Reflections on a Lake over Chinook Pass

Posted on September 4, 2023 by

24 Comments

It made a nice day trip over the mountains with a good excuse – to look at a camper for sale in Yakima. (We can’t seem to give up the thought of camping.)

We headed south to Mt Rainier via Highway 410 and up and over Chinook Pass, where just last month we went for a hike to Sheep Lake over this ridge.

Only then it was a perfectly sunny and a suitable day for a hike. On this day, fall was in the air, and the pass damp and shrouded in fog. And still beautiful.

The fun thing about crossing the Cascades to the east side of the state is the almost guaranteed sunshine and blue skies you will find on the other side; that along with a change in the landscape, including golden cliffs and caves.

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant on the Naches River, part of a campground and RV park serving up delicious fare, and afterwards headed into Yakima to look at the camper. It was a no-go, and we’re finally convinced only a hard side will do – no tent trailers for us.

But honestly, it was just an excuse for an outing, somewhere to go for the day. After stopping for dessert and to pick up some fresh peaches and plums, we headed back the same way we came, just in time to avoid hitting this beauty crossing the road.

Chinook Pass was still shrouded in clouds and though there was no view of Mt. Rainier to be had, we captured beautiful reflections on a small lake, under Naches Peak.

It was a fun day, and we noted the many campgrounds along the rivers on both sides of the pass, that we hope to visit again sometime, perhaps overnight, in a camper.

We shall see.

~ Susanne

Category: National Parks, Nature, TravelTags: , , , , , ,

24 Comments on “Reflections on a Lake over Chinook Pass”

  1. I don’t know what you have for a tow vehicle but I just love my little Aliner. It pops up in a minute and a half and follows along behind my small SUV without any effort. They’re not cheap but I would think that people who bought them during the Covid lock down might be ready to have the garage space back right about now.

    • We’ve considered the Aliner, along with other lightweight hard side trailers. There are many for sale at reasonable prices, so I think we should be able to find something that works for us.

    • Yes, it’s a gorgeous drive over Chinook Pass. We always have fun looking for campers, and this drive to Yakima was too hard to pass up. And confirmed for us, we don’t want a tent trailer. 🙂

  3. I’m not a camper – I prefer the finer things in life! Ideally a clean room close to the wonderful outdoors! We rented a room at Mesa Verde NP and the view from the little balcony was wonderful!

    • I totally understand. We love staying in park lodges when we can. But sometimes we want to be more in the woods, especially at our local national parks (Olympic, Mt. Rainier and N. Cascades.) We sold our last camper a couple years ago, and found we miss it.

  4. That’s a fun day out and lovely views with the clouds and all. My camping days are over, in part because here it’s unnecessary and in part because I’ve got soft and like my creature comforts!

    • It was a great mini road trip. We thought we were done camping too, but found we miss it. We thought another camper would be good for our visits to Olympic National Park and Mt Rainier, both of which have limited lodging options. We’ll see what happens. 😊

  6. I love that you go back and forth about camping. I look forward to seeing what you decide this time around.

    • Thanks. We miss waking up in the woods and having a campfire (when it’s allowed.) This is the time to buy and it’s fun looking. 😊

  7. We started with a canvas pop-up and then moved to a hard-sided pop up. They were great to tow, but took a toll on my aging husband’s shoulders. We finally bought an all-season 5th wheel, which is good for camping year-round. I love camping when all the kids are in school and it isn’t too hot! We already had a truck, so it as perfect. Whatever your lifestyle needs, there is something out there for you! I’m too old to sleep on the ground or go w/o a shower. The best bonus —our cats and dogs can come with us!

    • Sounds good to me. We had a few truck campers we liked, then a small trailer we sold a couple years ago. We have a small truck – Toyota Tacoma – so we can’t go too big but hope for a trailer 16 or 17′ ft in length with all the amenities! And how nice the cats and dogs can go with you! 🐕🐈‍⬛

  9. Might look a bit into van conversions. Then you don’t have to tow anything! Less maintenance, too. And you can get very creative in customizing so you can have everything that works just for you. A friend went a step further and had her large Econoline van converted into space designed to accommodate both her and her tiny pony aka miniature horse. She and her pony compete in VSE (“very small equine”) cart competions throughout the west coast.

    • A van would be nice if we wanted another vehicle. But we’re hoping to pull something with our truck and want to find a compact trailer with a good bed, kitchen and bath. Lots on the market right now so we shall see. 🙂

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