North Cascades - Sandpoint -Joseph - Columbia River -Mt St Helens
 

Just back from a ten-day scenic tour of Wa St with a bit of Idaho and Oregon. We had a small bushwacker trailer and stayed at campgrounds. The weather was glorious and all of our experiences were positive. I loved our chosen destinations and hope this trip report might give you encouragement to discover a wide variety of scenery and even cultures.

We rented a UHaul pick-up for $800 which included 1500 miles and a small Bushwacker trailer thru a RV website that works like air bnb. The trailer was small and dark but comfortable, easy to pull and had all the basic things we needed.

Day 1: Olympia -Darrington
we started off late but drove through some spectacular scenery between Arlington -Oso and Darrington. The drive took us off the congested I5 and brought us quickly into small towns, lush farming countryside and a feeling of how life was 50 years ago. I highly recommend this route to get your mind off the hectic, congested I5 freeway and quickly into scenery that includes older white farm houses, rambling brooks and grassy fields that end at the first mountains still dotted with snow. What a change from urban Seattle!

Looking forward to reading more! Yes, you were in our area and it is vastly different than Seattle! Did you stop at the Oso landslide area?

Unfortunately not. My family told me about it when we returned. What a tragedy.

Searching for available campgrounds in July without reserving proved to be a daunting task but luck was on our side.

Day 1 Campground: Squire Creek Campground before Darrington

Review: many available sites in a quiet wooded area. Lovely creek running alongside the campground.

Day 2: Darrington -North Cascades
Campground : Lone Fir (located after Washington Pass). Quiet and clean campground with vault toilets and water. Known for its mosquitoes so bring repellent. Sites are spacious and mostly shady. friendly hosts.


I live in Switzerland and am surrounded by beautiful mountains but the North Cascades blew me away. The Highway is well-maintained and the natural beauty is staggering. We had perfect clear weather and the skies were still clear of smoke from forest fires. Washington had a very long and rainy spring which was why the vegetation was so lush and green everywhere. The mountains greet you with their majestic forms still covered with patches of snow. No wonder it was very difficult to find a campground.

We tried all four campgrounds around the visitor center but they were hopelessly full. People were even following the rangers as they opened sites last minute due to cancellations. Within minutes, those sites were gone.

We continued on to Washington Pass Overlook where we stopped and walked to the view site. WOW! If you ever plan on driving over the Highway, make sure you stop here. The stunning views of mountains and the twisting highway made the trip worthwhile right there.

we continued a few miles farther where we found a campsite in Lone Fir campground. We stayed Friday and Saturday night and we’re glad we did.

Yes, our North Cascades are stunning! Our wildfire season does not typically start until August, and of course fingers crossed that we escape it entirely. This area is one of our favorites for backpacking. Our favorite trail looks down over Washington Pass, so you can imagine the views. In October, during larch season, this area is even better. So you need to come back;)

Thanks mms. What’s the name of your favorite trail? It sounds marvelous.

Day 3: Today involved two lovely hikes from Rainy Pass.

Hike 1: An easy and level 15-20 minute paved trail back to Rainy Lake. Rainy Lake is a gorgeous glacial lake surrounded by high mountains, patches of snow and waterfalls. Highly recommended!

Hike 2: Anne Ross Loop starting also at Rainy Lake Rest Area

A four hour long hike through forests and ledges back to Anne Ross Lake. The trail takes you above and past the lake into the heart of the Cascades. Because of large patches of snow on top, we stopped at the top of the ridge behind the lake and then turned back but the trail goes up and around the back part of the lake with views of Rainy Lake. All in all, Glorious panoramas of majestic mountains unmarked by civilization.

Just as a reminder, in this part of the Cascades, there are no nearby shops so make sure you have enough provisions during your time in the area.

kleeblat--It is Cutthroat Pass, which intersects with the PCT. The views from the top are just stunning. There are so many good ones up in this area, but this is one that we have enjoyed many times. You are right, there is not much up in this area so you need to be prepared! I

Tagging along.... this is a tremendously beautiful part of the country. I remember trying to swim in the shady St Joe River in St Maries, ID.... but shady means cold upon cold, so we could do no more than dip our toes in. Later, we managed to swim in the very, very cold Pend Oreille River just west of Sandpoint. The kind of cold where you have to keep swimming so as not to freeze. But since the river is so wide and sunny, we could manage it. Cascades are awesome as well. Plus all the waterfalls on the Columbia River Gorge. Yes, it brings back memories.

