Washington State Master Thread

[SSLPhD]

I found a Seattle thread, but none for the rest of the state.  Any not-to-be-missed spots anyone can recommend?  Other tips?  Or a guidebook on par with the Revealed books for Hawaii? 

[Something Fishy]

The Seattle-area national parks are for starters. Olympic is not to be missed, not just the coastal areas but the lesser-visited rainforest parts too. Mount Rainier is also beautiful, and North Cascades has been high on my bucket list for a long time.

There's also the Palouse, which is lovely but quite a ways from Seattle.

[SSLPhD]

The Seattle-area national parks are for starters. Olympic is not to be missed, not just the coastal areas but the lesser-visited rainforest parts too. Mount Rainier is also beautiful, and North Cascades has been high on my bucket list for a long time.

There's also the Palouse, which is lovely but quite a ways from Seattle.

What's North Cascades NP's appeal?

[Something Fishy]

What's North Cascades NP's appeal?

Nothing very specific, just unbelievable scenery all around. I've seen some incredible pictures taken there, which got that added to my bucket list.

The big question is if it's anything you can't see in a bunch of other national parks; the scenery is similar to Rocky Mountain and Glacier NPs, maybe a bit more exotic.

[SSLPhD]

Hoh rain forest pix from my first trip (may not have been taken by me personally).

[SSLPhD]

PBaruch posted an awesome TR. http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=81754.0
Looks easy enough to convert to non-motorhome.

[emak]

Any info/TRs on San Juan Islands area? Couldn't find

[SSLPhD]

Any info/TRs on San Juan Islands area? Couldn't find

@emak did you end up going?  TR or just some points to share?

[emak]

@emak did you end up going?  TR or just some points to share?

I didn't sorry

[BCL]

Driving from Vancouver to LA over 4-5 days. With kids ages 5-10. I would like to drive 5-6 hours a day with 1 or 2 attractions or activities.

Is this reasonable?

Some possibilities:

Boeing Factory
Cannon Beach
Crater Lake
Oregon Dunes Nat'l Rec Area
Redwood Nat'l Park
Glass Beach
Golden Gate Bridge
Big Sur
Monterey - Kayaking
Jelly Belly Factory
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park - Mcway Falls
Point Lobos

Which ones are kid friendly?

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[SSLPhD]

Driving from Vancouver to LA over 4-5 days. With kids ages 5-10. I would like to drive 5-6 hours a day with 1 or 2 attractions or activities.

Is this reasonable?

Google maps says 20 hours direct.  If you go at all out of the way, it'll add a significant amount of time.  Haven't been to the Boeing factory, but the Museum of Flight was great.  Crater Lake is a nice stop, but I wouldn't hike down to the lake with a 5 year old.  In the Redwood NP area:  there are some trees you can drive through including Tour-Thru Tree in Klamath, CA.  Also, we went kayaking on Stone Lagoon, I believe just south of Redwood NP.  Looks like you plan to drive through San Francisco.  The Exploratorium is always a hit with kids.  And further south, I actually like Sequoia NP better than Redwood NP (do the Crystal Cave tour), but skip Kings Canyon NP.  Maybe you can also do Yosemite NP.  There are ranger activities for kids in the larger NPs, go on their website to see what's planned.

Sorry can't help with most of your list.

Some possibilities:

Boeing Factory
Cannon Beach
Crater Lake
Oregon Dunes Nat'l Rec Area
Redwood Nat'l Park
Glass Beach
Golden Gate Bridge
Big Sur
Monterey - Kayaking
Jelly Belly Factory
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park - Mcway Falls
Point Lobos

Which ones are kid friendly?

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[GAM Z.]

Anything worth checking out near Spokane/ Coeur d'Alene?

[Traveler718]

Anything worth checking out near Spokane/ Coeur d'Alene?

I really enjoyed the Couer d'Alene boat cruise. Thought about Palouse Falls, but didn't make it there in the end.

[GAM Z.]

I really enjoyed the Couer d'Alene boat cruise. Thought about Palouse Falls, but didn't make it there in the end.

Thanks! I’ll look into that.