Last summer, I embarked on a very interesting experiment of a trip to Washington State. I scoured the internet for information and answers to questions, and fell short many times. This post is about what I learned. First, the main attractions.
Washington State has so much more than overpriced coffee. Seattle is a nice city to spend a day or two, but it is hardly where I would choose to spend my entire vacation. If you're even remotely intrigued by the outdoors, this post is for you. Washington boasts 3 National Parks, as well as a number of National Monuments and National Forests to keep any outdoor enthusiast busy. The rainforest in Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier, and the North Cascades are each breathtaking in their own special way. The photo above is Cascade Pass at the North Cascades.
Basic entry fees, etc.
If you are going to do any amount of hiking in Washington, it's best that you invest in the National Park Annual Pass. It's essentially good for 12 months, and will not only save you money, but also a headache in Washington. Drop by a National Park pay station or ranger station to get a windshield hanger for it. You will need it in Washington. Before going to Washington, I was confused by all of these NW Forest Pass, State Park Pass, etc. The National Park Interagency Annual Pass (or lifetime pass if you qualify) provides entry and parking rights at all federal lands in Washington. No need to get the Forest Pass. I will discuss the state parks a little bit later.
Where to camp
This is a dicey issue when traveling. There are a lot of free spirits out there who travel and find a campground wherever they happen to be. I would love to be that flexible, but if you are traveling in peak season, you may pull into a campground to find it full. Two ways to handle this - if you don't make reservations, show up at a camp early and pitch your tent before exploring for the day. Most campgrounds check out between 10-12, so if you show up just after that, you can set up and have a spot when you return. The other option is, of course, to reserve in advance.
http://www.parks.state.wa.us/ - Washington State Parks
http://www.recreation.gov - National Park/Forest Campgrounds
Camping in National Parks is definitely an experience to be had, however, bear in mind that National Park Campgrounds don't often have full facilities such as power outlets and showers. I like to have a nice warm shower, so I generally alternate National Parks with State Parks in order to charge my electronics and have that shower. The price is roughly the same, but with the National Park Annual pass, you can reserve many National Park campgrounds at a discount. This post is definitely about car camping, not backpacking... so, with that in mind, choose strategically. Before you go, look up hikes and drives that you want to do, then find a National Park or State Park campground in the vicinity. Part of the beauty of camping is that you can be much closer to many of the natural wonders than a hotel.
Tips for National Park camping
1. Go early and choose your site, as most are first come, first served.
2. Most of the campgrounds have a 4x4 post in the ground with a clip for you to post your payment receipt. Don't count on this reserving your spot. Set up a tent. Unfortunately, theft is a concern, so just set up your tent, put your other valuables in your car or bear locker with a lock.
3. That reminds me - bring a combination lock for the bear locker. Bears are smart, so you have to have a good combination... Actually, I love having a padlock on the locker. It ensures that it is closed, and also gives you the option to stash some of your other belongings in there. Why a combo lock? If you're traveling with friends or family, everyone can get in, as opposed to waiting for the one person with a key. Also, keys are small, and the outdoors are big.
4. Be quiet if you return to your site after 9. Some people are getting up very early to hike, and you do not want to cause a brawl.
5. Follow general camping and "leave no evidence" guidelines. (I can't use the "T" word because it's apparently copyrighted. I toyed with saying "hide the evidence")
Tips for Washington State Park camping
1. Make reservations, especially in summer. State parks will fill up quickly with families doing week-long vacations in the park.
2. Arrive before ranger stations close, or call ahead. Most state parks will allow you to "self-check-in," but they will want notice. Most state parks close the main gate around 9 p.m., so if you are arriving late, you will have to call before 5 p.m. to get the gate combination.
3. Bring quarters and $1 bills. Somehow, this is not prominently advertised on their websites, but hot showers are coin-operated. The first night in a WA state park, I arrived drenched from a hike in an afternoon rain (go figure... it's Washington), and really wanted my hot shower. As it turns out, they had a token machine to convert $1 bills to tokens in order to activate the shower. Needless to say, I never carry cash, so I had to wait til morning to get change at the Ranger station. P.S. - don't put quarters in a token machine. As you can see from my photo, the tokens are a slightly smaller size.
4. If you are staying in a site with provided electricity, have an extension cord. That 2 1/2' cord on your charger will leave your phone out in the rain. Yes, it will rain, it's Washington.
General tips for both
1. Carry a mallet for tapping in your tent stakes. Most state parks have gravel tent sites, and most national parks have some degree of rock-hard surface, and that's the only way to get your tent staked down. On that note, make sure you have a sleeping pad too!
2. Consider a solar phone charger. I've been using this one below. from solar charging, especially in cloudy locations, I can't seem to get a full charge on my phone. However, if you wall-charge it, you can usually get 2 charges up to 80% battery. I like the feature that you can charge it, then stash it, and charge your phone when needed. Many models have to be plugged into your phone while getting sunlight, which just isn't practical on the trail or on the road. I will often clip the carabiner in some discrete location around the tent or set it on the roof of the car when it's parked (it can also be clipped to a backpack, but Murphy's law says it will always flip over and not face the sun no matter what you do) to charge it during the day. You just have to think of it as a back-up. You can't play games on your phone all day from it's charge, but it will always have enough to get your phone charged enough to serve it's purpose.
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