14 replies to this topic

[craig333]

On my sorta short list is a trip up through Oregon, Washington, Idaho and back through Nevada. What I'm wondering is does it much difference if you travel upstream or downstream? 

 

So many routes I could go. A hard one to lay out on a map but I just watched a pbs special on the Scablands in Washington. I'd never even heard of them before. So much of the West I need to explore.

[Wallowa]

Craig,

 

I would stay very flexible in the timing and route selections.  Why? In Idaho, Oregon and Washington you will need to hopefully be able to dodge wildfires; not the fire but the smoke.  That of course is a TBA and it changes daily.  The other is temperatures.  I would initially figure out what season I wish to see what, where and then "follow the season" either direction; North or South.  If late spring I would go South to North but in Fall North to South.  Follow the geese! 

 

Me, I also plan to avoid heavily travel areas and routes.  Like Yellowstone; instead would do the Wind River Range or the Gravelly Range.

 

Phil

Edited by Wallowa, 23 April 2020 - 04:59 PM.

[Smokecreek1]

Craig- My sister/brother-in law live up in the Pasco, Wa area, and say that the state pretty much shut down everything including boat launches, parks, cg's and  just about everything, so make sure you check the web site before you go . I  should note that most of the state CG's are  pretty good, especially the big ones on the coast, and check both the Or and Id  and the Fed web sites to get status up there.  Or has several just off the freeway type overnight cg's that probably are still open(?)  that  may work for an emergency stop..Have fun, me I'm still heading for the Sheldon, and Hart Mtn areas (probably along with the rest of the world) as soon as things open up!

 

Smoke

[PaulT]

In the planning stages, browse “The Nick on the Rocks” short subjects for some ideas. 
https://www.nickzent...on-the-rocks-1/

He teaches geology at CWU and produces interesting short videos, assuming you like rocks.

 

Paul

[Cayuse]

Depends on what you want to do as you travel the route.  If you want to add some side excursions like the Magruder Corridor or Lolo Motorway to the north in the higher elevations then you'll want to hit those areas in mid-late June at the earliest most years so you could start earlier at Astoria and work upstream or start later and work downstream.

 

Like Phil mentioned, fire season will be a big issue so I'd try and time the mountain travel in Wyoming and Idaho as early as possible going either direction.  The scablands  will get hot and dusty in the summer and can also suffer from smoke.

 

Good luck with your planning!

 

Bob

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

On my sorta short list is a trip up through Oregon, Washington, Idaho and back through Nevada. What I'm wondering is does it much difference if you travel upstream or downstream? 

 

So many routes I could go. A hard one to lay out on a map but I just watched a pbs special on the Scablands in Washington. I'd never even heard of them before. So much of the West I need to explore.

Craig we did the Lolo pass area in late Aug on our way to Glacier.

By that time the area isn't as crowded as it's a big rafting area.

Several good campgrounds close to the summit along the river.

had a great time.The camps were almost empty.

Frank

[AWG_Pics]

Craig,

 

Until 6 months ago, I had a job doing Columbia Basin fish, wildlife and ecosystem restoration that took me to many of the nooks and crannies of the four northwest states. And I have recreated and lived in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Utah pretty much all of my life. If you have questions about specific areas, PM me and I will share what I know about them.

 

Depending on what you want to see there are some interesting and less than interesting ways to get there. To see the scablands at their most impressive, try going to Ephrata, then NE to Soap Lake, then stay on state 17 North to Coulee City.

 

Have fun planning.

 

Tony

[Vic Harder]

In the planning stages, browse “The Nick on the Rocks” short subjects for some ideas. 
https://www.nickzent...on-the-rocks-1/

He teaches geology at CWU and produces interesting short videos, assuming you like rocks.

 

Paul

These are awesome!

[craig333]

Never too early to start planning. Oregon might make more sense to do the coast on a separate trip. Could do the Owyhee on up to the Snake. So many options. 

[LuckyDan]

I’ll second the the seasonality/temp factor in making a decision. Luckily, and rather dependent on where you are along either River, you can divert into National Forest or higher elevation BLM and beat the heat a bit. After that upstream or down wouldn’t make a lot of difference IMO. That is unless you have a compelling reason to finish in Nevada then I’d opt for upstream.