# Heading To The Pacific Northwest In Mid June.



## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

We are starting to plan a summer vacation trip to the Pacific North West around mid June, once school is out for my wife and kids. For the first part of the trip we are thinking of driving from Roseville, CA to the Portland, OR "area" and camping for several nights. We would use this location as a jump off point to visit Mt. St. Helens, Tillamook (love the cheese and the ice cream shop rocks!) and other places (?) within about a 2 hour drive each way. Does anyone have recommendations for a campground? It doesn't really matter if it's full hook up's or not as we have a generator. Water and a dump station are more important to us.

From there, we would head up to the Washington coast near Olympic National Park. Maybe via Astoria and up along the coast. It looks like our options for campgrounds on the west side of Olympic National Park are limited to Kalaloch. We would stay 3 or more nights and then start working our way back home stopping here and there along the Oregon coast with Bandon as one of those stopping points. We went to the animal park there several years ago and it made a real impression on my daughter. I think she would really enjoy visiting it again. I'm thinking we would end up taking almost 2 weeks for the whole trip, pretty much staying along the coast on the way back down.

We're open to suggestions for campgrounds and things to see!

Thanks!


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## jasonrebecca (Oct 30, 2007)

You can also stay at Mora Campground, it is north of Kalaloch and west of Forks. Lots of hiking on Rialto beach nearby. And further north at the north end of the Penninsula is Heart O' the Hills Campground which is at the base of Hurrican Ridge. That has an amazing view of the straight and of Vancouver Island, also great hiking there as well. If you are into animal parks, there is one in the town of Sequim not too far from the Heart O' the Hills campground.


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## john7349 (Jan 13, 2008)

Going to the Astoria OR area, I would try these. Both are really nice and lots of "free stuff" to do.

Ft Stevens near Astora OR:
http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_179.php








Cape Disappointment on the washington side (Ilwaco WA):








http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selec...0Disappointment

Both are busy in the summer...


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

For your adventure around Mt. St Helens, I would recommend "Lower Falls" campground. From there you can drive about 45-60min to the Windy Ridge Viewpoint to see the mountain...very cool!! There are great hiking trails all around this campground as well. I hid a Geocache there last year...see if you can find it.







We go there every year for 4-5 days. 
Dry camping...no service at sites...water available but you have to haul it from a central location. You could stop at the water and fill up as you pull in. Don't judge the campground by the link below...the pictures are very old and don't do it justice.
http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/campg...-rec-area.shtml

On your way back to the Washington Coast, you can stop at "Ape Caves" (no apes







). It is about 60min from Lower Falls and a great adventure for the entire family. Dress WARM...caves are cold. 
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/Na...t/ape_cave.html

Click here to open my web page...then scrool down to the "Lower Falls" section. From here you will see pictures of the campground..us hiking along the river (from campground)...Mt. St Helens...Ape Caves.

http://home.comcast.net/~tannerjim1/Camping%20Trips/2006.htm


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

As a jumping off spot in the Portland area, Champoeg State Heritage Area (State Park) would not be a bad hub. Close to Portland, easy access to the coast, right at the doorstep of Oregon wine country and the Evergreen Air Museum (Home of the Spruce Goose).

Let us know when you get the details worked out, and maybe we can get together while you are in the area.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Hi Herb:

We too are planning the same trip, and perhaps at the same time!







We originally were thinking of getting as far as Oregon, but now that we are no longer part of a large group may be able to get up into Washington too. I'll be taking notes from here.'

However, we are 1000 Trails members and will likely hop through their locations throughout the PNW as we stay for free.


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## Doxie-Doglover-Too (Jan 25, 2007)

do I hear a Casual Get Together in the making?


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Doxie-Doglover-Too said:


> do I hear a Casual Get Together in the making?


Sure looks like it...


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## jnk36jnk (Mar 9, 2004)

My only comment would be that if you plan on staying in any Washington or Oregon state parks you will want to be making your reservations right now and hopefully you will get a place. Especially for those campgrounds on the coast of Oregon. j


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge of campgrounds and things to do.







*PDX_Doug, California Jim* - a 'casual' meet is certainly a possibility. I know campgrounds fill up fast! My wife and I will work on the trip plan this weekend after reviewing the recommendations and hopefully make all the necessary reservations.