Day 4: Winthrop - Twisp, Loup Loup Ski Resort, Okanogan, Tonasket, Republic and Sherman Pass (before Kettle Falls)

Today was a day about driving, exploring, buying groceries and being mesmerized by the scenery

1) Lone Fire Campground to Winthrop: the scenery changes to pastures, hay fields and trees in the hills. There are amazing wooden second homes that dot the hills and pastures as you come closer to Winthrop.

Winthrop is a quaint small "Western" town that offers cafes, restaurants, clothes and many art galleries. The town decided to reinvent itself before the North Cascades Highway was opened so they hired an architect who transformed the sidewalks and shop fronts to reflect a frontier style. Not to miss in Winthrop is the Shafer museum. LOVED it. That's where one can travel back to time and see the old school house, the doctor's office, the post office, a clothing shop, the "castle" and many more relics of the past. Highly recommended and a highlight of Winthrop.

Hank's at Twisp is THE grocery store to load up food staples and just enjoy walking through their aisles being highly impressed by the large selection of items. Hank's is also where the cheapest gas in the area was.

Being Swiss, we had to visit the Loup Loup Ski Bowl. The small ski resort with one chairlift (bought from Crystal Mountain) is open both summer and winter. We had a lovely conversation with the manager who explained how they want to be able offer skiing at affordable prices to the locals. He was quite dedicated and passionate about the lift, its history and future. We left highly impressed with the dedication behind Loup Loup.

It was then downhill to Okanagon and up to Tonasket. Not much to say here expect it was dry and not that picturesque. But it brought into a stretch that we adored. The road going towards Republic includes an area called Wauconda, where life stands still a bit and the roads wind through narrow canyons leading into gorgeous alpine fields.

The drive continues to Republic where we sadly had no time to stop. Similar to Winthrop, it's another Western town with various businesses. I would have loved to explore it a bit more but we needed to make headway today.

The scenic drive continued not to disappoint and we decided to stop at Sherman's Pass to check out the lookout. So glad we did because we discovered some campsites for a reasonable amount of $6. The campground offered one water pump (which literally needed to be pumped by hand) and vault toilets. It was quiet and nestled in the lower mountains. The views were of mountains of trees everywhere. Now this was camping in the wilderness. Two more campers joined us at the campground that night.

Love this! You got to an are of our state that many residents on the west side never even go to! Tonasket is a gem. There is a taco truck there that is killer! We bring things home from there in a cooler;) We have done road trips over that direction for camping and it is such a great area. Conconully Lake is really nice lake there.The bakery in Twisp is a wonderful for sandwiches and the best milk shakes made from real ice cream. Our sons gf is from Tonasket and learned to ski at Loup Loup. I am so glad that you are still posting!

Thank you so much for your kind comments. I would have liked to explore Tonasket a bit but we needed to head on. I hope your suggestions can encourage others to invest some time in that area.

Day 5: Sherman Pass - Colville

Campground: Douglas Falls (no charge for camping but gates close at 9) Vault toilets and water available. Three sites up front and 5 large sites in the back. https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/...ure-loop-trail

We've been told the area around Colville was similar to Montana's White Fish/Kalispell area so we decided to settle down for a day and explore.

Colville is a bustling, liveable Western town with industrial areas that include large chain stores including Walmart and a downtown that still offers parking right in front of the shops. There's a fairground behind the old town and a lovely lady that works at the Chamber of Commerce/Tourist office, where we got maps and info. For free wifi, we also used the tourist office and the library.

We wanted to take showers at the Colville Inn at their pool but was sadly advised someone had stolen all the five shower heads out of the men's bathroom so we found a secret alternative instead. Life in a smaller town doesn't mean there's no crime.

We enjoyed getting to know Colville and life in a large Northeastern town. The area around Colville is indeed like Montana but seemingly more affordable and far fewer "second" homes of the rich. We enjoyed driving around the area back at the campground and seeing the smaller farms nestled in the valley. We also did a Kettle Falls / Marcus / Evans loop tour back to Douglas Falls. We did some major shopping and just enjoyed a slower day.

Day 6: Colville, Park Rapids (Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge), Tiger, Calispell, Usk, Sandpoint, East Hope

Campground: Sam Owens in East Hope ($26/night) flush toilets, water and some sites have hookups. Right on Pend Oreille lake and lots of space between sites. Quietest sites: the back sites on Dancing Shadow. This was our favourite campsite. They have a nice pebble beach for bathing.

