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RV DISCOVERIES IN NORTHERN WASHINGTON STATE
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NOTE: While originally published in 1997, the information below is still valid as of 2001
The northernmost section of Washington, particularly east of the Cascades, is seldom visited by the casual traveler. With hindsight it appears well known to those who live in the central or eastern parts of the state, but it remains beyond the normal cruising choice of all others. A trip through this region, stretching from Burlington to the Idaho border, uncovers some extremely diverse territory, and brings with it some pleasant surprises that don't "fit" the image of what is often assumed to be a relatively arid and flat terrain.
DAY ONE: Friday Harbor to Twisp
The trip east from Burlington passes along the Skagit River valley through towns which have not yet seen the growth and modernization which has occurred just a bit further south. The scenery becomes increasingly mountainous between Concrete (nice name, eh?) and Marblemount; and just east of Marblemount Highway 20 climbs into what one sign describes with good cause the "American Alps". At Newhalem the Skagit River flows westerly from the first dam, Gorge Dam. Beyond the second dam is Diablo Lake, with excellent boat access and campground facilities. The top of Diablo Lake is marked by Ross dam, which marks the southern end of Ross Lake, a long, narrow lake located in the northeast portion of North Cascades Park which courses some 50+ miles north through inaccessible mountain area just into Canada.
note: Ross Lake is one of the potential "discoveries" of this trip, as it looks like an excellent fishing opportunity. Access would be either from Highway 20, near Ross dam, or through Hope, B.C., on a relatively long unpaved road. The season is short (July-October), but since access is limited to boat, pressure should be limited. Except for two close feeder creeks, the balance also look like excellent prospects.
Beyond the Park, the road crosses Rainy Pass (4855) and Washington Pass (5477) before settling down into the upper steppes of the Okanogan Valley. The town of Winthrop has become quite a tourist attraction, but offers a variety of RV facilities, including Pearrygin State Park (make resons!). A few miles further east there's another attractive park on the Methow River, located just west of Twisp.
DAY TWO: Twisp to Republic
Following Highway 20 east, one more summit, Loup Loup (4020) must be crossed before finding the "real" Okanogan valley country, with its substantial stretches of fruit orchards, salvaged from what must otherwise be desert by the hearty Okanogan River. From Okanogan, we traveled north on 20 as far as Riverside, and then took a diversionary trip east from Riverside on a narrow paved road. Some 15 miles later we arrived at Conconully Lake. This Lake seems well staked out by summer residents and tourists. All have small car top boats which they use here and on several other lakes in the vicinity. From here we ventured north on a dirt road for some 20 miles to Loomis. This stretch of road, which passes small lakes with still more tourists in car top boats, looks like prime real estate for the fall deer hunt. Much of the road traverses a relatively narrow valley, with steep heavily wooded hills. The valley itself is a mix of sage and pine, with many meadows and open areas.
From Loomis, a steep unmarked dirt road leads up into the country to the northwest. This road may rejoin the somewhat more "main" road at Conconully Lake, although this remains speculation. In any event, this too appeared to lead to good potential deer hunting areas.
From Loomis we continued north past Palmer Lake, through Night Hawk, which is an unmarked ghost town, and followed the road east to its intersection with Highway 20 at Oroville.
note: Approximately two miles west of Oroville we came upon what has to be one of the most spectacular small golf courses we've yet seen. It was situated on the edge of a steep rocky gorge above a main tributary to the Okanogan River. Next time bring the clubs!
Some 17 miles south on 97 we passed through the rough and tumble town of Tonasket. Here's a true "wild West" town which has only been partially discovered. About 45 minutes east we found some fascinating, albeit narrow and winding mountain roads leading to such attractions as Bonaparte Lake.
We rejoined Highway 20 at Tonasket, and continued east from the Okanogan Valley. This area appears to be slightly less well known to tourists, and leads through portions of the Okanogan National Forest. About this time we were beginning to look for a suitable RV spot for the evening, and noted several possibilities near Republic, about 10 miles east of Wauconda summit. Just past the summit we found a forest service campground with the attractive name of "Sweat Creek", which we investigated. There was no one there, and though their were a limited number of RV spots, it was a most attractive option -- particularly when the weather is hotter in the valleys east and west, since it is favored both by elevation and dense shade providing forests. Opting to continue, we passed through Republic (which is an intriguingly restored "western" town attracting peak season tourism), and found our way to Curlew Lake State Park, some 9 miles from town. This is another nice "find", and like Paradise Valley, the better RV spots (which are dry here), are located in an open, well maintained grassy area. The Park is situated on the shores of Curlew Lake, which has more than a fair share of summer home activity.
DAY THREE: Curlew Lake to Sandpoint
Climbing out of Republic towards Kettle Falls, we once again found ourselves in steep mountain terrain. Less than 20 miles from Republic we again came upon an unmarked (on the maps) forest service campground at Sherman Pass (5575). This again was totally empty, offered several nice secluded sites, and would offer an excellent option in hot weather to the valleys which lie both east and west. On the downside of Sherman pass heading east, the road tumbles into the Columbia River basin, and crosses the top end of Roosevelt Lake, which is formed by Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River some 100 or so miles downstream.
