Pacific Northwest Backroad Adventures

Sunset as viewed from Cooper Mountain Lookout near Chelan, Washington.

You can read about this trip at Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007.

Each time I venture to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in the South Cascades of Washington state, I am simply amazed at the beauty of the country. In this region, not only are you are surrounded by four major peaks of the Cascade Mountains (Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood), there is an extensive variety of terrain ranging from deep valleys and canyons to exposed buttes and cliffs, alpine meadows to old growth forests, and of course, the Mt. St. Helens blast zone. I could easily spend days or even weeks just exploring the region.

With that in mind, I decided to host a Backroad Drivers Northwest tour in the area just south of Randle, Washington. This region is an area which I am fairly familiar with having spent a lot of time hunting, camping and exploring with my father while growing up. The tour would follow one of my favorite routes in the area, Forest Road 77 from the Burley Mountain Lookout along the ridge past Pinto Rock and Mosquito Meadows. From Mosquito Meadows, we would would take FS 99 to the Windy Ridge Viewpoint at Mt. St. Helens and follow FS 26 back to Randle.
(more…)

Initially, the family was only going to make a day trip to Oak harbor, Washington to visit friends for the day. However, since the forecast was for nice weather over the weekend, I suggested that we stay over night in a hotel and take the Keystone-Port Townsend ferry over to the Olympic Peninsula the next the morning and do some sight seeing. I suggested Cape Flattery as one possible destination.

Saturday morning, we made it out the door and headed North on I-5. The closer we got to Seattle, you could easily tell that there was a University of Washington Huskies football game in town by the school colors that were on nearly 1 out of 5 vehicles on the freeway.

Once we reached Burlington, Washington, we headed west on Highway 20. Along the way, there are views of Padilla Bay and Fidalgo Bay visible from the highway. It was low tide when we passed, so the mud flats were visible.

Our first stop along the way was at the Deception Pass bridge. After a few pictures and a quick peak to the water below, my wife elected to stay with the Toyota FJ80 Land Cruiser while my daughter and myself ventured out across the bridge for better photo opportunities.

In addition to the normal traffic over the bridge, there was an organized bike tour on Whidbey Island, which meant much more congestion over the bridge.

To experience the views from the Deception Pass bridge, one must stop and get out of the car and walk. You miss so much by simply driving across. The views are fantastic. We were even able to spot a seal in the water below.

Once back to the car, we headed into Oak Harbor for lunch and then to our friends house just outside of town. After a short visit, we headed to the North Beach at Deception Pass State Park.

After some photos of the kids playing on the beach, I headed out with the camera and tripod for some additional photos of the shoreline. I ended up walking the shoreline from the beach, around the point to the beach just below the Deception Pass Bridge. Great photo opportunities all around. I could have easily spent hours taking photos of the diverse shoreline.

After spending a few hours at the park, it was time for dinner and the back to the motel so the kids could swim in the pool.

The next morning, we headed out to catch the 8:45 Keystone - Port Townsend ferry. I had forgot to set the alarm, so we had to rush a little. Luckily we made it with about ten minutes to spare and the ferry wasn’t full.

We were fortunate that the weather was sunny and the water was relatively calm, though cool. This ferry ride was the first for my wife and daughter. After about a 30 minute ferry ride, we arrived in Port Townsend, Washington.

Once in Port Townsend, we parked the Land Cruiser and searched for a coffee shop in the downtown area. After a coffee and a quick bite to eat, we strolled through the downtown area before heading out. Because of the time of day on a Sunday, most of the downtown businesses were closed.

From Port Townsend, we headed south on Highway 20 to US 101. Along the way, we had great views of Discovery Bay. Once we were on US 101, we headed west through Sequim and Port Angeles. We stopped in Port Angeles for fuel and lunch.

After lunch, we continued west on US 101 until we reached Lake Crescent in the Olympic National Park. US 101 follows the south shore of Lake Crescent and offers great views of the lake. Of course, we stopped along the way to take photos.

From Lake Crescent, we continued on US 101 through the Sol Duc River Valley. I pointed out the Kloshe Nanitch Lookout high above the valley floor.

When we reached Highway 113, we headed north towards the Straight of Juan de Fuca where the road intersects SR 112 where we headed west. From this junction, SR 112 also leads east to just outside of Port Angeles. Once we reached Clallam Bay and Sekiu, SR 112 follows the shoreline of the Straight of Juan de Fuca. This stretch of highway is another must do scenic drive.

