Southwest Washington is made for touring. You’ll want to begin your tour with Vancouver – just as if you were an early American pioneer exiting the Oregon Trail. In Vancouver, you can begin your journey with a dose of history at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

Baking hardtack at Fort Vancouver

To get here (from the south), take I-5, exit 1-C (Mill Plain Boulevard), drive east, and follow the signs. Fort Vancouver was once the center of the British Hudson Bay Company’s network of fur trading posts. But it also became the site of the region’s first hospital, school, mill, and shipbuilding. Today, the site encompasses the Fort Vancouver National Historic Reserve, where you can go on guided tours. Next to the Fort, Pearson Air Museum is also well-worth a visit.

Once you’re in Vancouver, you really can’t leave until you’ve taken the time to drive east along the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Byway, from Washougal (just east of Vancouver) to Maryhill, unless you really did just come from Oregon and spent time there along Oregon’s Historic Columbia River Highway, which runs parallel to it on the other side of the river. You’ll need to budget at least a day for this trip, however, as it will take you more than two hours of driving time to reach Maryhill, and another two hours to return to the Vancouver area. But what a beautiful and relaxing drive! Once you reach Maryhill, you can visit the Maryhill Museum of Art, or, if you are a wine connosieur, the famous Maryhill Winery.

The stunning terrace at Maryhill Winery

If you arrive in a summer month, you may manage to make it to one of Maryhill Winery’s summer concerts. (The 2011 season will feature Yes & Styx, Gipsy Kings, and Michael McDonald & Boz Scaggs.) Maryhill is also the site of a World War I memorial which was built as an exact replica of Stonehenge.

You may want to plan on camping in Maryhill, at Columbia Hills State Park, which is RV-friendly, so that you can take your time and explore the area, perhaps making short trips across the river, as well. Columbia Hills is well worth your time – you’ll be able to see ancient Native American petroglyphs and walk the Tamani Pesh-wa Trail. There are more than 12 miles of hiking trails here, and you can also go boating, sailboarding, rock climbing, swimming, or even play horseshoes. At night, take some time to observe the night sky – this is a beautiful area in which to see the stars.

Sailboarding on the Columbia River

On the way to or from Maryhill, depending on your schedule, stop in Stevenson at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum. This is the place to go if you have an RV full of fidgety kids. In addition to the museum’s extensive indoor historical exhibits, kids can climb into a historic diesel locomotive outside. In addition, you may want to take time to see the Bridge of the Gods, the third oldest bridge on the Columbia River.

Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center

Leaving Vancouver again (or leaving the first time, if you choose to skip the trip to Maryhill), drive north on I-5 and take exit 14 (Pioneer St./Washington 501 W) for Ridgefield, where you can visit the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Here you will find not only a beautiful flood plain habitat (watch for sandhill cranes!), but also the townsite of Cathlapotle, which was visited by Lewis and Clark in 1806.

Cathlapotle Plankhouse

You can hike through the refuge or take the four-mile car tour. [Don't miss this ZEST post by Sarah Coomber on hiking with children in the refuge.]

Getting back on I-5, head for Silver Lake (get off at exit 49, Castle Rock). If you enjoy fishing or hiking, you may want to spend some time here, and camp at Seaquest State Park. To reach the visitor center, head east on 504, but don’t limit yourself to Sequest’s own visitor center – if you continue east, you’ll reach the Mount St. Helens Forest Learning Center. If you’d like an alternate route to Mount St. Helens, you can exit I-5 at exit 21 near Woodland, but that route won’t take you to the visitor’s center. The center is inside the blast zone from the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption, and includes an outdoor volcano playground and indoor virtual helicopter tour.

After May 15, when the road opens, you can proceed to the Johnston Ridge Visitor Center and Johnston Ridge Observatory.

The Road to Mount St. Helens

You can hike and climb in the Mount St. Helens area, but you will need to reserve a pass in advance, and you are required to stick to the trail. If you are old enough to remember the eruption, the trail will be amazing enough! If you aren’t old enough to remember the eruption, or would like a refresher, watch some archival footage before you get there. For a map of trails in the area, click here. If you are lucky enough to climb to the top of the crater, bring a dust mask – there is still occasional ashfall, and it isn’t good for your lungs.

From the Mount St. Helens area, you’ll want to head for the coast so you can see the sights that Lewis and Clark saw when they reached the Pacific. Head south again on I-5, but this time take highway 30 west toward the ocean. It will take you an hour or two to reach the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, near Chinook. Continuing along the coast to Long Beach, Washington, about 200 feet above the surf itself, at Cape Disappointment State Park, you can visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.

