Scenic back roads to Washington advice: Looking for advice on traveling a scenic route from Roseburg, Oregon to Arlington Washington. Time not an issue but certainly don't want to use...

Markag

Looking for advice on traveling a scenic route from Roseburg, Oregon to Arlington Washington. Time not an issue but certainly don't want to use I5. Suggestions welcome, please.

RichinSeattle

I-5, which runs north and south, won't take you anywhere you want to go. If you're going in the winter, stay farther south (I-70 at best - Salt Lake, Denver, Kansas City, etc.) and be very careful to watch the weather reports. You don't want to be crossing the Rockies or Nebraska during a blizzard. It could be a great trip in the late spring, with many opportunities to wander off the interstate into scenic, rural territory. Have fun and take lots of pix.

Markag

RichinSeattle wrote:

I-5, which runs north and south, won't take you anywhere you want to go. If you're going in the winter, stay farther south (I-70 at best - Salt Lake, Denver, Kansas City, etc.) and be very careful to watch the weather reports. You don't want to be crossing the Rockies or Nebraska during a blizzard. It could be a great trip in the late spring, with many opportunities to wander off the interstate into scenic, rural territory. Have fun and take lots of pix.

Thanks, but:
Geez, Roseburg is in Oregon, the Arlington I was talking about is in Washington State north of Seattle.

Seabastes

Take a look at going over to the Coast up through Astoria entering Washington up to Raymond to Aberdeen,then over to Shelton,up on Hwy, 101 along Hood Canal then to Port Townsend, take the Ferry to Whidbey, up to Anacortes, take Hwy 20 east to Mount Vernon,continue on to Hwy 9 and arrive at Arlington.To do it justice, make it make it at least an over nighter

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Markag wrote:

Thanks, but: Geez, Roseburg is in Oregon, the Arlington I was talking about is in Washington State north of Seattle.

People have similar issues with all the Portlands

I looked at a map, but I'm only familiar with Yakima area, give or take, so no help here. But, take a look at this thread and perhaps contact the OP:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-616748-1.html

.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Markag wrote:

Looking for advice on traveling a scenic route from Roseburg, Oregon to Arlington Washington. Time not an issue but certainly don't want to use I5. Suggestions welcome, please.

This time of year, keep an eye on the weather. You’d be safer keeping to the I5 corridor

RichinSeattle

Seabastes wrote:

Take a look at going over to the Coast up through Astoria entering Washington up to Raymond to Aberdeen,then over to Shelton,up on Hwy, 101 along Hood Canal then to Port Townsend, take the Ferry to Whidbey, up to Anacortes, take Hwy 20 east to Mount Vernon,continue on to Hwy 9 and arrive at Arlington.To do it justice, make it make it at least an over nighter

Excellent plan. The weather on the coast is usually warmer (above freezing) than inland. And, avoiding I-5 is an absolutely excellent idea, especially the stretch between Olympia and Everett. But, rather than head east from Aberdeen to Shelton, continue up the coast on Hwy. 101, go around - clockwise - the Olympic Mts., maybe spend a night in La Push or Port Angeles and then catch the ferry to Whidbey Island.

I think I talked myself into an I-70 trip next May.

DanielB Loc: San Diego, Ca

Markag wrote:

Looking for advice on traveling a scenic route from Roseburg, Oregon to Arlington Washington. Time not an issue but certainly don't want to use I5. Suggestions welcome, please.

I would stay coastal and go up through the Olympic national forest then Ferry over to Seattle from Bremerton and head East from there. Another option is to head towards Mount Hood area - really beautiful either way.

RichinSeattle

DanielB wrote:

I would stay coastal and go up through the Olympic national forest then Ferry over to Seattle from Bremerton and head East from there. Another option is to head towards Mount Hood area - really beautiful either way.

Sorry Daniel, but taking a ferry into downtown Seattle and then slogging your way north through 30 miles of I-5 traffic would be really dumb. (It would probably take half an hour just to get to the freeway from the ferry terminal.) And, while the Mt. Hood/Columbia Gorge area is beautiful, you'd still have to get through Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle and Everett on I-5 before reaching Arlington. Stay on the coast and stay sane.

Seabastes

Going up the Coast in Washington on Hwy 101 is definitely another option to my suggested route coming up from Shelton and along Hood Canal then to Port Townsend, taking the Ferry over to Whidbey then to Anacortes, take Hwy 20 to Highway 9, then down 9 to Arlington.

Am I correct in that you are going from Roseberg,Oregon to Arlington,Washington ?

It is way out of the way, but if you have lots of time you might consider going back up Burlington to Hwy 20 and go over the North Cascades and come back though eastern Washington and Oregon if you are returning to Roseberg. This would be dependent on when you make your trip since Hwy 20 over the North Cascades is closed in Winter,

lsaguy Loc: Udall, KS, USA

I lived in the PNW for 28 years. It doesn't matter what road you take on your route in November. All you're going to see is rain, rain, and yet more rain. I hope you have a safe trip but, honestly, you've picked the absolute worst time of year for this trip

Oldnintheway

The weather has been beautiful lately and forecast looks good. I'd echo Seabastes suggestions. I'd opt for the 101 trip, but the ride along Hood Canal is also nice. Be aware that the Port Townsend ferry requires a reservation and can be fickle, fog etc. You can show up & hope to get lucky but I've paid the price of waiting too long too often so don't take a chance anymore. You could also take the Kingston ferry to Edmonds, which cuts out Seattle traffic and does not take reservations as boats are much larger, and either take I-5 up or shoot over to highway 9 for the rest of the way.

Markag

Seabastes wrote:

Take a look at going over to the Coast up through Astoria entering Washington up to Raymond to Aberdeen,then over to Shelton,up on Hwy, 101 along Hood Canal then to Port Townsend, take the Ferry to Whidbey, up to Anacortes, take Hwy 20 east to Mount Vernon,continue on to Hwy 9 and arrive at Arlington.To do it justice, make it make it at least an over nighter

sounds like a good plan. Afterwards take hwy2 over to Leavenworth, enjoy some good German food and continue over to hwy97. Question then is whether to go up to Lake Chelan or head south and home. I'll ask our friend in Yakima if Chelan is still as beautiful as 30 years ago.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Go over to the Coast, 101 to Shelton, Wa, then East to McCleary, north to Shelton and Bremerton and on up to Kingston, take the ferry to Edmonds then East to Hyw. 9, then north to Arlington. You could also bite the bullet and take I-5 north from Everett to Arlington. Check it out on Google Maps.

Markag

Linda From Maine wrote:

People have similar issues with all the Portlands

I looked at a map, but I'm only familiar with Yakima area, give or take, so no help here. But, take a look at this thread and perhaps contact the OP:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-616748-1.html

.

Last question perhaps. After visiting Arlington, I'll take hwy 2 over through Leavenworth. Get some good German food, follow hwy 2 over to 97. South through Yakima or north to Lake Chelan? Is the Chelan area still as beautiful as it was 30/40 years ago?