At the entrance of the Makah Indian Reservation, there was a tribal police checkpoint that was inquiring about our destination. Later we found out that some members of the Makah nation illegally killed a whale the day before (that explains the TV news vans we saw later in the day). We made our way through Neah Bay, Washington and followed the sign to Cape Flattery.

The road to Cape Flattery was in the process of getting paved. All except the last three miles was fresh pavement. The gravel sections were in excellent condition and looks as though it will soon receive asphalt as well.

From the trailhead parking area, it’s about a 3/4 mile hike down to Cape Flattery. The trail is an easy hike through the forest, with many sections on wooden boardwalks over the more damp areas.

Once you reach Cape Flattery, there are great views of the Pacific Ocean, the Straight of Juan de Fuca, Vancouver Island, and the Cape Flattery Lighthouse on Tatoosh Island. Again, we had great weather.

By the time we completed the hike down to Cape Flattery, it was already mid-afternoon, which didn’t leave much time to do more sightseeing, so we had to start heading home.

The Olympic Peninsula has such a diverse ecosystem, including ocean shore lines, river valleys, lakes, rain forests to the alpine areas of the Olympic Mountains. There is so much to see on the Olympic Peninsula that it would probably take good week to visit all the places you can visit by car. I guess another trip will have to be planned to do some more explorations.

You can view all of photos of this trip at Deception Pass to Cape Flattery Photos.

Since I had to work Labor Day weekend, my wife, daughter and the family dog made a quick overnight trip to visit my 83 year old grandmother in Kelso, Washington. In the past, she had mentioned that she had wanted to drive up the Rose Valley Road and the Coweeman River out of Kelso to see the area she grew up in, but no one has offered to take her for the 20 mile drive from her house. Once I mentioned the idea, she was quick to say yes.

My Grandmother was one of two people who exposed me to road trips to me at an early age (the other was my Father). I guess I never got it out of my blood.

When I was very young, we traveled all over the western United States and Canada - with my Grandmother driving, my Great Grandmother in the back seat and with me riding shotgun and following along with a map.

We always made a large loop ending in Kamiah, Idaho to visit my great-grandmother’s brother Uncle Joe. Highlights I remember include several trips to Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Lake Louise in Alberta, Virginia City in Nevada, the real Ponderosa Ranch, Wildlife Safari on Oregon and many other places.

Now back to the Coweeman River story. My Grandmother grew up on a farm along the Coweeman River off the Rose Valley Road. As far as I knew, they had the last house up the river. While I was in elementary school, I was able to spend what seemed to be the summer (it was probably much less time that that) at was known as “Grandma Kathy’s house” (my great-grandmother mentioned above). That was the experience that I’ll never forget. For most of her life, my Great Grandma lived what is now called “off-the-grid”. There was electricity. No propane. No running water (unless you count the water gravity fed through a pipe from a waterfall from the creek on the property into the back yard). Kerosene lamps provided light at night. Food was cooked on a wood cook stove/oven. Heat was provided from a separate wood stove. If you were cold, you either put more clothing on or you made a fire. No TV. Only a radio powered radio. I could go on and on but I’ll have to save that for another time.

To get to the Rose Valley Road, you travel south on I-5 from Kelso. You take the Carrols exit and follow the old highway (formally Highway 99) until you reach the Rose Valley Rd. The lower Rose Valley Rd. is a nice drive past old farms and like in most areas, some newer homes. No major sub-divisions yet. All along the way, my grandmother was amazed about all the new houses that have been built in past twelve years since she last traveled the road. She pointed out the homes of people she knew growing up and places she would go (swimming holes, community dances, etc).

Once the road crossed the Coweeman River, the road narrows down to a paved single lane road with turn outs. Here the road follows the river rather closely. Eventually the road comes to a group of homes known as Elk Meadows. There a few permanent residents as well as a few vacation homes and RV lots. A few of the full-time homes are rather nice, considering that there is no utilities (truly living off-the-grid). Even with the lack of electricity, most homes had satellite dishes. Some had solar panels, one had a small windmill for power. Most all of them had propane.

The road eventually climbs up and over a bluff (with a steep drop off into the river below). When I was really little, the road was gravel and I would cry every time I passed through this section of road (good thing I got over that). Today, it doesn’t seem that bad at all. There are a couple of old mine shafts visible into the rock face from earlier mining attempts.

We finally reached where where my Grandma Kathy lived. It had been 30 years since I last seen the property. Even though the area where the house stood was a little overgrown, I could still see the pasture that was behind here home. The creek that ran through the property looked the same as when I was younger.

