Over the summer of 2021 we did a 2 month RV trip from Colorado to the California coast and up to the gorgeous Pacific North West and then took the northern route back to Colorado. Below is 1 of the 3 part blog posts.

Part 1: Colorado -> Utah -> California

Part 2: Oregon -> Southern Washington

Part 3: Pacific North West ->North Eastern Washington -> Idaho -> Montana -> Colorado

Our first stop heading west from Estes Park was Steamboat Springs (CO). This is a fun town and very popular in the winter for it’s skiing, but just like many other ski towns, it is a beautiful place to explore in the summer. Watch people kayak and float down the Yampa River, go for a hike in the mountains or explore the cute downtown area. There are many good restaurant options!

After this we headed to Salt Lake city (UT) where we visited the church of the Latter Day Saints, the Assembly Hall and the Utah State Capital. It was very interesting to understand more about Mormon culture. Another fun place to go with kids is Clark Planetarium! The following day we drove to Antelope island state park, which was a great day trip with many buffalos, interesting history and beautiful views from the salt banks!

**** We recommend the following places to eat and drink in SLC: Fisher Brewing Company, Kiitos Brewing and Caputo’s Market Deli.

After 3 nights in SLC, we headed west and spent some days on Lake Tahoe! What a fun place to explore! One of the highlights was tubbing down the Truckee river (you can rent tubes and arrange pick up back to where you started or, as we did, buy tubes at the local grocery. We went in the afternoon and it did get cold as the sun hides behind mountains and we were in the shade for most of the rid. Another must in the area is exploring all their amazing hike trails. There are so many options!

****We recommend the Rubicon trail and the Incline flume trail! Of course there is the lake and the many water sports available! Finally, check out the food scene in town. There are many amazing restaurants, cafes and breweries.

****We can recommend Inclined burgers and brews (one of the best burgers we’ve had), Alibi Ale Works (they have several locations, but their public house has an amazing outside patio with live music in the summer!) and South Lake Brewing Company!

From here we did a quick stop in Sacramento (second state capitol of the trip!) and then north to the famous wine region of Sonoma. (Although we didn’t really do the wine experience this time around!)

We headed north and spent some days camping at Patricks Point to explore the nearby Redwood National Park, which was a fun place to hike and admire these gigantic trees. The forest is beautiful, lush and offers many hikes!

****We recommend the following hikes in the area: The Cathedral Tree Trail Loop (which you can easily extend to many miles with taking the Foothill or Priarie Creek trails), the Lady Bird Johnson Grove hike, the Coastal Trail and finally, the Sue-Meg State Park (not in the Redwoods but near the ocean and offers beautiful views!)

After some days we headed northeast and crossed into Oregon. We stayed a night using our Harvest Host membership, at the beautiful Valley View Winery. From here you can easily explore the cute town of Jacksonville and even Jackson wellspring.

A couple of hours north from here we settled into our camping spot for the next couple of nights at Diamond Lake. Although this lake is overshadowed by the famous Crater Lake National Park nearby, it is a great place to explore. The waters are clean and calm and offer water sports, there are also many hiking options nearby and even a nice paved road around the lake (about 10miles), perfect for biking or running. Crater Lake National Park is definitely worth a visit. The water is a mesmerizing blue and seems to change by the hour/day due to sun and clouds. You can drive to viewing points around the lake or you can choose one of the many hikes available.

**** We recommend parking at the Crater Lake Lodge and hiking up to Garfield Peak. When you come back from an amazing hike, you can grab a refreshment and snack at the lodge!

Once again we headed north towards Bend (OR)! This is where the Pacific North West ‘officially’ starts and you can find HERE stayed at a fun RV park in town, The Camp: where you can camp your RV or rent one of their cool retro trailers. Service is friendly, it’s clean and location is perfect as you can easily walk to restaurants, breweries and stores. Since we had our tubes from Lake Tahoe, we launched them the Deschutes River, downtown Bend. We started at Riverbend Park and get out around Bend Whitewater Park. This was an 1hr float and fun!! There are also many amazing breweries and restaurants in town. Bend is a fun town to explore and we wish we could’ve stayed longer.

**** We highly recommend 10 Barrel Brewing West Side bend and Crux Fermentation Project.

Once again we headed north and spent the night in the small town of Madras at another favorite Harvest Host member called Mecca Grade Estate Malte. This was a fun place for Jason to learn more about the making of malts, try some delicious beers and kids had fun playing in their fields!

After a night we headed north west to Mount Hood! We started with exploring the area around the Timberline Lodge. It was July 3rd and there was still snow and people skiing!! We hiked a bit of the Pacific Crest Trail and admired the historic lodge. We spent 2 nights in the area and enjoyed some great hiking!

From here we headed west to Portland. As this was about 3 weeks of RVing, we had arranged a home exchange in a comfortable house in the suburbs of Portland. We spent 5 days enjoying a big equipped kitchen, long spacious showers and baths, ‘real beds’, laundry, and comforts of a home! We also explored Portland and the we did day trips to the coast to visit Tillamook Creamery (yes, 100% worth the visit!), Cannon beach and Astoria (where The Goonies were filmed and there is some great seafood to be had!)

****We recommend: Hike to the Wahkeen and Multnomah Falls, walk around The Grotto, try the delicious ice cream at Salt & Straw, get some delicious tofu at Ota Tofu, Modern Times Beer (super fun interior design, delicious and creative food and beer!), berry picking at Koch Family Farm, fun outside drinks and Wolves & people Farmhouse Brewery. Tillamook Creamery, South Bay Wild Fish house and Buoy Beer Company.

From here we headed north and crossed the border into Washington!