Hwy-20

My chosen route was across the northern part of Washington on Hwy-20. It was the most direct to the next big thing, and I expected it to be very scenic. There were some nice vistas, but mostly it was winding road through the mountains and forests.

White Mountain View

(Omak WA)
Leaving the Methow Valley, I went over Loup Loup Pass and into Okanogan, where the highway turns northward. At Omak, I got gas, groceries, and had some pizza. Hometown Pizza served up a pretty good pie to satisfy my craving.

(nr Wauconda WA)
The highway turns east again at Tonasket, and heads up into the mountains and the Okanogan National Forest. Just beyond Wauconda, I found a secluded boondock spot. It was a mile up a good gravel forest road, easy to level and quiet; but, just off the road.

Driving Highway-20

(Republic WA)
The mountain town of Republic had buildings that looked like the old west, and was obviously a popular place. It reminded me somewhat of Winthrop. Before the next big town, I found another boondock camp on a forest road. This time it was in a clearing well off the road in the Colville NF.

Tardis in Colville NF

Hwy-20 takes you over Sherman Pass at 5,587 ft and is supposed to be the highest in Washington state, but is nothing special. I did pass an old CCC camp along Sherman Creek and took a photo.

Sherman Creek

(Kettle Falls WA)
Coming into Kettle Falls, I got a view of Lake Roosevelt, part of the Columbia River. I stopped to get gas, and decided to have lunch. Just across the street from the station was the Old Apple Warehouse.

Lake Roosevelt / Columbia River

Inside was an organic foods grocery and cafe. All the food was locally grown and boy was that lunch delicious. I wanted to take some with me, but I had just stocked up on groceries a couple of days prior.

(Colville WA)
Beyond the town of Colville there was a sign for Crystal Falls viewpoint, so of course I pulled in. It wasn’t a really large waterfall, but it was full of charm. And, there were good spots for photos.

Crystal Falls

(nr Tiger WA)
Almost to Tiger, I decided to camp at Colville NF-Lake Leo CG. The site backed up to the small lake, with a short path to a tiny beach. There were few campers, so it was a peaceful couple of days.

Lake Leo

In Tiger, WA-20 turns south and ends at US-2 in Newport and the Pend O’rielle River. A stop there for groceries, to post to the blog, and then it was on into Idaho.

Camps: Okanogan NF, Colville NF
Scene: Forest, rivers, rocks