We drove up the road past the old place. My grandmother pointed out where an old ranger station was located. She lived in a house next to ranger station for a while with my Grandfather while he staffed a nearby fire lookout.

She pointed out where one of two CCC camps was located along the Coweeman River.

At about 16 miles from old 99, the road enters into Weyerhaeuser lands and turns to gravel. The gate was open, but we turned around. If one was able to continue (during hunting season?), you could follow the river up to Coweeman Lake and also visit the Elk Mountain lookout site (my great grandfather used to staff the lookout and it would take all day to pack in and out with a horse from the house on the Coweeman).

Just inside the gate was the location of the old dam. My grandmother said that they would back up the water and fill it full of logs. When filled, they would release the floodgates and allow the logs to flow downstream to mills in Longview or Kelso below. Through all the years, my great grandmother only lost one cow to this.

A little further down was the site of old waterfalls on the Coweeman River. A fish ladder was constructed at the site (which is still visible today). At some point in the past, the falls were blasted out to make passage easier.

After a few stops, we made out way back to my Grandmothers place. At 83 years of age, it’s been a while since I had seen her so excited. She can still drive fine, but she doesn’t venture too far from around the Kelso-Longview area unless she has to. I was glad I was able to give back a little of one of the many gifts that she instilled in me.

Overall, its a nice drive up the Rose Valley road. The views are primarily from the valley floor of the surrounding hills and forest as well as the river. It was more of a sentimental back road trip for me and especially for my Grandmother.

You can view more photos of this trip at Coweeman River Photos.

Day Four: August 13, 2007.

Daily Goal: To Drive from Cooper Mountain Lookout (near Chelan, Washington) to Chopaka (border with British Columbia)

Map Reference:
Okanogan National Forest Map

Since this going to be the last day of the trip and I had no idea how long it would actually take to complete my goal of reaching the British Columbia border at Chopaka. So I set my alarm to get up and be on the road by daybreak.

From my campsite on Cooper Mountain, FS-8020 (Cooper Mountain Rd.) continues to follow the Sawtooth Ridge in a northwesterly direction. Along the way, I saw several grouse standing in the middle of the road.

After about 45 minutes of driving the Cooper Ridge Rd., I turned onto FS-600 (not maintained for cars or tall vehicles) and then FS-4330 which led me off the Sawtooth Ridge into the South Fork Gold Creek drainage. Along this section of road, I saw a nice forkhorn buck that didn’t stay around very long.

At the end of FS-43330, I turned left on FS-4340 as it followed the North Fork Gold Creek upstream. Along the way, FS-4340 passes over Gold Ridge, to the Libby Creek drainage where it meets FS-43.

Heading north on FS-43 led me past Black Pine Lake and then followed Buttermilk Creek and eventually to the Twisp River Road. Once on Twisp River Rd., I headed east until I reached Elbow Coulee Road. Elbow Coulee Rd. leads along the western edge of the Methow Wildlife Area, past Big Twin lake and into Winthrop, Washington. Like Leavenworth has the Bavarian theme, Winthrop has the Western theme for it’s downtown, right down to wooden sidewalks. It’s a busy place on summer weekends.

The trip from Chelan to Winthrop, as driven, was approximately 90 miles and took about 4.5 hours to drive.

After a quick fill up of fuel, I headed out of town following the East Chewuch River Rd. until I reached Boulder Creek. From the East Chewuch River Rd., I headed east on FS-37, following Boulder Creek, then the Middle Fork of Boulder Creek. After about seven miles of driving FS-37, there was a sign stating that the road was closed due to construction 5.6 miles ahead. The first thing I thought was “great, another detour and/or backtrack”. After looking at the forest service map, I estimated that the maintenance was close to where FS-37 had a junction with FS-39 and if I was lucky, I could travel one of the those routes. I drove the 5.6 miles and still no road construction. I reached the junction with FS-39 and still no closure. My original intention was to follow FS-37 to FS-39, however I could hear heavy equipment operating from what sounded like FS-39, so I continued on driving FS-37 into Conconully.

From the junction with FS-39, FS-37 climbed up and over Baldy Pass (elevation 6515 feet) before descending into the Conconully area. FS-37 provides some great views on both sides of Baldy Pass, including some extensive views towards Conconully and the Columbia Basin. I reached Conconully in about 51 miles and about two hours of driving.

