Northwest USA by Motorhome

Depart the UK on your chosen scheduled flight to Seattle. Upon arrival, independently make your way to your hotel, where you spend the first night of your adventure.

Accommodation

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The Charter Hotel, Seattle

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The Charter Hotel, Seattle

Each of the well-appointed guestrooms are designed to provide comfort and elegance. Each room boasts modern furnishings and sophisticated decor, creating a serene environment for guests. Amenities include plush bedding, complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi, flat-screen televisions, a mini-refrigerator, a coffee maker, and a spacious work desk. The bathrooms are equipped with premium toiletries, rainfall showerheads, and plush bathrobes. Some rooms also offer stunning views of the city skyline or the waterfront. Additionally, the hotel offers upgraded suites with separate living areas and enhanced amenities for those seeking extra space and comfort.

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Collect your motorhome and head north to Mount Vernon, just over forty miles away. Mount Vernon was home to George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the American forces during the Revolutionary War and the first President of the United States, for more than 40 years.

Though only sixty-five miles, today’s journey will take some time as you travel through some of the region’s most scenic locations en route to North Cascades National Park. Follow the Skagit River, passing through small towns like Lyman, Hamilton, and Concrete, the latter famously known as “Cement City.” While many of its early 1900s wooden buildings were lost to fire, three historic structures still remain. Continue through Rockport and Marblemount as you enter the North Cascades National Park.

Continue through North Cascades National Park, descending through the Okanogan National Forest toward Electric City. The main attraction here is the Grand Coulee Dam, the largest electricity-producing facility in the USA and the largest concrete structure in the country. There’s enough concrete in the dam to build a four-lane, 60-foot-wide road, four inches thick, stretching all the way from Los Angeles to New York City, a distance of 3,000 miles!

As you make your way to the stunning city of Coeur d’Alene in Idaho, your route takes you through Spokane, Washington, after about 90 miles. It’s worth stopping to explore, wineries are a popular attraction, among many others, so check local resources to plan your visit. From Spokane, it’s just another thirty miles to Coeur d’Alene. The city sits on the shores of a beautiful lake, offering plenty of opportunities to relax, swim, or enjoy the beach. Coeur d’Alene also boasts a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities. Kootenai County features 87 parks, 47 hiking trails, fishing, swimming, horseback riding, tennis, amusement parks, world-class golf, and breathtaking scenery at every turn—you may want to extend your stay.

The drive today is about four hours if you stick to the main highways, but taking the scenic route will reveal much more of the region’s beauty. After crossing a small section of Idaho, your journey continues into Montana. The area offers spectacular Rocky Mountain scenery and is close to the historic cities of Anaconda and Butte, surrounded by national forest and wilderness areas. Butte, once known as the “Richest Hill on Earth,” saw extensive mining of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc, and its historic district is well worth exploring.

Today’s route heads southeast toward Yellowstone National Park. Leave the highways at Belgrade and take the scenic Route 191, passing through Gallatin National Forest and the Big Sky Resort area before entering the park through the West Entrance. Yellowstone is a place worth spending extra time, an additional day or more allows you to fully experience its wonders.

Most of the major sites are connected by a loop of under a hundred miles. Traffic jams here are usually caused not by visitors, but by the local wildlife, buffalo, bears, or moose often stop or cross the road, creating unforgettable photo opportunities. Driving from the West Entrance to the South means you’ll cover some sections twice, such as the road near Fountain Paint Pot and Old Faithful, but this is part of the experience. Several spots along the loop offer places to rest and enjoy the scenery.

As you leave Yellowstone by the South Entrance you’ll enter Grand Teton National Park. It’s because they’re so ‘young’ that those magnificent mountains rise directly from the Jackson Lake valley without foothills. It’s easy to see how they got their name from French speaking trappers. Stay on Route 89 and by the Idaho border, bear west bound for Idaho Falls.

As you drive south, you’ll pass through the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. A must-see stop is The Clothes Horse, a distinctive shop featuring Native American art and artifacts. Over generations, the Shoshone-Bannock tribes have developed a world-class style, with some pieces even displayed at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

Continue toward American Falls, where during high water flows you can see the falls that gave the city its name in full force. Nearby, Massacre Rocks State Park spans roughly 1,000 acres and is steeped in history. Wagon ruts from the Oregon Trail are still visible, as pioneers once used the area as a rest stop, and many emigrant names are inscribed on Register Rock, now protected by a weather shelter.

Today’s drive covers just over 200 miles, or around three hours, bringing you to Idaho’s state capital, Boise. Initially, the Snake River will flow on your right, then on your left as you follow the route. Consider turning off just past Glenns Ferry to travel through the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area before re-joining the main route north of Meridian, then continuing south a few miles to your stop just outside Boise.

Heading west toward the Pacific Ocean, your route enters Oregon. A suggested stop for the night is near the town of La Grande, a name given by an early French settler who admired the area’s beauty. Dominated by Mount Emily, the surrounding region is part of the expansive Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, offering stunning landscapes and abundant outdoor opportunities.

Much of today’s drive follows the mighty Columbia River, which forms the northern border of Oregon with Washington. Break your journey in Pendleton to explore the town’s renowned woollen goods, then continue to Fort Dalles, originally a U.S. Army outpost along the Oregon Trail. The town’s name, derived from Canadian French, refers to the powerful rapids just outside the area.

Portland, Oregon, has been recognized by Money magazine as North America’s “Best Big City,” and it’s easy to see why. Gardens, museums, the zoo, and excellent dining provide a welcome contrast to the outdoor adventures of the past few days, with much accessible via the city’s convenient light rail system.

After enjoying Portland, it’s time to head to your final national park before returning to Everett. Drive roughly seventy miles along the freeway, toward Mount Rainier National Park. Along the way, Mount St. Helens rises to your right, you may be tempted to take a detour past the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Although it’s about three miles shorter, the winding roads will take longer to navigate. Mount Rainier National Park, established in 1899, spans elevations from 1,610 to 14,410 feet. The mountain itself is an active volcano, encased in over 35 square miles of snow and ice, surrounded by old-growth forests and stunning wildflower meadows.

It is just 110 miles to Everett, where you return your motorhome before making the short journey back to Seattle to check in for your return flight to the UK.