is definitely safe. Yes, you have to be on the lookout and always lock things but that is just common sense. I saw your other post about NYC too. If you stay in the tourist areas, you will be fine.

USA is a huge country, some parts are safer than others. I think a car trip between Seattle and Minneapolis will be very safe for you. But yes, most people do lock their cars (and don't leave valuable visible in them, tempting car thiefs).

And yes, camping out in these areas bears are a very real consideration!! I wouldn't call them a "problem" but you need to be aware in your campsight, don't leave food laying around, etc. You might want to read up on this a bit, if you've never camped where bears also live before.

If you like country and want to head to a country bar in Seattle, make sure you go to Little Red Hen.

http://www.littleredhen.com/

Thanks all... we camp with Lions, Hippos, Rhinos and Elephants. The Hippos graze on my lawn... I live on a farm close to Kruger National Park, they are not abundant in the rest of our country... I am not scared of any of these animals, but I know alot about them and see tham often. And yes, I need some "bear" coathing. Guess I am anxious because I have little knowledge of them.

Oh, boy---lots to talk about here!

Dancing: I am sure you will find cowboy bars with dancing in Montana; hopefully someone can suggest specifics. But you might start with Seattle, even tho' you won't find "real" cowboys. Seattle has a very active dance scene; you can check the events weekely on this dance calendar:

http://www.seattledanceinfo.com/calendar.shtml

Note that most Fridays and Saturdays there is country-Western dancing at the The Rockin' Horse Dance Barn, 11820 150th Ave SE, Renton. They start at 7:00 with a lesson (could be two-step or other dances) and then go into general dancing at 8:00.

Farming/ranching: the area you will be crossing, through eastern Washington and Montana, is (where not too mountainous) wheat and cattle ranching country. Washinton is also a major fruit-growing area (apples, cherries, peaches, etc. but you will mainly be passing north of that region, slthough you may see some orchards when you meet the Columbia River on Highway 20.

You should be able to find a rodeo or two. Unfortunately you will just miss the Omak Stampede (http://www.omakstampede.org/) which is August 6-9. The Northwest Montana Pro Rodeo is in Kalispell, Montana August 13-15; this is right on your way to Glacier National Park. There is another fair and rodeo in Kalispell Aug. 19-23; those dates might fit your schedule better. A country fair and rodeo is a great way to experience local culture.

Here is a complete listing of fairs and rodeos for all of Montana:

http://visitmt.com/categories/ListCalendar.asp?Title=Rodeos+in+Montana&SiteTypes=Rodeo&SiteID=1

Scroll down to August listings to see if there is anything that fits.

Bears: there are a few black bears in the North Cascades, but in 20 years of hiking and camping there, I have never seen one. The one place you are likely to encounter bears or at least need to be "bear aware" is in Glacier. You will probably be given a copy of the "bear rules" for camping when you enter the park or campground, but basically you need to keep a clean camp, with all food stored in your car or in a food locker. Here is what the park website states:

"Odors attract bears. Our campground and developed areas can remain "unattractive" to bears if each visitor manages food and trash properly. Regulations require that all edibles (including pet food), food containers (empty or not), and cookware (clean or not) be stored in a hard-sided vehicle or food locker when not in use, day or night."

http://www.nps.gov/archive/glac/resources/bears2.htm#Camping

For hiking, you may want to go on a ranger-led hike, or join with others on the trail to form a group. Grizzley bears do not like to be surprised, and the best way to avoid them is to make noise (talking) along the trail as you hike.

One thing I might note is that it sounds like your scheduled arrival in Minneapolis will coincide with the Minnesota State Fair, one of the bigger fairs in the US, complete with rodeo, horse shows, etc.

I'd also be on the lookout for various county fairs as you cross the northern tier - you're traveling during prime end-of-summer fair season, so might be some excellent ground for googling in the meantime. (Oh, I see enzian has already suggested this for Montana - good.)