One of our favourite drives was definitely between Colville and Tiger. The wilderness, the lakes, the remoteness, the colours, the good road and basically everything about it made it feel like a drive through paradise.

Tiger is a one building town (from our perspective) and the drive along the Pend Oreille River to Sandpoint, Idaho, was nice but longish. We stopped at the Calispell Indian Reservation in Usk to see the buffalo but all but one of these mighty creatures were grazing far in the forests. We managed to take a photo of one buffalo and drove on to Sandpoint.

Sandpoint in summer is about water sports. The campgrounds are full and water sport toys are abundant. We wanted to to stay at Springy Point but without a reservation, we were turned away due to no vacancy. They did offer suggests which eventually took us to Sam Owen Campground to try our luck. We indeed get extremely lucky and got a quiet, shady and all around perfect site in an immaculate campground right on the lake. We could take evening dips in the lake and cook superb meals over the campfire. Highly recommended despite being farther away from Sandpoint.

Day 7: Sandpoint Idaho / Schweitzer Mountain

What does a good Swiss do in Sandpoint? Head for the Schweitzer ski resort, of course! This larger resort had one lift open for $25 return or free of charge for those who hike up. It was another glorious day so we hiked up the hiker's trail for about 2.5 - 3 hours and enjoyed the stunning views while analyzing the different runs. Schweitzer looks like a top rate ski resort that offers a great deal of runs for various levels. A day ski ticket will be around $120/day, which made us realize ski passes are much cheaper in Switzerland. Davos is about $80/day.

After our long hike, we bought some excellent salmon and headed back to our dear campground for a quick jump in the lake and a relaxing evening around the fire.

I am still really enjoying reading all about your trip! I haven to been to Colville in years, so it is nice to hear about it. I really like Sandpoint. Yes, our ski tickets are insanely priced! We used to ski for cheap with military rates, but just in the last year even those doubled and the mountains are so busy that it just isn't enjoyable. So we have given up on our annual passes starting last year. Our son and his gf though still go every weekend and most nights after work in the winter. Plus they travel to ski, and Schweitzer is one they have been to quite a bit. They have been ski action models for a line of skis, so they are pretty serious about it.

Salmon in a campground by a lake, it sure doesn't get much better than that! You really have done a great job at seeing the real WA, IMO!

Signing on for ideas for a future trip!

Day 8: Sandpoint - Moscow - Lewiston/Clarkston - Highway 129 to Enterprise, Or - Joseph -Wallowa Lake

Camground: Wallowa Lake State Park, Oregon
This is a large campground that’s full in summer and offers some hook ups. We got lucky and got a site due to a cancellation. It was a hookup site so we paid $40 a nite. Clean bathrooms with showers. Loud hand dryers in the bathrooms so try to get a site farther in the back.

Road trip! What a day for scenery! Lovely green alfalfa fields, sparse wilderness, hills, valleys and good roads. The highlight of today was driving down to Lewiston and then taking Highway 3 through lonely back country with small towns that lists the population of people, cats and dogs to our favourite part of all: the inverted pass down to the Grande Ronde/ Rattlesnake Creek and back up. What a canyon, what a windy road, what scenery! There was no traffic, a well-maintained road and this part of Wa/Or is a hidden gem. It also takes you into Nez Perce country with markers and lookouts pointing out the history and trails of the tribe.

https://wsdotblog.blogspot.com/2019/...stern.html?m=1

Joseph, Oregon: a Western town with many art galleries and bronze statues. Quite nice to walk through.

Continue on and you’ll drive by the burial place if Chief Joseph at the tip of Wallowa Lake with alpine mountains rising behind.

After settling in at the campground, we walked around the “Little Switzerland” village, which was promoted by a Swiss gentleman who grew up in a town near my home in Switzerland. You’ll see Heidi’s gift shop and the Little Matterhorn put put golf course. The real magic though, is taking the gondola up to Howard’s mountain, which we did the next day.

This trip is on my bucket list. Thanks for the report.

I adore the Wallowas! We have not camped at that campground, but did leave our SUV there to go backpacking for a few days. If you get the chance, head up to Aneroid Lake. There is an old mining camp up there at one end that is privately owned now. We had set up camp and were wandering around when we got to the sign for private land. The caretaker happened to be right there and invited us in. He showed us everything, offered us showers even, and it was just a really nice time chatting with him and learning the history of it. Over where we camped, the lake itself was beautiful. Horses are on the trail as well, bringing supplies up to the private camp.

