TMB

X-posted to PNW forum ......



OK gang, need some help here …………..

I was under the mistaken impression that our summer holiday plans were set. My wife and daughters informed me last night that although I may have thought they were set, they weren't.

So here we are, planning on either 2 or 3 weeks away - end of July beginning of August.

The girls want to load up the RV and go camping - which is fine. Of course at a this point mst of the great places will be booked solid ( think Cape Lookout !! ).

We're in the Okanagan Valley in BC and want to stay in the PNW I think, so BC / Alta ; WA / OR.

We did Banff and Radium last summer and the kids don't want to go back to Banff this summer.

So - suggestions for neat and fun places in our little corner of the globe?

Scenic, some hiking, some good riding for me, a brew-pub or three ……



Anyone have any good ideas? Suggestions?

BengeBoy 

Probably the Methow Valley is too close to home for you? (easy access to North Cascades National Park).

Mt. Rainier National Park? There are RV parks around Greenwater, Washington, just on the northern edge of the park...you can do great rides in the park, and plenty of hiking, too. I don't know what it's like to get RV spaces in the park. Also, some RV parks on the southwest corner of the parks as well.

If you camp down around Packwood, Wa.., you can do rides/and or hiking in Mt. Rainier National Park, ride up to Windy Ridge, etc.

billydonn

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho is really a nice area. 1/2 hour from Spokane. And there is great flyfishing and a 72 mile paved trail there...


https://friendsofcdatrails.org/

TMB

I thought about Methow, but as you say, pretty close to home, and I can almost guarantee it will be booked up solid.

I have been tossing around the idea of going North up to Jasper, Mount Robson - but from there - it's down the parkway to Banff again.

Or south to Bend, but where from there???

TMB

Had not thought of that .........

We came down through Bonner's Ferry a couple of years ago and sort of gypsied around over there a bit.

Thanks, worth thinking about further.

Daspydyr 

Vegas Baby. RV camp at Mt. Charlston, see a show in Vegas, then wind your way north through Zions, Bryce Canyon and Yellowstone. Biking, hiking, unique sites and sights, world class shopping and shows.

Sure its a day drive south, but it stuff you wont see anywhere. TONS of trails and RR paths. You want sports bars? Spend a night at the NewYork New York, hit the ESPN Zone, The Nascar Cafe and the Harley Davidson Cafe. Unforgetable. Cmon, get out of town. Well maybe its more than a days drive, but whens the last time you saw Old Faithful?

Wildwood 

Wenatchee, WA has some great riding & hiking in the area. And it's an OK town to boot.

A great camping area (for a couple of nights) would be the northern entrance to Mt. Rainier Natl Park. Not too many people and a robust hike up to the Carbon Glacier. The road from Carbonado, WA into the Park is a GREAT ride with very low traffic and no killer climbs. No brew pubs in the immediate area, but there is a saloon in Carbonado.

Good camping and cycling routes along the Columbia River east of Portland.

On my ride list is the Route of Hiawatha trail.
https://wallace-id.com/skilookout/taft.html

Olympic peninsula is also on my list for this summer, likely just after Labor Day to avoid tourist season.

The Coastal areas of WA & OR have great camping, but I'm not a fan of high traffic 2 lane roads like Hwy 1.

I think Mt. St Helens is a spectacular experience. The road north of the mountain (volcano) is the route of the Tour de Blast.

TMB

We have done Vegas a number of times ( best RV place is actually the KOA at Circus, Circus ), we drive back and forth to AZ a lot and sometimes spin through Vegas on the way home.

My daughters really want to Camp and hike and stuff.

I was thinking of seeing if I could convince them to go to Tahoe area ........

Wildwood 

south of Bend OR is Crater Lake but I hear the summer traffic around the Lake is a cyclist's nightmare.

TMB

Problem with Wenatchee is that we leave after breakfast, we'd be there for lunch.

That MTB trail is cool, we have a similar trail here, the Kettle Valley Railway trail, 18 trestles, a bunch of tunnels, I love it.

Wildwood 

For camping & hiking, Yosemite beats the pants off Tahoe and not too much further south on Hwy 395. Mono Lake is interesting. The ride from Mono Lake into the Natl Park is a killer few miles, you top out at 9900+ feet elevation entering Tuolumne Meadows.