Don't know if anyone has mentioned that the first Monday in September is a national holiday in both the US and Canada - Labo(u)r Day, and traditionally the long weekend is the ultimate summer let's-go-on-a-camping-road-trip date, so if you're planning on being someplace famous over the weekend of 4-7 Sept. or the whole week before (you might already be in Minnesota) be advised that advance bookings are really a good idea.

I will sing a slightly different song with respect to your eastward travel. I think the N. Cascades Hwy is gorgeous, but since you also want to include Mts. Rainier and St. Helens in your trip, I would strongly suggest you consider heading south from Seattle in the first instance, visit Mt. Rainier, then (a minor backtrack westward is required) to Mt. St. Helens, then down to the Columbia River, and follow the Columbia Gorge eastward, eventually heading north (use US 97) to get back to your route toward the Rockies.

The scenery through the N. Cascade pass is excellent, but if you're planning to hit places like Glacier NP later, I think the "exchange" - Columbia Gorge for N. Cascades, is frankly worth it. Big time, in fact. (Hint, non-camping, but affordable and very fun accommodations close to the Gorge - easy after Mt. St Helens, try McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale OR - http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=3 )

The Gorge is a little reminiscent of the Blyde Canyon area, except the Columbia is the river the Blyde would like to be in a million years .

Sounds like a great trip and you've gotten good advice. Ironic - you'll be traveling around our local patch the same time we'll be back prowling around yours. Just tell the hippos to shut up at night. As if.

Garyloo, please let me know if I can help you in anyway.

Enzian... thank you very very much. Think I will be able to handle the bears...

All these suggestions are wonderfull and sure keeps me busy... its so excitting!

I saw a bear in our campsite around the Methow river in Mazama area (North Cascades) a few years back. She just sat to the side watching us, but we did have a plan about getting back to the car from our tent site, if we needed to.

Ranch stays---I found this place in eastern Montana while loooking around the web:

http://www.sandcreekclydesdales.net/#_OVERNIGHT_LODGING_and

$65 a night to stay; extra if you join the ranch activities.

This is not a "guest ranch" or "dude ranch" which typically is much more expensive. Even most working ranches charge much more for guests.

I'm still looking for music ideas/venues. Brad Paisley will be on tour, but nowhere near your route during August.

Uniquely US foods? Hmmmm. We could build a list, but I'll start with bison (aka buffalo). You'll likely find bison burgers on offer in Montana.

In Seattle, wild salmon, of course.

I am seeing Brad in Buffako, Darien Lake centre, Aug 14th... but the real face value tickets are not on sale yet, but I have planned everything around his show!

I agree with other suggestions that you will have trouble seeing all the things you want to see in Seattle. You could definitely skip Pikes Market in my opinion. A little north of there along the waterfront the Seattle Art Museum has created an outdoor sculpture garden and path that overlook Puget Sound and the park like area around the Space Needle including the extraordinary architecture of the Experience Music Project is worth a look. No one has mentioned the ferries. A ferry up to the San Juans would be very scenic. Also I think trying to do Rainier, Mt. St. Helens and the North Cascades will involve too much driving. Rainier is perhaps the most worthy, but in August it could be very crowded. Mt. St. Helens is interesting, but not as beautiful. North Cascades gets way less traffic so might be more enjoyable in August. If you go by Helena, be sure to go about 30 miles north to the Gates of the Mountain and take the boat ride. It is very scenic. Also Coeur d'Alene is beautiful and it costs nothing to walk the 1/2 floating dock at the resort.

but with only 3.5 days I don't think there's time to ferry up to the San Juan islands, realistically.

Girl too bad your not coming to Detroit. We'd love to meet you, feed you and be friends. I am thrilled your coming to America and I'm sure your gonna love it. Seattle is a fantastic starting point, what a city. Make sure you take time to sit in a cafe, have some great Seattle coffee and people watch/over look the sound. I was there at Christmas time years ago and fell in love with the city, it's people and it's fantastic public transport system.

If you ever make it as far as Detroit.....Let me know.

Theresa in Detroit

You could definitely skip Pikes Market in my opinion.