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Motivated by *jnk36jnk*'s comments my wife and I stayed up late last night to make our reservations and solidfy a plan. Our number one factor was that we must be able to make reservations. With that requirement, we had to exclude some of the suggestions made in previous posts. We further modified our plan after some discussions on what we wanted to see and how much driving would be involved. So it comes down to this. We are going to leave on Thursday, June 18th, I decided I really didn't want to drive all the way up to the Portland area in one day. So we are taking the easy way out the first night and getting a motel in Eugene Oregon. That makes our first day of driving about 492 miles instead of the 595 to the Portland area. Then from Eugene, we'll drive to Ike Kinswa State Park in Washington. Looks like that drive will be about 200 miles We'll spend 3 nights so that one day we can go to Mt St. Helens, and the other day to Mt. Rainier. By the way, I like the way that the Washington state parks (at least the ones we looked at) show a picture of the campsite and give fairly detailed information about it too!









On Monday, June 22nd we will pull up our stakes and head to Kalaloch National Park. The number of sites that can handle our 26' Outback are few and far between. With that in mind, we wanted to make sure we arrived on a Monday thinking this would increase our chances of getting a site. It worked! We decided to stay for 4 nights to give us time to explore Olympic National Park. We'll leave Kalaloch on Friday the 26th and start driving south down the coast to South Beach State Park in Newport Oregon. That looks to be about a 317 mile drive. We'll stay there for 3 nights. We might even try a Kayak tour! Time permitting, we may stop in at the Tillamook Cheese Factory on the way down. I recall they have ample RV parking. That could save us a bunch of time by not having to backtrack to Tillamook after arriving at South Beach. We'll play it by ear.

On Monday the 29th, we'll leave South Beach and drive further down the coast to Bandon Oregon (about 119 miles). We found a campground called Bullards Beach State Park and we have reservations for 2 nights. This will give us a chance to see the wild animal park in Bandon without having to rush. Then we'll head for home on Wednesday, July 1st. About 489 miles. Wheeeee!

By making our reservations now, we really had no trouble getting our sites and actually had plenty to choose from. I think our plan will work well for us. My kids travel extremely well and even though we have some long driving days it should work out fine.







I'm not sure if we'll cross paths with California Jim, PDX Doug or any of our other Pacific Northwest Outbackers, but who knows?


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Enjoy the trip. I haven't stayed at any of the campgrounds you've selected, so please provide feedback when you get back home.

I'd call Tillamook Cheese Factory and ask about the RV parking. I think I remember seeing a "NO RV's" sign at the entrance when I went past it at Thanksgiving.


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## Doxie-Doglover-Too (Jan 25, 2007)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Enjoy the trip. I haven't stayed at any of the campgrounds you've selected, so please provide feedback when you get back home.
> 
> I'd call Tillamook Cheese Factory and ask about the RV parking. I think I remember seeing a "NO RV's" sign at the entrance when I went past it at Thanksgiving.


and they don't make ice cream anymore or cheese anymore............just kidding! Tillamook C F is a must for all ages









You'll have a great trip! We'll be in Klamath, Ca starting the 14th for our Calif Redwoods Trip


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Oregon_Camper said:


> and they don't make ice cream anymore or cheese anymore............just kidding! Tillamook C F is a must for all ages
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*NO ICECREAM!?!* Scared me there for a moment.







Enjoy your Redwood trip, walking through those giants is a humbling experience.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Herb,

That sounds like a great trip! South Beach S.P. is a favorite of ours, and has become our defacto Spring shakedown trip for the last few years. We will be there for Spring break in late March. I'll do some checking around and see if maybe we can rendezvous with you guys while you are in that area.

A word of warning though... That 317 mile drive between Kalaloch and South Beach is going to be a LONG 317 miles! Lot's of windy roads and heavy congestion and little speed, but it should be an absolutely beautiful drive!

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Doug,

we've stayed at South Beach once before (pre-Outback) and really enjoyed it! Plus we always visit the aquarium there in Newport if we are even within a 2 hour drive of it. That would be cool if you were able to meet us at South Beach! Regarding the drive from Kalaloch to South Beach, would heading out to I-5 and down then cutting in at Corvallis make more sense? It looks like there would be more miles, but perhaps a higher average mph?