I remember Joseph before all the art galleries/bronze statues. Again, some of our family is from there.

How was the gondola? We have never taken it as we just backpack in the area. We should do that sometime though out of curiosity.

We also loved discovering the eastern part of Oregon as our last vacation before Covid hit. The scenery around the Wallowas was beautiful and only wished that we had been able to hike them. We rented a house right on the lake and explored from there. I didn't realize that Joseph was so well known for the bronzes it produces. Turing the factory was quite interesting. Yes, you'll see them on most street corners, but unlike many places where they are just set on concrete, almost every one had a garden or naturalized setting around it. Also did the peddle buggies on the abandoned train tracks. This was a first for us, but now I see them many places. Old fashion soda fountain...lots of fun things to explore in town. Sorry we didn't get to take the gondola as it was too windy the day we planned to go. Sure the views were outstanding. We definitely enjoyed the area

Day 9: Wallowa Lake / Mt Howard

Campground: Wallowa State Park

Today was an easy day walking through Joseph (see Clou sie’s above post for an excellent description) and using the wifi at the public library. Then off to Safeway in Enterprise to buy some excellent fish for the evening and then back to the lake where we spent the most delightful afternoon on the mountain.

Mt Howard: $40 return and yes, it is worth it 😊

At the village behind the lake, you will find the gondola next to a run down historic wooden hall where dances and gatherings were held. The white gondolas hold 4 people each and take you up 3,700 feet on a 15 minute ride, which is one of the most vertical lifts in North America. At the top we were greeted with live country/folk music at the restaurant. We listened to the singer for awhile and then did some easy but stunning trails that lead us to majestic views of fields, lakes and mountains. We rewarded ourselves with beer on tap from the restaurant and wallowed in the stellar views. Mt Howard met and even exceeded our expectations as we enjoyed a late afternoon without crowds and a fantastic atmosphere.

taken from Wikipedia:Twenty-five towers are used along the route to support the cables of tramway.[3] The Wallowa Lake Tramway rises 3,700 feet (1,100 m) vertically,[8] starting at the 4,200-foot (1,300 m) level of the lake.[9] At the top of the gondola ride, an elevation of 8,150 feet (2,480 m), is Oregon's highest restaurant, the Alpine Grill.[10] The Tramway runs May through October.[11] It formerly ran on the weekends in winter for skiingand snowshoeing.[12] The four-person gondolas take fifteen minutes to make a one-way trip.[8][12]

The tram is the steepest four-person gondola in North America, ending at the 8,256-foot (2,516 m) peak of Mount Howard.[13] The tram is operated on 115 acres (0.47 km2) of land leased from the Forest Service through a special national forest permit.[7] At the summit one can view wildlife,[1] and wildflowers in an alpine meadow. Parts of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho are visible from the summit. Two miles (3 km) of hiking trails are available.[4]

Day 10: Joseph - Pendleton - the Columbia River - Horse Thief Lake State Park

Campground: Horse Thief Lake State Park (Columbia Hills State Park)
This is a small campground with 12 sites located on Horse Thief Lake, which is part of the Columbia, on the Washington side. It's green with trees, a large lawn and offers safe bathing. Because it was full, we were able to park in the large gravel overflow parking lot for $13. The campground was very windy but it calmed down after dusk and we could even enjoy our own private campfire right at the edge of the river. It was, needless to say, lovely and relaxing. The campground has flush toilets and showers.

Today was basically a long drive through wonderful small towns, wheat fields and driving along the Columbia. Our route took us throw Wallowa, Elgin, Pendleton and Hermiston (which is delightful if you can explore the areas outside the city towards the Columbia). We filled up the tank in Hermiston, or I should say an attendant filled up the tank as required by Oregon law, and we continued on our way.

We crossed the bridge at Hermiston and drove along the Columbia. It's rather an uneventful drive along the Columbia but you see signs for Chateau St. Michele, Columbia Crest and Maryhill wineries. Before the Dalles, we took our chances at the above campground located right before the Dalles and found a spot to spend the night.

The campground host told us about some old Native American rock drawings called petroglyphs we could see in just five minutes walking distance. The rocks were put there before the dam was completed otherwise they would have disappeared under the river. They certainly are worth seeing if you are in the area. Columbia Hills Historical State Park | Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

Day 11: Carson - Windy Ridge - Randle - Olympia

It was our last day and we wanted to do some back forest driving. Little did we know but today would be our hardest drive.