After a quick fuel stop (not really necessary but I always top off for a safety factor) with the most expensive fuel of the trip ($3.69/gallon — ouch. Luckily I only needed less than 4 gallons), I headed out of Conconully on the North Fork Salmon Creek Rd. which becomes FS-38. From Salmon Meadows, I followed FS-3820 which climbed its way to Lone Frank Pass, passing through state land (limited maintenance = fun road), over Lone Frank Pass (elevation +6300 feet) and meeting up with FS-39 (about twelve miles from where I was earlier in the day).

Driving north along FS-39 provides some great views to the Cascades and well as the local terrain. As FS-39 travels in and out of different drainages, you can see South and North Twentymile Meadows down below you and you pass through Thirtymile Meadows. This region is a designated snowmobile area and I could see why. High altitude and a lot of meadows to have play in.

As I approached Dog Creek, I finally found the road construction the sign spoke of earlier. I had to wait for about five minutes as a water tender filled up from Dog Creek. Then I passed several pieces of operating heavy equipment. This was the first time that I made fresh tracks on a freshly graded forest road.

FS-39 turns into a paved road at Long Swamp and eventually turns into Toats Coulee as it heads east and meets the Loomis-Oroville Road. I headed north on the Loomis-Oroville Rd., passing Palmer Lake. Once past the lake, I turned left on the gravel Chopaka Road as it passed farms, old abandoned historic buildings, following the Similkameen River valley.

All the maps that I have show the the road leads to the border with British Columbia. Well I was disappointed when I found that access is blocked by a gate with no trespassing signs. The best that I could determine was that the road ends about one mile short of the border. I’m sure this has to do with Homeland Security issues. At roads end, there is a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife public access area so I drove as far as I could and by time the road ended, I was about 0.75 mile from the border with no way to go further north (48º 59′ 18″ N, 119º 43″ 11″ W)

Since I was so close, I thought I might as well make the actually trip to the border, so I back tracked on the Chopaka Rd. and continued on north through small community of Nighthawk onto the border crossing into British Columbia (this port of entry has limited hours if you plan on passing through at this point) where I officially completed my four day, north-south cross state tour of Washington state through Cascades.

Now time for the five hour drive home.

The trip from Conconully to the British Columbia border, as driven, was approximately 70 miles and took about 3.5 hours to drive.

Daily Summary:
Total Miles Driven (approximate) - 179 miles (Cooper Mountain Lookout to Chopaka)
Paved Highway: 0 miles
Paved County Roads: 76 miles
Paved Forest Service Road: 4 miles
Improved Gravel Forest Service Roads: 95 miles
Limited Maintenance Forest Roads: 4 miles

See all of the photos from day four of this trip at Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Four Photos.

Next: Final Thoughts

Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Introduction
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day One
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Two
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Three
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Four
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Final Thoughts

Day Three: August 12, 2007.

Daily Goal: To Drive from near Blewett Pass (Cle Elum) to Chelan, Washington.

Map Reference:
Wenatchee National Forest Map

Today, I awoke to what sounded like raindrops landing on my Land Cruiser. I looked out, sure enough, it was raining. This was a perfect time to see if I could roll up my sleeping and air mattress as well as rearrange the refrigerator and my gear before even stepping a foot outside. Success. It was actually easier once I got over the fact that there is limited headroom. After my morning routine, I was on the road again for the days adventure.

From my campsite on FS-9738, just west of Highway 97, it was a short 15 minute trip to the highway and another short three minute drive on the highway until I reached FS-9705 (Durst Creek). In all my years of living in the Washington state, this was only my second time of visiting the area between Liberty and Wenatchee. I followed FS-9705 for about 5.4 miles until it joined the main Liberty area road FS-9712. Along the way, I saw a flock of wild turkeys and and a small herd cow elk.

FS-9712 is a well maintained road until you reach Haney Meadows. After that, it becomes the type of road I enjoy to drive, limited maintenance, and high clearance vehicles only. FS-9712 basically follows the ridgeline, with a good portion above 5550 feet in elevation. From the ridgeline, you would see into the Wenatchee River valley, including the Columbia River and beyond.

After about 24 miles and 2.5 hours on FS-9712, I reached FS-7100. FS-7100 basically follows Mission Creek down into Cashmere, first on state and private land, and then back to national forest. The trip from FS-9712 to where the pavement began just outside Cashmere was about 12 miles and took about 40 minutes to travel.

