Pacific Northwest and Victoria BC

A buddy and I have planned a trip from Colorado to Victoria BC this summer, leaving June 20. We plan to travel through Yellowstone then north and west through the Cascade Mountains and on into Victoria. I am wondering if anyone has travelled these areas in late June and can tell me what to expect weather-wise. Any route or scenic recommendations?

Tazerbarb said:

A buddy and I have planned a trip from Colorado to Victoria BC this summer, leaving June 20. We plan to travel through Yellowstone then north and west through the Cascade Mountains and on into Victoria. I am wondering if anyone has travelled these areas in late June and can tell me what to expect weather-wise. Any route or scenic recommendations?

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I live in Spokane, Be prepared for rain, snow possibly at altitude and cooler temps. The weather is still in flux during that period. However, as a rule it is temperate and quite enjoyable. A heated vest may save the day.

It is quite likely that some of the best roads will still be closed. Crater Lake rim road and the historic Old McKenzie Hwy. (242) may both be closed because the snow was so deep. This would be an excellent time of year to venture through central Oregon. Go north on 395 to John Day, the up to Kimberly and Spray, then decide which of the awesome roads north you want to take, 207 through Hardman, or 19 through Fossil. You will feel right at home in the Oregon red rock country. Maybe coordinate your tour with the John Day Rally.

For the short leg to Vancouver Island check out mapquest. There are several ferry routes to the island. Take one that goes through the San Juan Islands, very spectacular trip. I think the one out of North Vancouver city is just a straight shot across the sound, very boring. When you get to Victoria at least have tea here:
http://www.hotelgrandpacific.com/
Victoria has a very British feel, I stayed there many years ago. Pretty cool.

Last year, we had a snow storm on June 11...so be ready for any weather. Stick to the main highways as some of the lesser mountain roads may still be snowed under. ...it all depends on "the melt."

A departure date of June 20 does put you on the bubble in terms of snow closures for some of the high passes, which is unfortunate.

If it were my trip I'd try to hit Lolo Pass (from Missula MT) into the southeast corner of the state and then cut north to the North Cascades Highway (Hwy 20) and take it across to I-5 which will run you up the the border with Canada.

The snowpack has been down this year so the roads may well be clear by then...but you never know for sure.

Know & like Victoria well, usually get there every year. Bad news first, then all the good stuff. It is a tourist town which means higher prices, lots of people, with the mildest climate in Canada lots of panhandlers, druggies in downtown parks; you get the idea. The police are friendly and can help you avoid the few trouble spots. It is not a violent place, a bit of common sense, keep walking & don't fall for the 'hard' luck stories and you'll be fine. Many of our lefty loonies live there too...
Now the good stuff, beautiful scenery, mountains, beaches, fantastic museums, high tea at the Empress Hotel, great dining, good pubs with local brews(try Spinnakers), street performers, great waterfront, wax museum, whale watching, double decker transit buses. Once you get there and see the city's history you will get the British feeling of the place. I have ridden round Puget Sound and taken the ferry from Port Angeles across to Victoria, docks right downtown where your adventures will start. From experience, I go in early September when it's still warm, sunny and dry, June can be cool and drizzly. You will love it! (hope I wasn't too long winded).

Thank you, all! The information is very helpful and the alternate routes are going to come in real handy if the weather doesn't cooperate! Looks like I'll be buying some cold weather riding gear!

In addition to the highly-worthy SR20 route, mentioned already, might I suggest skipping I-5 and do the 1-2 hour detour of taking the Edmonds-Kingston ferry across the Puget sound and riding up Hwy 101 (which is absolutely stunning and has moderate twisties) To Port Angeles. Then ride the black ball ferries... (http://cohoferry.com/main/) right in to Victoria.

Alternatively, if you stay on HWY 20 instead of going up I-5 (boring), you can ride the Washington State Ferries through the San Juan Islands, up to Victoria. The San Juans are very pretty and you can get off and ride up Mt. Washington on Orcas Island or something if you want an Island adventure.

All mountain passes in Washington State will be clear by June. Crews will start plowing the North Cascades Hwy later this month and they are always done by Memorial Day. (Aside - fascinating pictures of the highway under 40' of snow are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157614387037548/)

I'm not as much of an expert on Oregon passes, but I can't imagine any would be still closed after Memorial Day weekend!

I'd avoid the interstate highways as much as possible. Once you leave Yellowstone, find U.S. 2 and take that west across Montana. You'll go right through Glacier National Park and can take a side trip up Going to the Sun Road.

U.S. 2 will take you across rural stretches of Idaho and Washington State. When you get to Wenatchee, head north on U.S. 97 until you encounter the North Cascades Hwy (SR 20), which will then head west across the Cascades. Once you've crossed the Cascades, you have several options for getting to Victoria:

1. You can ride north to Vancouver, B.C., ride through downtown Vancouver and across the Lion's Gate Bridge to North Vancouver, then west to Horseshoe Bay and the British Columbia ferry to Nanaimo, B.C. on Vancouver Island.