The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center

View from the Interpretive Center

Take as much time as you can to enjoy this beautiful area, where you can beachcomb, hike, and relax. You can camp at Cape Disappointment overnight.

Continuing north to Ilwaco, you can visit the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, where you can see fresh and saltwater marshes and tidal estuaries. This is the place to go if you enjoy birdwatching – you can see pelicans, murrelets, bald eagles, great blue herons, and many other waterfowl and marsh birds.

Maybe you will have had enough driving by this point in your trip, but if you feel you just can’t leave Washington State without a trip to Mount Rainier, Washington’s highest peak, you can certainly make it – and it’s a glorious way to end your trip. Leaving the coast, get back onto I-5, exit at 68 (Morton/Yakima), and take US-12 E to WA-123 N. From here on east to Mount Rainier, the roads are closed seasonally, so check the dates when you plan your trip. Check the road status here. If you are taking the time to make the trip to Mount Rainier, plan on camping in the park and give yourself plenty of time to enjoy all that it has to offer.

You won’t want to leave Southwest Washington, so make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to poke around along the way-you’ll discover your own favorite locations and meet some of the friendliest people in the Pacific Northwest!

About the Author

Joe Laing is the Marketing Director for El Monte RV Rentals. For other great RV camping vacation ideas see the Monty’s Musings RV Camping Blog or the new
Monty’s RV Vacation Photo / Picture Gallery.

We spent four days there in mid-summer and pined for more. So we returned a month later for a camping trip with long-time friends, Mary and John Tyburski. Again, we were enchanted by the area. Cranberry Coast, Part I is here.

Westport Marina

Friday afternoon. Taking I-5 north, we make our ritual stop for milkshakes at the Dairy Barn in Chehalis (Exit 77). Cookie Dough and Hazelnut shakes in hands, we head west on SR6 through PeEll, which has what must be the world’s largest stop signs, and through Frances and Lebam—a town with a name to love. It’s backwards for Mabel.

We pass the Pacific County Fair in Menlo, hurrying on to Raymond, where we pick up SR105. We’re eager to get to our campsite before sundown at Twin Harbors Beach State Park.  Setting up a campsite in the dark is not my idea of fun and it’s raining so we are grateful for our snug tent camper. Our days of sleeping on the ground are over. Guess we are getting older…

Home Away From Home

What a multi-generational community we find! Park demographics include all ages, from infants to grandparents and a diverse, well-behaved canine population. We must have missed the memo that said “bring your dog.” Two doors down, so to speak, at least 30 high school girls (also well-behaved) are on a field trip and eating dinner under the world’s largest tarp.

Much later, two cars of very polite surfers from Port Orchard set up their tents next to ours in the dark. We save them from an imminent medical emergency by lending them our hatchet. Watching a barefoot surfer try to chop wood with machete is not a pretty picture.

Saturday morning. With the rain gone, we explore the beach, which is nearly empty and quite beautiful with seabirds, crashing waves and fishing boats in the distance. I’ve never seen so many whole sand dollars on a beach.

Beach at Twin Harbors

11 a.m. We drive to Westport, which is only a few miles north of the state park. Not surprising, there is LOT to do here. A local blog, Discovering Westport keeps track of what’s happening. The Westport-Grayland Chamber of Commerce also has a good Web site. Also, check out the live beach cam and for live views of the beachs and marina plus weather info.

The Westport Marina is an active, working marina with fleets of pleasure and commercial fishing boats. The captain of the MV Scooter has returned with four fishermen and is cleaning their salmon catch. Two massive sea lions are savoring the scraps that the captain tosses overboard as he fillets the fish.

Sea Lion with Lunch

12:30 p.m. It’s lunchtime and we stop by the Half Moon Bay Bar and Grill. Panko breaded Willapa oysters, a seafood sampler and Dungeness crab melt on ciabatta sound WAY better than sandwiches back at the campground. The restaurant’s panoramic view of the marina plus a large, see-through aquarium with Nemo and various other tropical fish add to the ambiance.

2 p.m. Across the street from the marina, downtown Westport offers shops and galleries with fine art, kites, jewelry, fudge and the usual beach mementos. We make a mental note to check out the food at the One Eyed Crab.

3 p.m. At the “westernmost winery in Washington State,” we are greeted by the friendly owners of Westport Winery. We enjoy quite a flight of reds and whites in their impressive and busy tasting room. We purchase a bottle of Maritime Muscat and Tyburskis buy Going Coastal Sparking Gewurztraminer. Each bottle purchased benefits of local non-profit group at this family-run winery. Current wines are listed on their Web site.

Tasting at the Westport Winery

4:30 p.m. The Grays Harbor Light Station is a significant landmark on the Washington coast. This active lighthouse is Washington State’s tallest at 107’ tall. It’s 123’ above sea level. Mary climbs the 135 steps to the top for the coastal view. We wander around the surrounding woods. John naps at the campground.