Thanks.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Herbicidal said:


> Doug,
> 
> we've stayed at South Beach once before (pre-Outback) and really enjoyed it! Plus we always visit the aquarium there in Newport if we are even within a 2 hour drive of it. That would be cool if you were able to meet us at South Beach! Regarding the drive from Kalaloch to South Beach, would heading out to I-5 and down then cutting in at Corvallis make more sense? It looks like there would be more miles, but perhaps a higher average mph?
> 
> Thanks.


That would definitely be faster (and probably more fuel efficient).

If you have any interest in things of an aerospace nature, you might modify that slightly and cut back across to the coast on Hwy's 99W and 18. This will take you by the Evergreen Air and Space Museum, and it is a fantastic place to spend a couple of hours. It's also the home now of the Spruce Goose, and that is an impressive sight any day!

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Cool deal Herb. We're also leaving the So Cal area on June 18th







Still haven't nailed the plans down yet though, but we do plan on spending time at Sequoia/Kings Canyon on the way north. Probably will then head for the Oregon coast 1000 Trails preserves and keep hopping north into Washington. Haven't figured out the route home yet. Sheesh I'm getting a late start on this one


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

PDX_Doug said:


> Doug,
> 
> we've stayed at South Beach once before (pre-Outback) and really enjoyed it! Plus we always visit the aquarium there in Newport if we are even within a 2 hour drive of it. That would be cool if you were able to meet us at South Beach! Regarding the drive from Kalaloch to South Beach, would heading out to I-5 and down then cutting in at Corvallis make more sense? It looks like there would be more miles, but perhaps a higher average mph?
> 
> Thanks.


That would definitely be faster (and probably more fuel efficient).

If you have any interest in things of an aerospace nature, you might modify that slightly and cut back across to the coast on Hwy's 99W and 18. This will take you by the Evergreen Air and Space Museum, and it is a fantastic place to spend a couple of hours. It's also the home now of the Spruce Goose, and that is an impressive sight any day!

Happy Trails,
Doug
[/quote]

For what its worth...going this route (vs via Corvallis) is faster. You basically go at an angle towards Newport. The Evergreen Air and Space Museum is a sweet bonus!


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## jozway (Jan 28, 2008)

I have not personally stayed at Ike Kinswa but have drove through it a couple years ago and it seemed nice. I would've suggested mossyrock park over ike kinswa its only a few miles away. Might be something to look into you will definately enjoy Mossyrock Park.
Joe


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Thanks Gents for the aeronautical tips and route info!

California Jim - have you decided how long you are going to be gone?

Jozway - I think this campground didn't hit our radar because we were looking at Washington State Campgrounds. From the web site it does look nice! To keep it simple, I'm going to stay with my reservations at Ike.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Herbicidal said:


> California Jim - have you decided how long you are going to be gone?


Looks like Depart 6-18 and return 7-3. About 16 days


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Well here we are almost 6 months later and it's time to get the ol' Outback out from the side yard and to the front so we can start loading her up! Today was repack the wheel bearings, fill the propane and balance and rotate the tires day. I invited my Dad to come over and help out and we had a good time talking and working on the Outback. Earlier in the day I picked up 4 new seals, cotter pins, extra dust cap in case we destroyed one and a new tub of bearing grease. Everthing went very smoothly. I took off the wheels yesterday and threw them in my truck to take to the tire shop for a free balance this morning. I marked on the inside of each rim where the wheel came from and swapped them from side to side. Way back in '06 when both wheels on the passenger side came off (some of you will remember that story!) has somehow affected the alignment (go figure!). The right front was worn quite a bit on the inner shoulder, while the right rear was quite worn on the outer shoulder. I have not balance or rotated the tires since they were new. The tires on the drivers side looked perfect! Can you take a trailer in for a 4 wheel alignment?







I guess the axles were 'tweaked' in that little adventure. Anyway, swapped the tires and I'll keep a close eye on them in the future. Additionally we checked the brake pads and they are definately worn down. They will be fine for this trip, but need to be replaced before the next one. All sets of pads appear to be wearing equally, so that is good!

We leave Thursday morning and head straight up I-5 to to Creswell, OR for the first night. I'll be checking the torque on the trailers lug nuts at every stop! Plus a check after the first 50 miles or so. Watch out Washingtonians and Oregonians, here we come!