We decided to take the Wind River Road to lead us to the right of Mt. St. Helens and explore the wildnerness in that area. The road is closed during winter but otherwise it is paved so we thought, why not?

We drove up to Carson and continued into the protected forest where there would be no towns or gas stations until Randall. It was a lovely road with little traffic. As we were nearing the Mt. St. Helen's area, we missed the McClellan look out onto the volcano. We just caught a glimpse of it as we drove by and wished we would have stopped. But driving a pick up and travel trailer limits our spontaneous turn arounds, especially when there is none to be had. It was then that the road became poorly maintained and dips, cracks and washouts in our lane made driving dangerous.

DO NOT DRIVE ON THE NFD 25 WITH A TRAILER or LARGE RV. The road is dangerous and you can easily damage your vehicle. We went at a snail's pace helping each other locate the obstacles, which were often were behind shrubbery growing out into the road or almost invisible in the dark shade.

Despite the precarious roads, we decided to go up to Windy Ridge for a stunning view of Mt. St. Helens, Spirit Lake, Mt Adams, Mt. Baker and Mt. Hood. Again, the road to the lookout was treacherous for trailers and RVs but we drove slowly and were grateful for little traffic as we often drove in the opposite lane. I remembered Windy Ridge from 30 years ago, which once was the only lookout onto the volcano, and besides the poor road, not much has changed. The view is still worth it but only if you have a pick up or some appropriate vehicle.

By the time we reached Randle, we were worn out from scrutinizing the road for damage. We continued on to Centralia, avoid Chehalis because of the I-5 back up, and had a smooth drive back to Olympia.

Summary: I loved our road trip and would do it again but next time I would avoid the Windy Ridge area simply due to the roads. My favourite areas were the North Cascades, the area between Republic and Sandpoint, Schweitzer Mountain, driving down the gorge to Rattlesnake Creek and Mt. Howard.

Kleebat--I loved this trip report so much! You got to areas that many locals and most visitors do not put the effort in to see. Horse Thief is one of my favorite areas. Did you go check out Horse Thief Butte before heading into the park/campground? That area is well known for rock climbers. Lots of rattlesnakes, so you have to be careful, but a beautiful area. When I was first reading I was really hoping you didn't overlook the petroglyphs, so I am really glad you found those. Yes the back roads up to Windy Ridge are what our usual forest service roads are like. My SUV has scrapes all along one side from the brush from there. Glad you made it through ok.

Thank you for your kind words. We didn't explore Horse Thief Butte unfortunately but the park is quite lovely (although windy at times) and the petroglyphs are very interesting. We also enjoyed watching the train pass by on the tracks that separate the lake from the river. Our trailer had a hitch problem before we left but the park host and the rangers were extremely helpful and lent us tools so we could continue on our trip. I believe the native Americans once camped where Horse Thief lake now lies and many people were probably sad to see the some of the consequences of the dam; which included flooding many historical areas. We truly loved our stay at the campground simply because of all the surprising and positive things that happened to us there.

Those forest service roads should have warnings about poor road conditions. I was extremely disappointed to see the condition of the road up to Windy Ridge. It's an accident waiting to happen. Despite the roads, however, I still love going up there simply because of all the memories I had during those first few years after the eruption. Seeing the devastation the first time from Windy Ridge decades ago is a sight I will never forget.

Before I forget, I can't stress how UHaul saved our trip and how satisfied we were with the pickup. For those who are coming to the States and would like to rent a trailer and a pickup, I highly recommend checking out UHaul's pickups. In addition, they have vans where one could spend the night if you really want to travel cheaply. You won't find better prices anywhere else.

kleebatt--I never thought about the forest service roads posting warnings, probably because I have grown up using those and just know. Anytime we are on a FS road, we just assume it is going to be in really bad condition. I have heard some good thing about using UHaul for vacations, especially since rental cars are so crazy expensive and supply is so limited. Good thinking to use that!

That sounds like my kind of trip. I've often considered doing much the same in a converted AWD van. I think it would be incredible to do that for a year. Thanks for sharing. It was a nice escape from my city life.

Thanks for the kind words. I can highly recommend touring the US off the beaten track. There are so many areas that deserve more attention than they get.

The panhandle of Idaho is a wonderland. I remember being surprised at the robust sailing communities of Couer d'Alene and Sandpoint. The lakes there have lots of secluded coves and twists to them that provide spectacular scenery.