The only Pike's market I've ever found is in northern Maine. Skipping the Pike Place Market, on the other hand, especially in late August when every Dahlia known to humanity is present and for sale, would be a real shame.

BTW, a visit to the Boeing factory in August might provide the opportunity to witness a test flight of the new 787, which is scheduled to fly for the first time around June. Promises, promises.

But don't confuse the Boeing tour (including the Future of Flight exhibit) in Everett with the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Both are superb, but are not interchangeable.

http://www.futureofflight.org/
http://www.museumofflight.org/

I also would never suggest skipping the Pike Place Market, especially in the summer (as above) it's glorious! And a real piece of Seattle history. It is not just a "tourist trap" many locals (myself included) shop there on a regular basis.

I will never ever consider skipping Pike Place Market.... I LOVE FOOD, COOKING AND EVERYTHING GOING ALONG WITH IT! I am really looking forward to buying some fresh produce and stocking up for our trip. I am not going such places for the rest of the roadtrip, and in our country, we don't have Salmon and shell fish. I trully believe that I will experience the locals here, it is them selling all their wonderfull things after all.

Thanks for the info on the new 787, maybe we are lucky, my husband will be so thrilled!!!

Volcacanoes, Tornadoes, Cyclones and earthquakes is something we don't have on the African continent. We are on a stable plate of the earths crust, so Mt Rainier I don't mind just driving past, but Mt St Helen, I really whant to see. As a little girl I wanted to become a "volcanologist", I think that is what you call it in english??

Oh Theresa, you are so kind! Thank you! If my flights weren't booked, I would have really taken you up on your offer. If you don't mind, I will contact you in the future, should we come along your way! You are also more than welcome to come and visit us if you ever come to South Africa. Some of our best friends are people we have met either by chance visiting our country or who we met whilst visiting another country. My email is acprins@vodamail.co.za. You can contact me anytime!

On my other topic, someone suggested Farragut State Park over Couer d' Alene... so what you say?

The best view of Mt. St. Helens is from the east. There is no nearby camping. Look at my SF to Mt. St. Helens 2004 trip report for a campground. The photos might also give you some ideas, although most are farther south or west than where you intend to go.

Farragut State Park is very nice. It is not actually at Coeur d'Alene, but about 15 miles north on Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho's largest and deepest lake. The site was a navy traiining station in WW2 (think submarines). There may be some historical exhibits, but mainly the park is very scenic and a great place to camp, with nice swimming in the lake.

The campground there is very popular and you may want to make a reservation to avoid disappointment:

http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/

It would be a good stop on your way to Glacier. You could drive north to Sandpoint and along the north shore of the lake into Montana (Highway 200), or continue north to Bonners Ferry and take Highway 2 to Kalispell.

With your interest in volcanoes, you should spend a night at Mt. St. Helens (instead of Rainier as I suggested previously).
You'll want to visit the Johnston Ridge Visitor Center, which has a great view into the crater and the destroyed north side of the mountain. There are some very interesting hikes you can take from there. In August the wildflowers are at their peak.

You could stay very close to the crater at Mile 24 on the Spirit Lake highway, at Eco Park Resort. This is an "eco friendly" collection of cabins, yurts, and campsites run by the family that formerly owned Spirit Lake Lodge, which was destroyed in the 1981 blast (along with the famous Harry Truman's Mt. St. Helens Lodge).

http://www.ecoparkresort.com/

http://www.ecoparkresort.com/lodging.htm

A campsite for your tent is only $17.50. They are extremely knowledgeable about the area and will help you get the most from your visit. They even have horses if you want to take a trail ride.

With a special interest in volancos, definitely don't miss stopping at Mt St Helens. Honestly to me I think Mt Rainier is most impressive viewed from a distance, like from the downtown Seattle Waterfront on a clear day.

If you are taking a trip across the North Cascade Highway (State Rt 20). You need to stop and hike into Rainy Lake and Lake Ann. They are worth the hike. Early Winters campground is at the bottom of the pass. If you are looking for someplace to camp. Be sure you take you camera and take lots of pictures. If you look carefully you might see some mountain goats.