With more than 160 recreation sites and 80 free campgrounds
Of ocean beach that is legally a public highway 10
62 miles
Street-legal vehicles only, 25 miles per hour
Tires, chains and the traction sign
Washington writes the requirement into the signs. When traction control signs are posted, entering the controlled area without the specified device on your drive tires is unlawful, and an all-wheel-drive vehicle escapes the chain requirement only if every wheel is in gear with approved traction devices and chains for one set of drive tires are in the vehicle.
Talk to a tire shop about sand too. Sixty-two miles of ocean beach are open to street-legal vehicles, driving is confined to the hard sand, and airing down and back up is part of the day. Ask what pressures your tire and load are happy at.
Tires are the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, and on a loaded rig they work close to their limits. A good tire shop starts with load rating and size, then tread. It will also tell you when the tire you want will rub, need different wheels or throw off your gearing.
Expect help with
01Choosing a tire by load, terrain and season
02Wheels with the right offset and load rating
03Mounting, balancing and tire pressure sensors
04A matching full-size spare
05Alignment, rotation and repairs
How to choose tires for overland travel
Tread pattern is the last decision, not the first.
01Match the load rating to your real axle weights, not to the badge on the fender.
02All-terrain tires suit most overland travel. Mud-terrains are louder, heavier and wear faster, and earn it only in real mud and rock.
03Buy five. A matching full-size spare that you rotate in is worth the money when the nearest tire shop is a day away.
04Check the wheels too. Wheels have load ratings, and the wrong offset stresses bearings and rubs.
05Ask whether the shop can move or reprogram your tire pressure sensors.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
A tire quote is quick when the shop knows what the tire has to carry.
01Vehicle, current tire size and wheel size
02Lift height, if any
03Loaded weight, or a list of what is on the vehicle
04Where you drive most: pavement, gravel, rock, sand, snow
05A budget range for five tires
Questions people ask
What does load range mean?
It describes how much weight a tire can carry at a given pressure. Heavier builds, vans and truck campers usually need a higher load range than the vehicle came with. The tire's sidewall and the placard in the door jamb are the places to start, and a tire shop can work through the numbers with you.
How big can I go?
Every platform has a size that fits at stock height, a size that fits with a modest lift, and a size that needs trimming and gears. Tell the shop your lift and wheels and ask what fits without rubbing at full steering lock and full compression.
Should I air down?
On washboard, sand and rock, lower pressure gives a better ride and more traction and is easier on the vehicle. It also means you need a way to air back up before pavement. How low depends on your tire, your weight and your speed, so ask your tire shop and start conservatively.
How high is Washington?
From Long Beach at 20 feet to Mount Rainier at 14,411.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
RepublicWest side of Sherman Pass on SR 20, in the middle of the Colville National Forest and the Kettle River Range.2,564 ft
SpokaneOn I-90 near the Idaho line. Base for the Colville forest, the Kettle Crest and the eastern scablands.1,870 ft
WinthropMethow Valley town on SR 20, east side of the winter closure. The Harts Pass road leaves from up-valley.1,761 ft
ColvilleOn US 395 in the northeast. Services for the Three Rivers and Newport ends of the Colville forest.1,612 ft
EllensburgI-90 at the north end of the Yakima River Canyon byway, below the Naneum Ridge state forest roads.1,536 ft
LeavenworthOn US 2 below Stevens Pass, at the mouth of Icicle Creek.1,171 ft
ChelanAt the foot of Lake Chelan, the road gateway to the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.1,130 ft
YakimaSouth end of the Yakima River Canyon. Gateway to the Naches and Ahtanum country and the Green Dot roads.1,067 ft
PackwoodOn US 12 between White Pass and Mount Rainier, at the north edge of the Gifford Pinchot.1,054 ft
OmakOn US 97 in the Okanogan valley, east of Loup Loup Summit and south of the Canadian border crossings.845 ft
WenatcheeHeadquarters town of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, on the Columbia where US 2 meets US 97.668 ft
MarblemountLast services on SR 20 before the North Cascades. Cascade River Road starts here.322 ft
ForksUS 101 town for the Hoh and the Olympic wilderness coast. Fuel before the long empty stretch south.305 ft
SeattleWhere I-5 meets I-90. The usual arrival point and the last big-city parts supply before the Cascades.173 ft
Port AngelesOn US 101 at the bottom of Hurricane Ridge Road, the main entrance to the Olympic high country.67 ft
Long BeachOn the 27-mile Long Beach stretch of the Seashore Conservation Area, where driving on the sand is legal.20 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Mount RainierThe highest point in Washington. No road to the top; Sunrise, at 6,400 feet, is as high as a vehicle gets14,411 ft
Mount AdamsYakima County, the volcano the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route passes on its way north12,276 ft
Mount BakerWhatcom County, above the far end of the Mt. Baker Highway10,767 ft
Mount OlympusJefferson County, the high point of the Olympic Mountains7,928 ft
SunriseSunrise Road, Mount Rainier: SR 410 at the White River entrance to the Sunrise visitor area6,400 ft
Harts PassHarts Pass Road, Forest Road 5400: Mazama in the Methow Valley to the Pacific Crest Trail crossing6,200 ft
Sherman PassSherman Pass, SR 20: Republic to Kettle Falls across the Kettle River Range5,575 ft
Washington PassNorth Cascades Highway, SR 20: Marblemount and the Skagit valley to Winthrop and the Methow5,475 ft
Chinook PassChinook Pass, SR 410: Enumclaw and Mount Rainier to Naches and Yakima5,430 ft
Hurricane RidgeHurricane Ridge Road: Port Angeles to the Hurricane Ridge visitor area5,242 ft
Artist PointMt. Baker Highway to Artist Point, SR 542: Bellingham and Glacier to the end of the road below Mount Shuksan5,140 ft
Blewett PassChelan County, between Ellensburg and the Wenatchee valley4,138 ft
Stevens PassKing County, the US 2 crossing of the Cascade crest4,117 ft
Loup Loup SummitOkanogan County, between Omak and the Methow Valley4,017 ft
Cascade Pass TrailheadCascade River Road: Marblemount on SR 20 to the Cascade Pass trailhead3,660 ft
Snoqualmie PassKittitas County. The lowest Cascade crossing measured here, and the one I-90 uses3,014 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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