Recommendations for Wash/Ore Coast and back to SLC

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kente

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Planning a trip from Olympia National Park down the coast and then back to SLC.    Would appreciate any ideas regarding the most interesting route and the best places to stay.  We will be towing a 22 foot trailer and would like to drive no more than 3-4 hours/day (with the possible exception of the trip across Nevada).    It is fairly easy to just plan a route along the coast, but it would be nice if someone with some experience on that route could give us some tips to help us make the most of it.

Thanks
 
You will be driving right by one of the best unknown National Parks in the country, Great Basin. They have great hiking, a trail goes up to 11k feet to the second highest peak in Nevada. But the Lehman Caves are the real high point. The best caves in the country (at least of the ones I have been in like Mammoth and Carlsbad). You will have most of the park to yourselves since it is usually pretty empty. Most people have never even heard of the place.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lehman+Caves/@39.0054149,-114.3519922,11z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x6c4b43487ae4b348!8m2!3d39.0054149!4d-114.2206712

Olympic NP is really three parks in one. The main park is located south of Port Angeles and goes up to Hurricane Ridge. On the west side of the park is two rain forests and the Ho rain forest has a nice campground. Then go out to the ocean for the Kalaloch Campground on the beach. So you have mountains, rain forests and beaches.
 
If you get down around Grants Pass stay at grants pass KOA. AKA Jump off Joes.  Nice friendly staff and swimming hole in back that is a creek with waterfalls . One of our favorites.
 
SeilerBird said:
You will be driving right by one of the best unknown National Parks in the country, Great Basin. They have great hiking, a trail goes up to 11k feet to the second highest peak in Nevada. But the Lehman Caves are the real high point. The best caves in the country (at least of the ones I have been in like Mammoth and Carlsbad). You will have most of the park to yourselves since it is usually pretty empty. Most people have never even heard of the place.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lehman+Caves/@39.0054149,-114.3519922,11z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x6c4b43487ae4b348!8m2!3d39.0054149!4d-114.2206712
Click to expand...
GBNP is quite a ways south of routes to Oregon and Washington from SLC. It is a great place though. I am assuming the OP is a SLC resident, so he or she might have already been to Great Basin. If not, it is an easy trip for a long weekend, which is the way we did it. With a little trailer you can stay in Wheeler Peak campground at 9000-10,000? or so. We went in late September one year and it was quite cold at night. It was worth getting up at midnight though to see the stars - awe inspiring.
 
kente said:
Planning a trip from Olympia National Park down the coast and then back to SLC.    Would appreciate any ideas regarding the most interesting route and the best places to stay.  We will be towing a 22 foot trailer and would like to drive no more than 3-4 hours/day (with the possible exception of the trip across Nevada).    It is fairly easy to just plan a route along the coast, but it would be nice if someone with some experience on that route could give us some tips to help us make the most of it.

Thanks
Click to expand...
How long? 2 weeks or 3 months?  Starting from SLC to WA and then back to SLC or what?  How far down the coast?  Do you need hookups or will you dry camp?

Starting at Olympia NP and going down the coast to the OR--CA border is a good 2-4 week trip, depending on how much you want to stop and see.

In the Olympia NP the Hoh rain forest campground is great.  Get there early in the day and get a campsite right on the edge of the small river. 
 
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