...... But I thought you wanted PNW locations ?!? To me that does not include CA & NV. Summer vacations in Las Vegas are only for masochists (and this from a former LV resident).

BengeBoy 

Have you done Glacier / southern Montana / Yellowstone / Grand Teton? Lots of crowds in places, but also room to get away from the crowds for hikes and such.

TMB

HAven't been to Glacier/ Montana for years.

I actually grew up in Southern Alberta, right outside the gates of Waterton National Park. Waterton is the same park system as Glacier but on the Canadian side.

Huge numbers of bears on the prowl in Waterton / Glacier which is a consideration when camping with doggies but could be a really nice trip.

Flathead lake, Glacier, Waterton......

Might be a winner.

BigBlueToe

Here are a couple of my favorites, both because they're beautiful and because I have wonderful memories: Sam Owen campground, between Hope and Clark Fork, Idaho on Lake Pend Oreilles. Beautiful place to sit and relax, swim in the lake, canoe, kayak, sail, row, fish, etc. The other is Golden Ears Provincial Park on Lake Alouette, north of Langley, B. C. You could probably get a campsite at either place.

overthehillmedi

ever done the Stewart-Cassiar -Alaskan Highway loop?

Pat

So you live in BC. I was going to suggest Bannf but ya been there done that. You could go to Glacier NP but I think that would be similar. Better, you could see Yellowstone which has geysers, grizzlies, wolves, elk, moose, and bison. Northern Yellowstone is the best place in the world to see wild wolves. It is the North American Serengeti.

Or you could go down to Utah and see the red rock country of Canyonlands NP and Arches NP (the setting of the road runner cartoon) and Bryce NP, Zion NP and Capital Reef NP.

Or if you like southwest archeology you could go to Hovenweep, Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde to see the anasazi. If you wish, you could go over into New Mexico and see the pueblos of their descendants.

Rocky Mountain National Park is pretty neat but after Bannf, I think that would be too much of the same.

I don't know if dinosaurs float your boat. But I think the museum in Bozeman has a good collection and there is Dinosaur National Monument. There are also places where you can see petrified forests and dinosaur tracks that are just out there.

Of course, if you like to fish, there is a whole other array of places to go to. The Madison River is storied as a fly fishing stream.

TMB

HAH!

I have, for work.

I doubt I could convince the girl pack that it would be a goodsummer vacation destination though.

I love it up there.

Daspydyr 

Tahoe, Big Bear Big Lake, OR....

Good thinking. All the other ideas sound incredible as well. Have you ever ridden thru Canada above Spokane. It looks to be filled with small towns with great fishing, golf and biking.

DnvrFox

The San Juan Islands out of Seattle. Great ferry rides, bicycling on the islands and guest lodges.

stapfam

Most of our holidays are camping and we go to France. Bit far for you to go but with camping- it does not matter where you go.

I normally take the bike with me and we stay at one site for the 10 to 14 days. Last time was in 07 and we went to the Alpes and I had just started road riding. My daughter and Fiance came with us so every morning I got up early and went for a ride while they eventually went to the pool. Afternoons were for sight seeing and I don't think it matters where you go providing the weather is going to be nice and there is enough in the region to see.

One day had to be different though- The French Alpes and all those hills. Ventoux just had to be paid a visit. I left the rest at the town at the bottom and started pedalling. The plan was for then to leave two hours later and meet me at the top so we could enjoy the views. Pity the last 1/3 of Ventoux was in thick cloud.

overthehillmedi

ah ,then their idea of a perfect vacation would be two weeks or more at the West Edmonton mall.

oldster

high tea at the Empress...Bud

JimT

If you get down to Bend, OR, give the Cascade Lakes Highway area a look. Lots of lakes, streams, camping, bike riding, hiking. Beautiful country.

Jim

TMB

The girls do seem to find a way to shoe-horn shopping excursions in in the oddest places - yes ...............

I have spent many hours sitting on benches watching the world go by in slow motion.

RonH

My wife and I just got back from a 3 week cross country trip. One of our favorite places was the Columbia River Gorge area (Oregon side of the river). Awesome.
We saw lots of cyclists, plenty of hills for hiking, its the birthplace of windsurfing (if your family likes that kind of stuff), great scenery, wineries are everywhere, and excellent views of Mt. Hood


and Mt. Adams.