2. You can stay on Hwy 20 until you reach the town of Anacortes. In Anacortes you can catch the Washington State Ferry to Sydney, B.C. If possible, try to visit a few of the San Juan Islands - especially San Juan and Orcas Islands.

3. You can stay on Hwy 20, bypass Anacortes, and cross Deception Pass onto Whidbey Island. Ride south along Whidbey Island (longest island in the United States) until you reach the ferry terminal at Keystone. Here you can take a Washington State Ferry to Port Townsend. From Port Townsend, you can ride Hwy 20 to US 101 to Port Angeles. Port Angeles is the gateway to Olympic National Park and two great rides - up to Hurricane Ridge or out to the Pacific Ocean. Hurricane Ridge is a ride up to a viewpoint and visitors center at about 5000 ft. elevation. The view is spectacular and the road is just as much fun to ride as the view is beautiful. The ocean is just about an hour west of Port Angeles, with amazingly rugged scenery. You can drive out to Neah Bay and the most northwestern point within the continental United States.

From Port Angeles, you can catch the M/V Coho ferry (privately run) across the Straight of Juan de Fuca to Victoria.

Two other great rides in the area are the Mount Baker Hwy (SR 542) out of Bellingham. This amazing highway snakes up through the Nooksack River valley to the Mt. Baker ski area and amazing views of Mt. Shuksan. In late August and September, you can ride all the way up to the end of the road at Artist's Point and views of Mt. Baker.

A shorter ride out of Burlington/Bellingham is Chuckanut Drive, a narrow twisting road perched on a cliff above Puget Sound. Every turn has views of the San Juan Islands. Most of the ride is through undeveloped forest land and a state park.

Have fun!

airoilheadbeemerguy said:

good pubs with local brews(try Spinnakers)

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I'm from Victoria originally. Spent 35+ years there. Mom still lives there, as do some other relatives and a bunch of friends. As you finalize plans you can PM me and I'll help you plan anything you want to do. If you like good beer and good food DO NOT MISS SPINNAKER'S!! I spent way too many nights there playing darts and quaffing pints. Lots to do in Victoria, just give me the dates you're there and what you want to do and I can recommend rides, touristy things, restaurants, you name it!

Steve

If coming into WA by way of Spokane pick up SR 2 there and ride that across the state to 97, Wenatchee. You can also take a side trip to the Grand Coulee Dam* and continue West through the Colville Indian Reservation and pick up SR20 that way. From there you'll enter the North Cascades Highway. The Alps of the US.
SR 20 takes you to the ferries at Anacortes which of course terminate at Victoria, BC.

You'll never see a more dramatic change of scenery by taking this route.

http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/54772/stories/63292

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/northcascades

http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2230/stories/56588

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_park/wa/drv_nor.htm

*'ON' cover May 08

Don't forget the hot springs!

One great thing about the area that you are riding through is that there are tons of hot springs in the Pacific North West. They can range from developed sites like Bonneville Hot Springs in the Columbia River Gorge and the Summer Lake Hot Springs in Central Oregon. To the many undeveloped sites through out these states. I love hitting this when camping out there in Central Oregon. Nothing like sitting in one with the snow falling around. There are plenty of books on them, check out Amazon.

PlaneGeek said:

One great thing about the area that you are riding through is that there are tons of hot springs in the Pacific North West. They can range from developed sites like Bonneville Hot Springs in the Columbia River Gorge and the Summer Lake Hot Springs in Central Oregon. To the many undeveloped sites through out these states. I love hitting this when camping out there in Central Oregon. Nothing like sitting in one with the snow falling around. There are plenty of books on them, check out Amazon.

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Before you go to Victoria... Try this area on the Olympic Peninsula:

http://www.visitsolduc.com/

Then take the ferry to Victoria from Port Angeles, WA across the straits...

http://www.victoriaexpress.com/schedules.html

The roads that will be closed for snow will not be the travel corridors, but off the beaten path destination roads in the high country. Don't expect the Steens loop in SE Oregon (East of Frenchglen) to be open either

Great stuff!

Thanks again, everyone. You've provided some great information for my trip planning. June 20th is not going to get here quick enough!

If you are going to spend much time on Vancouver Island, you just have to take the ride over to Tofino and Ucluelet and see our version of Long Beach. You would travel up from Victoria, thru Nanaimo then take a left at Qualicum Beach (where I live) and then head over the Alberni Summit into Port Alberni. Follow the signs thru town and follow the fun twisties for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (depends on speed and traffic) out to Tofino. Absolutely beautiful scenery andfun road. Just be cautious as the road can be very unforgiving. Total riding time from Victoria is approx. 4 to 5 hours, plus any stops along the way.

Dave

shire2000 said:

If you are going to spend much time on Vancouver Island, you just have to take the ride over to Tofino and Ucluelet and see our version of Long Beach. You would travel up from Victoria, thru Nanaimo then take a left at Qualicum Beach (where I live) and then head over the Alberni Summit into Port Alberni. Follow the signs thru town and follow the fun twisties for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (depends on speed and traffic) out to Tofino. Absolutely beautiful scenery andfun road. Just be cautious as the road can be very unforgiving. Total riding time from Victoria is approx. 4 to 5 hours, plus any stops along the way.

