DesertHawk wrote:
RE: "Are there any National Parks we may utilize on our trip? WE are old and get the discount. Many friends ahve told me to drive only about 6 hours then stop, keeps one rested and better chance of getting space in parks is this valid?"
Yes!
As for Camping vs Tourist, I would think it is a little of each. Camping as one tours, and touring as one camps at least it has always been for us. I am sure for many the camping is the most important, perhaps the only thing. Then there are some who may camp only to hunt or fish. I always liked the camping as much as the fishing & hunting personally. Then there are those like yourself, who are just touring and just happens to spend the night in the RV instead of a motel. We happen to enjoy them both. But we can be very happy just hanging around the campgound, enjoying the great outdoors and watching wildlife and birds is a real bonus. Even reading a book at times. I enjoy the chores which one must do while camping.
Another possible question on the lines of yours would be Camping vs RVing or staying in campgrounds or boondocking vs staying in RV Resorts with full hookups. I prefer the campgounds and do not wish to go to the resorts.
Now back to your Q. Can't help on the fishing part. But here are somethings I have collected on camping/touring the Pacific Northwest:
We have stayed at Birch Bay State Park in Washington twice over the years, used it as a base for going to
Victoria, Canada. Once on the way out of Canada, once before going into it. It is a 194-acre camping park with 8,255 feet of saltwater shoreline on Birch Bay and 14,923 feet of freshwater shoreline on Terrell Creek. The park is rich in archeological significance and offers panoramic views of the Cascade Mountains and Canadian Gulf Islands. Very nice park, neat views, neat seafood in the area.
We enjoyed a short stay at Sequim Bay State Park, a year-round, 92-acre marine camping park with 4,909 feet of saltwater coast in the Sequim "rainshadow," just inside Puget Sound on the Olympic Peninsula. The bay is calm, the air is dry and interpretive opportunities await visitors.
To get to Sequim from Birch Bay, we did take a ferry to Port Townsend. Can't remember route at this time. We also took a ferry from an island, which we drove to from Sequim, to Seattle. Bough some fresh pawns at a small country stop & shop and some smoked salmon from some guys selling it from their van along the way. Go some crab boil at a Super Market in Sequim. Oh, was it a feast! We went to the Aquarium in Seattle and rode a tram to close to the Space Needle.
Anyone of these
PARKS must be neat, they are along the coast no less, what could be wrong?
After staying a few days at Sequim Bay, we spent a night at the Olympic National Park Campgroud at a Rain Forest site, can not remember the name, etc. instead of finding one along the coast. It seems the Rain Forest area by on the Pacific side of the Park.
But before leaving Washington, we stopped at Cape Disappointment State Park (formerly Fort Canby State Park) is a 1,882-acre camping park on the Long Beach Peninsula, fronted by the Pacific Ocean. The park offers 27 miles of ocean beach, two lighthouses, an interpretive center and hiking trails. Visitors enjoy beachcombing and exploring the area's rich natural and cultural history. The nearby coastal towns of Ilwaco and Long Beach feature special events and festivals spring through fall. It was very nice. Some sites are on the beach or very near it.
In Oregon
We found a nice campground around the Oregon Dunes NRA which extends for 40 miles along the Oregon Coast, but can't remember the name. The dunes were Very neat to hike into, but we found the campground was to far from the beach. This was in the lower part of the state. I believe it was a National Park campground, along the 101 with dune drifting down into it. We saw a deer, an owl, the kids played in the sand.
Like the Washington state parks, there are Oregon State Parks all along the coast. They are all good for both a short stay or longer. Good spots for a one-nighter while covering the miles and Good places to stay for several days and deeply relax in a quiet, beautiful, interesting spot. We stayed a 2 I believe. One was Beverly Beach State
Park, very nice, near New Port.
Bullards Beach State
Park might be the other one, or one close to it might be it. We may have walk to this one along the beach from where we were.
List of Parks
Fort Clatsop a Lewis and Clark National Historical
Park was neat to see, our young kids loved it. It is near Astoria. No camping there.
The bridge over the Columbia River is neat to cross at Astoria as well. We stayed a couple of nights at a state park located just outside Ilwaco at the very southwesternmost corner of Washington. Camping facilities include 190 standard campsites, 60 RV sites and 4 primitive campsites. It was called Fort Canby State Park when we were there, but is now:
Cape Disappointment State Park (formerly Fort Canby State Park) is a 1,882-acre camping park on the Long Beach Peninsula, fronted by the Pacific Ocean. The park offers 27 miles of ocean beach, two lighthouses, an interpretive center and hiking trails. Visitors enjoy beachcombing and exploring the area's rich natural and cultural history. The nearby coastal towns of Ilwaco and Long Beach feature special events and festivals spring through fall.
The campground was Walking distance to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse which began operating in 1856, and is now the oldest lighthouse still in use on the West Coast.
Links to info & trip reports of
California to Vancover BC via Coast and other areas.
Redwood National and State Parks to see the Redwoods just inside CA before getting into Oragon.
RED WOODS
Many State Parks in Oregon.
South Coast
Central Coast
North Coast
We stayed at the one just north of New Port, very nice area. We also stayed at one south of there. I believe any of them would be great.
Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (US Forest Service) for over-night stays from the mouth of the Siuslaw, to Cape Blanco at Coos Bay.
Dunes
Forest Service
Oregon Coast
Coast
Washington Coast
Hwy 101 like the Oregon coast, any park would be neat.
Cape Disappointment State Park (formerly Fort Canby State Park) was very nice when we visited it many years ago.
Campground
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was neat to see.
Mt.St.
Park
Portland Waterfalls.
Falls
Nice drive up the Columbia River from Portland. We stopped at one falls on the drive, not sure of the name now. But is away from the coast.
On one trip, we went inland for a side excursion to see Crater Lake in OR.
CraterLake and Shasta Lake in CA.
Shasta
Camping
We traveled mainly on 101, except for the trip to San Simeon to Big Sur to Monterey and over to Half Moon Bay. And of course to Crater Lake and Shasta.
There were several lighthouses alone the way which were neat to see & photo and great views of the Pacific.
If you go up towards Half Moon Bay, there is a neat lighthouse to see at the Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park. Half Moon Bay has a nice state beach with camping as well.
PARKS
PARKS 2
My painting of Pigeon Point Lighthouse
My second painting of Pigeon Point Lighthouse
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