Once I fueled up and bought my favorite coffee drink, I headed directly across Highway 2 to the Nahahum Canyon Road (which eventually becomes FS-7412) which I planed to travel to reach the Entiat River. After driving up the canyon five miles to where the pavement ends and the gravel begins was posted a sign, basically stating that due to extreme fire danger, this road was closed by order of the Chelan County Commissioners and it was strictly enforced by the Chelan County Sheriffs Department. I debated for a moment and decided that I would find an alternate route and not risk getting a ticket. So I headed back down the road back to to Highway 2 and drove to Leavenworth.

Once in Leavenworth, I stopped at the Forest Service office, but of course being on a Sunday, it were closed. Luckily I spotted a Forest Service employee pulling in behind the office with “Fire” marked on the truck. Just the person I needed to talk to. After a short conversation, I found out that all Forest Service road are open to the public and that Chelan County only has jurisdiction on closing county roads and not federal roads. Thats all the information I needed to continue my adventure. The last thing I wanted to was abort the trip or have to drive the highways to reach Okanogan County.

So after looking at my maps, I found a road that connected up to my originally planned route. From Leavenworth, I headed north up the Chumstick Highway until I reached Eagle Creek Rd. After about 6 miles, I reached FS-7520, back on my original route, only with a slight unnecessary detour. From FS-7520, I would first follow FS-5800 and then eventually FS-5700 through the Entiat Mountains until I reached the Entiat River Rd. (22 miles/1 hour travel time).

While driving up the Entiat River valley, I encountered the first of many areas of previous wildland fires that I would encounter over the next two days. The Entiat River Rd. eventually becomes FS-51. From FS-51, I followed FS-5900 (Shady Pass Rd.), through the Chelan Mountains, over Shady Pass and reaching elevation of +6000 feet in elevation, until I reached Lake Chelan. Along the way, I could see and smell the smoke from the Domke fire that was burning. As I descended towards Lake Chelan, the smoke had settled into the valley and had limited the views. Just before reaching Lake Chelan, I passed the Incident Base Camp for the Domke fire including a helibase with a Chinook helicopter parked for the night.

Once I reached Lake Chelan (27 miles/just under 2 hours travel time), I followed the lake until I reached the city of Chelan where I fueled up the Land Cruiser for the next leg of my adventure.

From Chelan, I headed north out of town towards Manson. After passing Wapato Lake, the road becomes FS-8200 and passes Antilon Lake. Just before the lake is Upper Joe Creek Rd/FS-8210 (which I totally missed on the way up) which eventually winds it way up to Cooper Ridge. After a short distance of driving Cooper Ridge, I drove up the spur road to the site of the old Cooper Mountain Lookout. Since it was getting late in the day, I decided that I would spend the night here. Elevation approximately 5800 feet.

The view to the west were good considering the smoke from the Domke fire filled the valley below. After setting up for the night, I was able to spend some time experimenting with my camera, including sunset shots (the reason why there are so many shots of this area).

Daily Summary (including some detours):
Total Miles Driven (approximate) - 201 miles (Blewett Pass to Cooper Mountain)
Paved Highway: 37 miles
Paved County Roads: 57 miles
Gravel Forest Service Roads: 108 miles

See all of the photos from day three of this trip at Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Three Photos.

Next Day: Day Four: Cooper Mountain Lookout (Chelan) to the British Columbia border at Chopaka

Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Introduction
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day One
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Two
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Three
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Four
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Final Thoughts

Here is the final batch of photos from my four day cross state overland tour of the Cascade Mountains of Washington state.

These photos were taken between Cooper Mountain Lookout (near Chelan, Washington), through Winthrop, Conconully to Chopaka (the border with British Columbia).

See the photos at Washington Cascade Mountains Overland Tour 2007 - Day Four Photos

Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Introduction
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day One
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Two
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Three
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Four
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Final Thoughts

Overnight, I uploaded the photos from day three (08.12.07) of my overland tour of the Washington Cascades.

These photos were taken between Blewett Pass (near Cle Elum, Washington) and the third day’s campsite at Cooper Mountain Lookout near Chelan, Washington.

You can view the photos at Washington Cascade Mountains Overland Tour 2007 - Day Three Photos

Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Introduction
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day One
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Two
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Three
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Four
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Final Thoughts

Day One: August 10, 2007.

Daily Goal: To Drive from Carson, Washington (Highway 14 off the Columbia River near the Oregon border) to Packwood, Washington (Highway 12).

