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More Route Help, please

Yahoo Message Number: 50709
To all who provided information regarding our route from Tucson to Oregon, thank you. Now it's time to start planning our trip after the rally. We plan to visit Whidbey Island, WA then take HWY-20 east across Washington, Idaho and Montana to Glacier National Park. Suggestions on campgrounds would be appeciated and any negative comments about HWY-20.
After Glacier we want to go to the northern Yellowstone area. We have been to Yellowstone but not the area outside the park on the north and west sides. Route and campground suggestions would be appreciated.

Jerry

07 Allure 31485

Re: More Route Help, please

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50713
Great sounding trip! We were just in Glacier, and having never been there, we cannot wait to return and spend at least a 233k or two rather than the 3 days we had (car trouble kept us in Great Falls for 3 days - if you are in Great Falls, be sure to see US Forest Service Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center - Great Falls, and stay in campground on the west side of town rather than the Great Falls KOA) Campground we stayed in at Glacier in St. Mary, east side, and we loved the east side, was a long-time family owned called Johnson's campground. Sites were pretty skinny but doable. We checked out the KOA the day we left and will stay there the next time - views better and satellite reception excellent. The sites are big, and the scenery around St. Mary from the KOA is remarkable. But run up to Johnson Campground restaurant for the world's best French toast!! Be sure and go to Many Glacier to see it, and kayak if you have time from the Many Glacier Lodge kayak rental.

We were told, and the advice was excellent, to leave from St. Mary, the east side of Glacier, in our toad car to go across Glacier National Park on the Going-To-The-Sun road by 9 AM to avoid traffic, and it worked. There was a lot of traffic from the west heading TO St. Mary which we were meeting. After arriving on the west side of Glacier, we chose to go north to a spot called Polebridge, a teeny town with 2 establishments, one a bar with great burgers and one a bakery and sandwich business, both housed in old interesting buildings. Our son had been there and raved about the food so we went! The last ten miles of the road to Polebridge were over a bit of a rough gravel road, the rest being blacktop. The scenery on the way up and down was great! The return trip to St. Mary on the same route was great because we had little traffic AND the reverse trip scenery was totally different that in the morning. Fabulous! Perhaps the fact that the sun was behind us both ways was part of the reason for the excellent viewing.

If you choose to stay on the west side of Glacier, I was in Whitefish on a business trip, and it was a very nice town too. Didn't stay in a campground, however.

We stopped our westward travel at Glacier so we don't know about highway 20. We used US 2 east of Glacier where you're not going, but we found it great for travel. We have stayed in West Yellowstone, MT a few times and thought the West Yellowstone Grizzly RV park was one of the very best in all of the US we've stayed in! Easy to get in to Yellowstone Park from West Yellowstone, MT, and also a wonderful and well kept and friendly RV park with big spaces.

Best wishes for a great trip, and hearing how your trip to Whidbey Island and across Washington and Idaho on highway 20 east will be great too.

Mike and Mary

Re: More Route Help, please

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50717
Mike and Mary, we are on the Iron Range of Minnesota just now but will be headed west next week on Hwy 2.
You have just provided us a fabulous itinerary for Glacier! Thanks so much!

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Lee Zaborowski (On the Iron Range) 07 Intrigue 12153

Re: More Route Help, please

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50720
Jerry,

We just took Hwy. 20 to Winthrop last week for a family reunion. No problems. It is a slow road but very scenic. Took us 3 hours from I-5 to Winthrop. Winthrop is an old "western" town, check it out. We stayed at the KOA on the east end of town. My sister has a 45' Affinity and we have a 40' Inspire and we both got in without problems except for some trees getting in the way of satelite TV, parking is on green grass. We were in spaces 15 & 16. I think space 10 might not have problems with TV. They can be very busy so you might want to call ahead. (There is also an RV park in Twisp, 9 miles past Winthrop that I have heard is good but we have not stayed there. It seems to have a lot of trees also.) There is a new pizza place just before the KOA that I have heard is very good. There is also a grocery store within walking distance of the KOA. When we were there last weekend in the morning about 6AM a hot air balloon was lifting off close by.
Hope this helps.

Linda

'05 Inspire #51469

Re: More Route Help, please

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50728
We haven't stayed there is a while but Riverbend RV Park in Twisp used to be really nice.
Also, when you travel through Concrete, WA watch the speed limit. They do a nice job of filling the town coffers with collections from unwitting out of towners who don't watch their speed going past town.

Bob

'05 Intrigue 11872

Re: More Route Help, please

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50736
Mike and Mary,

You had a great trip and thank you very much for the information. We can't wait to see Glacier.

Jerry

Re: Other Thoughts for Glacier

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50853
Lee - And others headed to Glacier -
You might like to check into the "Red Bus" tours throughout Glacier. They are completely restored vintage buses of the 1936 -1939 era manufatured by the White Motor Co. You will see them on both sides of Glacier.

Also there are boat tours at both St. Mary Lake and McDonald Lake.
In addition, on Hwy 2 you might like to check out the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex. It was built originally to house the railroads winter snow removal crews. There is a restaurant there where you can get a bite to eat and yes -_ Amtrak still stops there so you might see a train while eating.
As you are headed east on Hwy 2 towards Glacier, before Essex I believe, there is a pull off area (just for your toad - not the MH) that is called "goat lick." The goats come down from the high country and they like this area. Be sure to take your binoculars tho as they are across a river from where the view point is. We saw mothers and their babies there just last month.
As the previous post have indicated, you will have a wonderful time in Glacier.

Kathy Marsh

2000 Allure #30536
 

Re: Other Thoughts for Glacier

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 50858
Kathy, Mary and all. We made our camp reservation in St. Mary yesterday (we'll check Lyle's critique) and leave Grand Rapids, Minnesota tomorrow. Thanks for all the great tips, which we will follow. We'll be in the Glacier area the 18th-21st if anyone else is around. The Red Buses remind us of the Brown Buses at Denali.

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Lee Zaborowski (On the Iron Range) 07 Intrigue 12153