Dave

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and don't forget the goats in Coombs!

Well, naturally the goats on the roof in Coombs. That just goes without saying. And have a great ice cream cone while watching them. they enjoy getting a bit of the cone at the end.

Both Washington and Oregon have some really interesting rides. The Columbia River Gorge is really scenic where it cuts through the Cascade mountains. There are lots of really twisty paved (and unpaved) roads in the area of Stevenson. That's where Sportbike NW, Sport Touring NW, and Dualsport NW share a big rally every summer.

The Oregon side has the superslab, but also the old scenic highway up on the side of the hill. The Washington side has a scenic two-laner with views of lava cliffs and the river. On the WA side near the 14/97 junction, there are the Maryhill Museum and the Stonehenge Replica, both worth a visit. At Stevenson there is an excellent interpretive center (museum really) that explains the culture and geography of the area. At Hood River (OR side) you can take a sternwheeler cruise on the river for a couple of hours. And the big dams have visitor centers and walking tours.

There are a number of waterfalls on the OR side, all accessed from the scenic drive including Multnomah Falls. Nice restaurant there, too.

The ride south of The Dalles points you toward Mt. Hood. You can do a loop back to Gresham, then north toward Victoria either via the coast highway 101, or via superslab I-5, then 101 north to Port Angeles, and cross on the Coho ferry to downtown Victoria.

For a woodsey experience on a very twisty (paved) road, try FS 25 up the east side of Mt. St. Helens. Unfortunately for you, it crests at about 4,000 feet, so the snow may not melt until July. But ask. If it's open, it's a great ride. One of my 2-wheeler favorites of all time. You'll need to follow the signs or a GPS to make the various connections to FS 25 from the south. FS 25 comes out on 12 at Randle. You can either head west on 12 to I-5, or go E on 12 to Mt. Rainier NP. The ride through the park to Paradise Lodge is spectacular, as you look up at a glacier-clad 14,000 ft peak. Again, in June check that the road is open. You can also reach Paradise via 7 N of Morton to Elbe and E to the park entrance at Longmire.

If you'd rather skip all the spectacular scenery and never-ending twisty roads, You could point toward Lolo Pass in Idaho, then follow US 12, WA 261, WA 26, WA 286 etc. from Lewiston/Clarkston toward Wenatchee. Wheat farming country. US2 over the pass, stopping at Leavenworth of course. (a good overnight stop and lots of German food)

Bear in mind that Stevens Pass in over 4,000 ft. and the superslab I-90 crosses Snoqualmie Pass at around 3,000 ft. So, if you're in E WA and headed for Victoria, check the weather reports. If the passes are dicey, head for the Columbia Gorge and the coast route where it will be warmer.

The ride along Hood Canal is scenic N of Hoodsport. Nice twisty paved two-laner with almost constant views of the water. If you have time, Port Townsend is worth a visit. Old historic seaport town. Old brick buildings, boats, shops, and an old coastal defense fort, Fort Worden. Lots of good eateries in various price ranges. Otherwise, head west on 101 to Port Angeles. Wave to me as you ride by Agnew.

The Coho car ferry departs downtown Port Angeles for a 90 minute crossing to Victoria. May 15 thru Sept 28, departures from PA at 8:20, 12:45, 5:15, and maybe 9:30p. With today's security, you must be on the dock (I think, call to find out for sure) 90 minutes prior to departure. You'll need identification, and you should carry a passport. For info: www.cohoferry.com/schedules

If the weather is nice and you ride over Stevens Pass to Everett, follow I-5 north to Mt. Vernon, hang a west on 20 to Anacortes, and catch the WA State ferry from Anacortes to Sidney. If you have time to visit any of the (San Juan) islands, it gets a little tricky, since the "international" sailings to Sidney BC are separate from the inter-island sailings. International service begins March 29. For info: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/schedules

I have an old summer schedule that shows westbound departure from Anacortes at 8:15a straight to Sidney, and 2:00p with stops at Orcas and Friday Harbor to pick up Sidney-bound vehicles. So, you could take one of the inter-island ferries to say, Orcas or San Juan islands, then catch the westbound international sailing the next day. Orcas is laid-back and scenic, Friday Harbor on San Juan Island has a nice whale museum, and a low-key downtown. Vehicle reservations are recommended. 206 464-6400 or 888-808-7977, or www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries. Sunday and Monday mornings are peak travel time on the interisland ferry routes.

Another alternative is to cross the border at Blaine (a time consuming PITA), then head for Tsawassin and take the BC ferry to Sidney. You can also go through Vancouver BC (are you out of your mind?) and take CA 1 to the BC ferry to Nanaimo. Frankly, unless you need to see something in Van, I'd advise against it. Traffic can be awesome (ly slow and congested).

The good news is that after years of motorcyclists' "training" the systems allow bikes to go to the head of the line and board toward the front. And (good news for we old farts) WA state ferries offer a "senior" discount for the driver portion of the fare, if you're over 65.

If you aren't mentally overloaded by this, feel free to ask specifics

pmdave