Map Reference:
Gifford Pinchot National Forest Map
Gifford Pinchot National Forest Adventure Routes - SUV and Dualsport Motorcycle Routes

Today was going to be a very long day. Not only would I be attempting to reach my destination in Packwood, I would also have to include the drive from my home in the middle of Washington state to the southern border near Oregon to start the tour of the Washington Cascade Mountains. My goal was to complete the drive from the Oregon border to the British Columbia in four days (see Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 for the introduction to this adventure).

After four hours of driving I-5 and Highway 14, I reached Carson, Washington - the designated starting point of my Cascade Overland Tour. From Carson, I headed north on the Wind River Rd. to Bear Creek Rd. (FS-6808) and ascended to Triangle Pass. From Triangle Pass, I followed FS-68 down to FS-66 and headed north.

FS-66 follows the east side of the Big Lava Bed for about 10 miles. Big Lava Bed is a 10 mile long lava flow from about +8000 years ago. There are no roads into the flow, only around the perimeter. From FS-66, you can see the exposed lava flow through the sparse forest.

At the end of the Big Lava Bed, I reached an area called South Prairie. You see meadows and and a small lake.

From South Prairie, I followed FS-6615 to FS-6621 to FS-60 which leads to Goose Lake and a what looks like a nice campground. There were a few people fishing but the trout weren’t biting that day. It would have been easy to hang out there for a few days.

From Goose Lake, I made an attempt to make a side trip to Red Mountain Lookout to get a better view of the Big Lava Flow however. When I reached the access road to Red Mountain (FS-240), the gate was locked. Back to Goose Lake to continue the tour.

From Goose Lake, I to took FS-6040 to Forlorn Lakes. This was the first road of the trip that lived up to the signage “Limited Maintenance”. Nothing difficult, but the ruts and waterbar crossings limit the route to high clearance vehicles.

From Forlorn Lakes, I intended to follow FS-6035 along the east perimeter of the Indian Heaven Wilderness Area, however the sign said that the road was closed five miles ahead so I followed FS-6030 to FS-6020 instead.

From FS-6020, I made my way on FS-24 along the northwest corner of the Indian Heaven Wilderness Area, past huckleberry meadows and Indian Camps of the Sawtooth Berry fields. The huckleberries are in season in August and there are a lot of native americans out picking them throughout this area.

Once past the Twin Buttes area, I followed the native surface FS-8854 (another fun limited maintenance road) past Steamboat Lake to FS-8871 and then to FS-88.

From FS-88, I made an attempt to follow another primitive forest road (FS-150) but found the road blocked. I then followed FS-200 which eventually becomes FS-150 in a few miles and eventually dead ends where a bridge once crossed the Lewis River at Twin Falls Campground. I had to then backtrack to FS-88. At least it was another limited maintenance native surface road. The national forest map is not very clear on this route.

Once back on FS-88, I followed it to FS-90. Ahead, FS-23 was washed out, so I detoured out of the valley on FS-585 (another primitive limited maintenance native surface road) to FS-2334 and onto FS-23.

Once I reached Babyshoe Pass, it was getting time to find a campsite for the night. Just past the pass was FS-335 so I followed it up Babyshoe Ridge and found a great spot on top of the ridge to camp for the night. This spot provided a great view of Mt. Adams to the southwest and Mt. Hood further south in Oregon. Elevation 4690 feet.

I didn’t meet my goal of reaching Packwood, Washington. If a more direct route was taken, it could have easily met the daily driving goal. It turns out that I was about two hours short, considering my backtracking and driving the more primitive routes in the area.

Daily Summary:

Total Miles Driven (approximate) - 102 miles (Carson to Mt. Adams)
Paved Highway: 7.7 miles
Paved County Roads: 8.5 miles
Paved Forest Service Road: 16.2 miles
Improved Gravel Forest Service Roads: 55.4 miles
Limited Maintenance Forest Roads: 14.2 miles

See all of the photos from day one of this trip at Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day One Photos.

Next Day: Day Two: Mt. Adams to Blewett Pass

Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Introduction
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day One
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Two
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Three
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Four
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Final Thoughts

Summer in Western Washington usually doesn’t start officially (at least weather wise) until July 5 of each year. Today (06.24.07) was no exception. The forecast for the day was for rain and a snow level of 5000 feet.

Since I worked the night before and my wife’s nephew was coming over for dinner, I had to keep the day’s adventure somewhat local from my home. Flipping through the book Washington Byways, I found Tour 49 - High Rock Lookout Loop and it fit perfectly into the day’s time restraints. I loaded up the dog in the Land Cruiser and headed towards the Cascades in hopes of finding some sun above the low hanging clouds.

(more…)