WA state and Vancouver / Whistler

We’re looking into a trip next summer to WA state and possibly Vancouver & Whistler. In WA we are considering Mt Rainier, Olympic National Park, San Juan islands, and maybe North Cascades. In Canada, we were looking to spend a few days to see Vancouver and perhaps go up to Whistler.

Any advice / suggestions for getting around these areas with a trailer, where to camp, places with hook ups, perhaps WA state campgrounds in the area, must see areas? Olympic is pretty spread out and it seems some of the roads might be tight with a trailer. We’d prefer to minimize the number of sites we camp in and just take day trips if practical. Same questions wrt Vancouver – is there a place to land the TM with reasonable access to the area highlights?

Cheers

[RejoiceWay]

We live in Olympia, WA so know the area a bit. There are so many options it'd be nice to know what you're interested in doing and how long you plan to be here. There are many good campgrounds and more and more are big-rig friendly so no problem for a TM. We'll be going to Pt. Townsend soon, it's only about a 2 hr drive from Olympia. Beautiful old seaport town, with lots of victorian homes. Sol duck hot springs is nearby and Neah Bay is also a beautiful spot. Too many options to list. Whistler is also a great place, and about a 6 hour drive from Seattle. Vancouver's a big city and a bit difficult to get around. White Rock might be a fun place to stay, then do a day trip to Vancouver. Of course Mt. Rainier is another great visit. Options are never ending and it all depends on how much time you have and what your interests are.

[CAmark]

Several years ago we stayed 8 nights in the KOA-Port Angeles and made day-trips while visiting the Olympic Peninsula; it worked out well to not have the trailer at times. We enjoyed the Lavender Festival in/around Sequim (a few miles east of PA), and most of the locations mentioned in the previous post. You might consider leaving the TV/trailer in Washington and taking the ferry from PA over to Victoria -- several bus tours can get you to the major sites on Vancouver Island.

CAMark

Deception Pass State Park was a great place and it is in an area you mentioned. http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selec...ception%20Pass

Riverside campground is a great place to stay in whistler and about 25 min walk to the centre of Whistler village. Fairly expensive and in a mountain river setting with luxurious paved pads. Lots of walking and biking paths in the area. See link http://www.whistlercamping.com/home.html

Hazelmere rv park near whiterock has a pool and about an hour from downtown vancouver and close to the ocean and the US border. We live in North Vancouver. So yes I think Riverside in Whistler would be the best. There are some options in Vancouver city area but these would tend to be noisy with a lot of traffic.

Originally Posted by RejoiceWay

We live in Olympia, WA so know the area a bit. There are so many options it'd be nice to know what you're interested in doing and how long you plan to be here. There are many good campgrounds and more and more are big-rig friendly so no problem for a TM. We'll be going to Pt. Townsend soon, it's only about a 2 hr drive from Olympia. Beautiful old seaport town, with lots of victorian homes. Sol duck hot springs is nearby and Neah Bay is also a beautiful spot. Too many options to list. Whistler is also a great place, and about a 6 hour drive from Seattle. Vancouver's a big city and a bit difficult to get around. White Rock might be a fun place to stay, then do a day trip to Vancouver. Of course Mt. Rainier is another great visit. Options are never ending and it all depends on how much time you have and what your interests are.

Thanks for the replies, and sorry for the delayed response. That darn work thing keeps getting in the way. Anyway, we've never been to Olympic NP, nor Rainier for that matter. We’ll have about 2 weeks to spend in WA and/or Vancouver / Whistler. I generally prefer to spend more time in a given area and forego others as opposed to 1 day in many spots. If I can get away with moving the TM only 1-2 times per week that would be ideal.

We're really interested in seeing the highlights of the NPs, some hiking, and maybe an activity or two (horseback riding, boating/kayaking, maybe a zip line My impression is there's more to see at Olympic than Rainier but not sure if that’s accurate. At Olympic, from what I’ve read, it seems the coast, the rain forest, and the ridge & lakes along the north of the park are good options. I’d welcome some opinions on this.

In Olympic I was thinking to split nights between the west and north. I had seen Kalaloch Campground, Log Cabin RV resort and Sul Doc Campground on the web. Kalaloch claims to have only a few sites that can accommodate rigs up to 35’ (the others would be too small for our 3124). Any insight on this campground, likelihood of getting a reservation, alternatives…? Log Cabin RV, a private resort, and Sol Duc campground are on the north. Any opinions on these or alternatives?

Suggestions appreciated.

Don't forget the National Forest Campgrounds in Washington State. They can be a lot less crowded than the National Park Campgrounds and just as nice.

And when going up to Vancouver try to pass through the Mount Baker area.

Also Western Washington, Olympic Mountains and West slope of the Cascades, is totally different (wetter, different flora) from Eastern Washington and the East slope of the Cascades (drier, lots of Pines, open tree/grasslands). Both are gorgeous areas though.

You could up to Vancouver on one side of the Cascades and back down on the other.

one more question for those w/ WA experience....

Are any of the NP campgrounds at Rainier suitable for a 3124 TM? Everything I'm seeing seems to have a limit of 27' for trailers. Cougar Rock seems like the geographically most desirerable.

If the sites can in fact accomodate a 3124, are the roads getting in there reasonable?

thx