Escapees May June 2015 Demo

78 / 92

78 .ESCAPEES |May/June 2015 |
boaters. You’ll need reservations to camp there, but it is
worth planning ahead to stay at this outstanding natural
setting.
• Mt. Rainier
Practically the state’s logo, you must see Mt. Rainer
up close instead of in the distance on picture postcards.
It includes five areas developed for visitors, including
campgrounds, so check out the National Park Service’s
information and plan to visit this volcanic peak yourself.
• Mt. St. Helens
Who doesn’t want to see the mountain that blew its top off
35 years ago? From I-5, head for the Mt. St. Helens Forest
Learning Center (a few miles from the mountain) for great
information, and then head for the Johnston Ridge Visitor
Center. There’re views all along the way of the changes
caused by this cataclysmic event, and, at the center, have a
look into the heart of the resulting crater.
• Forks Timber Museum
The logging town of Forks (the town used for Stephenie
Meyer’s Twilight sagas) has a Timber Museum built by the
town’s high school carpentry students in 1990. The muse-
um has displays of equipment and artifacts dating back to
the 1870s. However, we suggest you call and sign up for a
timber tour (summers only). You’ll have a great tour of the
surrounding forest, see logging activities in progress and
view old-growth trees you won’t see any other way. The
address is 1421 S. Forks Ave. Phone: 360-374-9663.
• Mora Campground and Rialto Beach
Great beach towns and campgrounds await RVers along
Washington’s entire Pacific Ocean coastline, but our fa-
vorite is Mora Campground surrounded by towering trees,
lush undergrowth and the music of the Pacific Ocean surf.
This national park has 94 campsites and is about three
miles from Rialto Beach where rocky beaches, giant drift
logs, pounding waves and views of offshore islands known
as “seastacks” are photographic wonders. It has the most
amazing surf-flattened rocks of all sizes. (Warning: you’ll
• Lake Ozette and Cape Flattery
Lake Ozette is another birder’s paradise, and it’s great for
easy canoeing. From there you’ll find both short and long
trails, like the hike to Cape Flattery, which sits high above
the Pacific Surf. It offers a stunning view at the farthest
northwest tip in the contiguous U.S. states.
Seattle waterfront.
Photo by Sandra Haven #103699.
Rialto Beach.
Photo by Sandra Haven #103699.
SKP Stops