5:30 p.m. We’re in Grayland (about 10 minutes south of Twin Harbors) for dinner at the very popular Bennett’s Restaurant. It’s good that we are early because by the time we leave, the line is out the door. Seafood and wine in a great restaurant. I admit it. This is my kind of camping.

7:30 p.m. The fog has cleared and we are watching the sun’s golden orb dip into the sea. Back to the campsite for a campfire and glass of wine.

Sunday morning. Tyburskis take off for home while we head back to the beach for a long walk. We then head back to Westport to explore the charming Westport Maritime Museum. Housed in a 1940 Coast Guard station, the museum features exhibits on community history, ship wrecks, logging, cranberry harvesting and other local topics. Full-sized whale skeletons are displayed in outdoor glass pavilions and the massive Destruction Island Lighthouse lens is showcased in a separate building on the groups. Community museums offer fascinating exhibits. We are glad we visited.

Westport's Maritime Museum

Next, it’s time to figure out where all those surfers are going and how Westport can support multiple surf shops. We are directed to Westhaven State Park, a day-use area with a beach on the south side of the Westport Jetty. There we are amazed to see hundreds of surfers in black wetsuits looking like seals in the water along with kayakers, paddling through the waves. We later read that Westport is Washington State’s premier sport for surfing. Who knew? We didn’t.

Surfers near Westport

1 p.m. It’s time to return home from the Cranberry Coast. Before we leave Westport, we have time to squeeze in one more meal – this time at the One Eyed Crab. The place is packed with Sunday diners eating all manner of seafood from crab legs to tuna to oyster burgers and chowders. Kids are going for the corndogs. We devour halibut (which has a light, tempura-like coating) and chips, and clam chowder. (Only one week later, the Sunday New York Times Travel Section published an excellent review of the restaurant.)

Even after making two trips and six days in the area, we still didn’t have enough time to fully explore the Cranberry Coast. What about a fishing trip? Kayaking in the Willapa Bay? More time in the museums? More local wine? More oysters? We’ll be back.

I thought this area could be easily explored in one trip. I was wrong. There is a LOT happening in this part of the state. This is Part I.

Thursday Afternoon and Evening
We leave Vancouver on a one of those frying, triple-digit July days. As we pull out of Chehalis on SR6, after our ritual stop at the Dairy Barn for milkshakes, the Wachovia clock reads 100 degrees. By the time we get to Raymond in Pacific County, less than an hour from I-5, we are down to a cool, marine 67 degrees. The Cranberry Coast is looking good already.

The Elegant Russell House

4 p.m. An Elegant Bed and Breakfast in “The Oyster Capital of the World” Our host Beverley warmly welcomes us at the historic Russell House Bed and Breakfast in South Bend. Russell House is a stunning 1891 Victorian home, built by John Russell as a 25th anniversary gift for his wife, overlooking South Bend and the Willapa River. Beverley has graciously agreed to store our tent camper and kayaks in the backyard while we are exploring the area. We settle in to the Bay Room with its turret window seat and spectacular view of the river.

6:30 p.m. Well-worn tavern, good beer, succulent oysters. Beverley recommends two diners in town for great oysters. We start with dinner at Chester Club and Oyster Bar, which more than one person points out has been written about in The New York Times. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us. A few older guys are hanging out at the bar, occasionally wandering out to smoke and greet a very popular dog in a pickup. When I taste my first oyster, I slap the table. It’s that good. Lightly battered and fried but not greasy. And it’s matched perfectly with Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale. I hope The New York Times was very, very kind to this bar. They deserve it.

Friday
11 a.m. The first of three fun museums. After a hearty breakfast of quiche, mango smoothies and pastries at Russell House, we are ready to explore the local sites. I love local museums. The Pacific County Museum provides interesting displays of local history and a fine bookstore. I purchase a copy of naturalist Robert Michael Pyle’s Wintergreen about the Willapa Hills. We don’t know it but this book will serve us in a surprising event near the end of our trip.

Dome of the Historic South Bend Courthouse

1 p.m. A stolen courthouse Up the hill we visit the massive Pacific County Courthouse, which received its initial records via steamer in a reported theft from Oysterville in 1893. Called “The Gilded Palace of Extravagance,” the courthouse was completed in 1911. The spectacular stained art glass dome alone is worth the trip up the hill. The local citizens are very kind to not step on me when I lie on the floor to photograph their fabulous ceiling.

2 p.m. Cranberries again. Knot Just Another Baking Company in South Bend is offering warm, pumpkin cranberry muffins. The river pier behind the bakery is the perfect place to consume them. This cozy bakery would be a great place to buy sandwiches for a kayaking trip on the Willapa.