Take care everyone and be safe in your travels.









Herb


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Have a great trip Herb!

We too are leaving Thursday but only getting as far north as Gold Beach Oregon. If we were not 425 miles south of you our paths would have likely crossed. Our itinerary will be going north: Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Oregon House CA, Gold Beach OR. Southbound: Lake Tahoe, then home.

Also, thanks for the tip on the new Excel mattress that arrived and I installed last night. It is excellent and will make this 16 day trip that much more enjoyable.

I hope you and your family have a safe & happy trip.

Jim


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Ah well. No path crossing this time. Your trip sounds great too! Especially with the new mattress. Whew! I'm glad it arrived in time. Let's hope the fuel prices level out or better yet, start going down while we're on the road!

Thanks Jim and I wish the same for you and your family!


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Herbicidal said:


> Watch out Washingtonians and Oregonians, here we come!


Where will you be camping? Anywhere around Portland?


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Watch out Washingtonians and Oregonians, here we come!


Where will you be camping? Anywhere around Portland?
[/quote]
Unfortunately, no. Our very first night will be in Creswell, OR, just south of Eugene. We're cheating as we'll be in a motel.







From there, we head up to Ike Kinswa State Park in Washington. We'll be staying for 3 nights (starting Friday). After that it's over to Kalaloch, WA for 4 nights in the Olympic National Park. Then working our way down the coast for the remainder of our trip.


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## TDaniels (May 18, 2007)

Herbicidal said:


> Watch out Washingtonians and Oregonians, here we come!


Where will you be camping? Anywhere around Portland?
[/quote]
Unfortunately, no. Our very first night will be in Creswell, OR, just south of Eugene. We're cheating as we'll be in a motel.







From there, we head up to Ike Kinswa State Park in Washington. We'll be staying for 3 nights (starting Friday). After that it's over to Kalaloch, WA for 4 nights in the Olympic National Park. Then working our way down the coast for the remainder of our trip.
[/quote]

Very easy to spot with a TV like yours. Spotted you going up NB I5 just before Portland right before lunch time today. Very nice looking set up.


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

TDaniels said:


> Very easy to spot with a TV like yours. Spotted you going up NB I5 just before Portland right before lunch time today. Very nice looking set up.


Too funny! Did ya' wave?







Thanks for the compliment!

We made it back last night after another 10 1/2 hour day and a flat tire 3 hours out from home. The good ol' TPMS started screeching at me and I saw via the display that the right rear tire was going flat in a hurry! I was able to get safely over to the shoulder and even into a patch of shade. I made the tire change (103 degrees in Redding, CA) and we made it the rest of the way without any further drama. The tire was successfully repaired today as well. I strongly encourage everyone to get a TPMS unit! Whew! Glad to be home, I guess.







The trip was fantastic! Approximately 2,400 total miles and we even met PDX_Doug and family at the South Beach campground. Thanks Doug for driving over two hours each way to spend some time with us, you have a great family and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with you guys.









We saw Mount St Helens (well about 80% of her due to cloud cover), Mt Ranier (just glimpses of the summit, due to cloud cover and it snowed, rained and hailed on us too!). We saw the Hoh rain forest on the west coast of Washington and even had a sunny day. We did two different trail hikes and I think I may have some great pictures of the moss hanging from the trees. We spent a day up at Hurricane Ridge just above Port Angeles and another day at the beaches. At Newport, we returned to one of our favorite places, the Oregon Coast Aquarium. We also visited the Bandon West Coast Game Park Safari. We were able to pet a pair of 4 week old Lion cubs and a 4 week old spotted Leopard! Although my personal fav's are the Capybara's. They even had two young ones that were still nursing. If you get a chance, look up the book by author Bill Peet about the Capybara, titled Capybobby. I love his books and so do my kids. Anyway, the trip was great and pretty much spent the whole day today doing all the post camping cleanup. I haven't even downloaded the pictures from the camera yet. Hopefully in a few days I can post up some of the pictures.

Take care everyone!


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## Chabbie1 (Dec 3, 2006)

Sounds like you had a great trip! 
Glad to have you home neighbor!!!

If you are up for it, we have the Nor Cal Rally in a couple of weeks. We would love to meet you.

Can't wait for pictures!


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