This Lake is also a major surprise of the trip, in that the terrain -- at least in the northern reaches -- is not sand dunes but lower altitude pine forest. Although the banks of the lake easily tell of the rising and lowering of the lake according to flood control and agricultural requirements, much of it is steep sided; and all of the northern portion at least looks onto pine forests.
note: This area is ripe for further exploration. A houseboat rental facility is located just beyond the ranger station and campgrounds near Kettle Falls. The rates are a bit pricey, but split among two couples wouldn't be unreasonable. The boats are 52' in length, and advertise sleeping 10-12. Closer investigations shows the 10 sleeper has two small staterooms, with the balance of the crowd apparently relegated to fold down couches and dinette. Again, this would be very adequate for two couples with some additional space for kids. The "lake" offers both trout and walleye fishing. Much of the walleye fishing appears to be in the southern portion, in the bays which flow north. Trout fishing might be quite good at the far north end, probably into the creeks which feed the lake (once the high water has subsided). Sherman Creek was said to be particularly good for large trout; and several of the other more northerly feeder streams are worth exploring.
A minor highway, SR 25, follows the lake for more than 50 miles south along the lake, and would offer a good route to reconnoiter the area. As we were already a bit behind schedule exploring the surprise of Roosevelt Lake, we opted for the shorter route down US 395, turned east at Loon Lake, and promptly got lost trying to cross the valley to US 2. After a trip through some very unspoiled farmland, we located US 2 and followed in into Idaho, stopping at the town of Priest River. With thoughts of trout dinner, we unhooked the Suzi and started up the road to Priest Lake. However, even the first full look at Priest River made it abundantly clear that the water was still so high in mid-June that it would be virtually impossible to fish. So we opted instead for some extra time at our night's destination, Sandpoint. We explored for future reference a Corps of Engineers campground located some 3.5 miles west of the south end of the bridge across Lake Pend Oreille. Although there are no hookups, the sites are nicely spaced, and the whole facility is situated on a very pleasant portion of west facing beach. It would be an excellent spot for launching a trailerable boat. Dinner out was overdue that night, and we revisited an old favorite, the Hydra. No resos, and not fancy, but the food is excellent, the wines reasonably priced, and the ambience relaxed. Our other favorite spot, the Garden Court, offers better scenery, and a bit more formality, and would be a good alternate for a bit more in the price tag. A new Italian restaurant, locating diagonally across from the Hydra, looked like a good try next time around. On a warm summer's evening, it offered outdoor seating in what appeared to be the front garden of a fine old Sandpoint home.
note: One of my favorite spots in Sandpoint is a sporting goods store located about 2 miles north of town, just across from the major shopping center in the area. One can shop there for local information, as well as a splendid array of fishing and hunting items. The locals are not too keen on the prolific kokanee population, but prefer instead the large species of trout which are caught best in May to early June; and again in October-November. These time frames are not well known outside of the area, and are worth knowing.
DAY FOUR: Sandpoint to Ellensburg
By now we were beginning to get the scent of the home trail, which usually would make for a fairly boring day through some fairly barren country. Not this day! In search of an elusive houseboat rental facility which we'd used 10 years ago, we started the day on Lake Pend Oreille heading some 8-10 miles along the lakeshore on Bottle Bay road. We eventually located what may have been the former site, but whatever it used to be, it now is the Bottle Bay Resort, a very secluded and friendly little cove. It has what appear to be pleasant (not posh) housekeeping accommodations, and its own small marina with a very adequate launching area for trailerable boats. The staff seemed extremely friendly, and it would be a spot worth considering in the future.
With ample time to make the trek to Ellensburg, we decided to forego the normal freeway route and instead take US 2 across a more northerly route to Coulee City. Unlike the Interstate, which passes through some very barren landscapes, this route commands rolling hills with light density pine forest for much of the distance, giving way to well fertile grain fields going west. Coulee City, which has extensive and well utilized public camping and boating facilities, is some 20 miles below Grand Coulee dam, and has its own dam called Dry Falls Dam. Just below Dry Falls Dam is a very interesting state park and interpretive area overlooking a series of small, deep lakes. It turns out "coulee" is an Indian word for "dry channel" -- and there are many such dry gorges in the area. These channels were created eons ago by an enormous flood which occurred with the ending of the Ice Age. It was the flood waters which here created the enormous "coulees" in the area, the largest of which is "Grand Coulee", after which the principal dam is named.
Turning south on SR 17, the road (marked as a scenic route on maps) passes a series of connected small lakes, all with small boat access, and many with campgrounds. These lakes are well known, apparently, as the user population is large. The last of these, Soap Lake, which claims healing properties to its waters, has an RV population which reminds one a bit of Arizona desert locations in mid-winter. This is an interesting area to see, but would not be much of place to spend time.
The evening was spent at an old favorite, the Ellensburg KOA, located just off the Interstate on the banks of the Yakima River. Although this spot can often be windy, the campground itself is somewhat protected. No doubt the best spot in the facility, in terms of privacy, space and shade, is No. 43. Ask for it by name!
DAY FIVE: Ellensburg to Friday Harbor
While the scenery over Snoqualmie summit is always spectacular, by reason of our frequency of traversing it we're becoming at risk of not appreciating the wonderful vistas it offers. We did note with some care the apparently large forested state park campground located at the Austin exit. While it's only open from May through August, keeping track of summer options in the I 90 corridor is a constructive exercise. We've had our fair share of problems trying to find accommodations of any kind on summer nights, particularly on weekends.
And so, home again to our lovely San Juan Islands. We take these gems for granted too, and some day must write about them for the many guests who arrive here over the waters of Puget Sound to this waterbound northwesternmost part of the United States...
"Copyright 1996-2001, RVers Online. Reprinted with Permission of RVers Online."
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by Tom and Stephanie Gosner
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