3 p.m. Karaoke in the Park – Just up the river in Raymond, the Willapa Harbor Festival is offering karaoke in the park. We sneak into the Dennis Company, one of those rare, delightful stores that carries everything from plumbing supplies to pajamas. Their formula must work because they have been in business for more than 100 years. We admire the mural illustrating Raymond’s logging history and 250 or so metal sculptures throughout the town.

One of 24 Carriages in the Northwest Carriage Museum

3:30 p.m. Two more fine museums. One block away, Raymond’s Seaport Museum and the Northwest Carriage Museum provide plenty to investigate. The Willapa Seaport Museum features maritime artifacts and varied collections from logging to lighthouses, documenting life on Willapa Bay and in the Northwest.

Next door, at the Northwest Carriage Museum , we find a world-class collection of 24 elegant carriages – beautifully preserved coaches used for various occasions including a movie star, a Landau carriage used in Gone with the Wind and Jezebel and a “surrey with the fringe on the top.” Donated to the City of Raymond by two generous local collectors, the carriages are displayed in a handsome museum built in 2002. Next door, the farmer’s market has luscious peaches and blueberries in stock.

7 p.m. What, no oysters?! Tonight we are ready to try the grilled oysters of the River Side Dining. The barbeque is still smoking out front but they have just sold the last grilled oysters. We are ridiculously disappointed. We buck up and continue to celebrate the mollusks (and Rogue beer) back at Chester Club where Rolf Olsen and Bruce Hughes are starting a set of jazz in the back overlooking the bay. We can’t complain.

Saturday morning
9 a.m. A good morning for a hike. We walk off the Russell House breakfast down on the Willapa River Trail, a rails-to-trails project, and with a hike of perhaps six miles to Raymond and back. At its peak, Raymond had 20 factories and mills on the waterfront, according to a visitor’s guide. The river is quiet these days.

Noon One more try for oysters. It’s time for us to head for Willapa Bay for the camping part of our trip. But wait. The grill is smoking at the River View Dining. We decide to chance it one more time. Ordered by the dozen, the oysters won’t be ready for 45 minutes so we shop for groceries and come back to wait with all the other vulture-like diners. Manuel, the owner, carries in platters of steaming oysters and somehow figures out who is next in line for his barbequed fare. He won’t divulge what is in his special barbeque sauce. I can taste lime, cilantro and possibly molasses. It is really, really worth the wait. They are sweet, smokey and remarkable.

The BEST BBQ Oysters in the World

3 p.m. From B & B luxury to the camper. The local state parks were full when we made reservations so we check into the family-packed, Bay Center/Willapa Bay KOA and set up our camper. Like most people our age, we have progressed from backpacking to car camping to a 1978 VW bus to our aging but very comfortable Jayco tent camper. Despite still being satiated with oysters, we fix our traditional first night camping dinner – spaghetti with salad, good bread and red wine.

Our Traditional Camping Dinner -- With Steaming Spaghetti

The friendly KOA staff provides root beer floats for dessert. Gary partakes. I’m stuffed.

Root beer floats for dessert

Sunday
11 a.m. It’s a fine day to go kayaking. We put the boats in at the south end of the US 101 bridge over the Palix River. At this point the river is quite wide with grassy banks and many forks. We keep taking new offshoots, threatening to get totally lost, and eventually end up in a narrow, clear creek. We manage to find our way back seeing only one lone jet skier with a hunting dog perched on the noisy watercraft. As we pull out the boats, two bald eagles are tearing apart a fish across the river.

Kayaking the Palix River

Monday
10 a.m. A stop in Ilwaco It’s time to head home – south on Hwy 101, with a brief detour into Ilwaco for a browse at the well-stocked Time Enough Books on the waterfront and coffee and scones in Chinook.

Noon Is that who I think it is? Driving east on SR4, we take a scenic side road. Slightly lost, we ask directions from a white-bearded gentleman who is walking down the road. His face is vaguely familiar. His binoculars are a clue. It’s Robert Michael Pyle, the naturalist writer. Miraculously, his book that I purchased in South Bend is handy. He graciously signs it as we linger in the middle of the road. He tells us about the nearby forest species and chats about local butterflies, his specialty, and invites us to come back someday. We are profoundly impressed and grateful as he shares with us, perfect strangers in an old, green Subaru hauling kayaks and a vintage tent camper, a bit of wisdom about the Willapa Hills.

It’s back to the heat of Vancouver, but we have another trip to The Cranberry Coast coming up. Think sea lions and sand dollars, surfers, wine tastings and, yes, more oysters. Watch for Part II.