Where to go on an accessible road trip in the Northwestern US?

October 6, 2011 5:23 PM

We have a week and a half off and a 4WD truck but no plans; help me find interesting things to do with my partner in Washington, Northern California, Oregon, and Nevada. Extra difficulty: I'm on crutches.

I was originally planning on taking a motorcycle trip through the northwest with a partner last week, but managed to sprain my ankle and fracture my cuboid bone the night before I was supposed to leave. We both pushed our vacation back by a week and decided to take the truck instead. Before, we were planning on taking our time, riding scenic roads, and either camping or finding B&Bs to stay at along the way. I'm a hiker by inclination so all of the things that I'd scoped out in advance require a lot of walking, which is not something I can do right now. So, the question is: does anybody have any suggestions for what to do with a week and a truck in the Northwest, starting this Sunday?

Currently, all we've got on the agenda is seeing a friend in Reno and seeing if we can make it to some of the hot springs in the southern Oregon / northwestern Nevada area. Our other backup plan was to explore the Black Rock Desert some, but Gerlach just got half an inch of rain and I'm guessing that the playa will be impassable for a while.

I'm looking for suggestions on things to do or see at this time of year that are accessible to somebody on crutches. Wineries, breweries, and food recommendations would be great. So would suggestions on places to see that are natural wonders or historically interesting, and romantic things would also be welcome (as long as they're romantic things that would be OK with GLBT couples). I've seen very little of the Northwestern US other than Seattle, and would like to see more, especially along the coast.

posted by hackwolf to travel & transportation (8 answers total)

Columbia River Gorge
posted by rhizome at 5:29 PM on October 6, 2011

Virginia City!
posted by Poet_Lariat at 5:45 PM on October 6, 2011

Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route
posted by Forktine at 5:47 PM on October 6, 2011

Whitehorse Hot Springs in the Alvord desert in Oregon. Whitehorse isn't the most spectacular hot springs in the world but it is a crazy pretty area (if you like the desert) with awesome landscapes to cruise around and the springs are adjacent to a dirt parking area so they are very accessible (and still a long ways from civilization). Have fun.
posted by fieldtrip at 6:30 PM on October 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

2nding the Gorge. Also, Crater Lake NP is something you can see on crutches (there's basically a ring road around the lake with a lot of nice views), and if you drive up the 101 along the Oregon Coast, stop and see the sand dunes.
posted by MoonOrb at 7:29 PM on October 6, 2011

And if you go to Crater Lake, be sure not to miss the Old Man.
posted by rhizome at 8:07 PM on October 6, 2011

Try the Olympic National Forest in Washington. There are rental cabins and lodges that make for cushy camping, restaurants and plenty of ways to drive to scenic views. Lake Quinault is one of my favorite places in the world. The lodge is great, I love staying there. It is pretty cushy. If you hop around the park you can hit rainforest, mineral hot springs, mountain, beach and more! I love it there so much. They have pretty good infrastructure but it is easy to get away from crowds if you want too.


If you are a fan of the series Twilight, apparently it is all based around there.
posted by dottiechang at 1:16 AM on October 7, 2011

We ended up visiting Whitehorse; it was very accessible to somebody on crutches, and was a fantastic spot. Pretty popular, but everybody there was quiet, courteous and friendly.
posted by hackwolf at 9:10 PM on November 10, 2011