Driving to Walla Walla in April

<p>Trying to put together plans to visit around the third week of April. How is the drive over the mountains from SeaTac to Walla Walla that time of year? Should I expect any weather problems? Thanks!</p>

<p>It should be fine. Unless there is freaky ice or something - no problem. If you are lucky it will be beautiful!</p>

<p>Hopefully you’re good at driving in the rain! ;)</p>

<p>Other than that, it’s Washington, so you shouldn’t run in to anything too crazy. I did the drive from Seattle to Whitman the first week of May last year and there was a bit of snow in the mountains but nothing on the roads.</p>

<p>Bring snow chains just in case.</p>

<p>I don’t know what all your travel plans are. If you are flying into SeaTac mainly to go to Walla Walla, I would suggestion flying into Portland instead. I’ve done it both ways. The drive to Walla Walla from Portland is shorter and easier with beautiful scenery along the Columbia River. Enjoy!</p>

<p>My S and I went up to the PNW last April from CA. We flew into Portland and visited a few schools there, and we were going to drive to Walla Walla to see Whitman. Well, we never got there. A huge storm came through and we could not get over the pass.We were VERY disappointed because my S REALLY wanted to visit Whitman. We now have to plan another trip up there… probably next Fall. Hopefully since he will be a Senior, he will be able to spend the night and interview.</p>

<p>Thanks for the responses. As with all things weather-related, sounds like it will probably depend on luck. :)</p>

<p>TwoTimer, I originally wanted to fly into Portland, but the cheapest round trip ticket I could find was about $350 more (per ticket) than flying into SeaTac. What’s up with that?</p>

<p>Where are you flying from? You could check flights to Pasco, which is about 45 miles from Walla Walla. United flies there nonstop from San Francisco and Denver, often with very good fares. </p>

<p>I also got stuck in a terrible snow storm in April driving back to Seattle from Walla Walla after my daughter visited. I know better now, but at the time I had no idea that was even a possibility.</p>

<p>Yes, where are you flying from? Allegiant Air also has flights to Pasco and they’re quite cheap, but their cities of origin and flight days are very limited. Pasco is used a lot by the students, and there is a shuttle bus to and from Walla Walla called the GrapeLine:
[Reservation</a> Step 1: Choose Travel Date, Departure and Destination](<a href=“http://secure.airporter.com/cgi-bin/query/grapeline/s1a.cfg?ref=grape]Reservation”>http://secure.airporter.com/cgi-bin/query/grapeline/s1a.cfg?ref=grape)
Also, every so often you can get a great deal flying to Walla Walla from Seattle on Alaska/Horizon. It’s worth checking out since the Walla Walla airport is so convenient. That said, our first time to campus we drove back through the pass to Seattle and enjoyed the beauty of the state very much. It was April, and there were just a few snow flurries at the crest of the hill.</p>

<p>Yikes! I had no idea the drive from Portland to Walla Walla could be iffy. My D and I are visiting Whitman (along with Reed and L&C) over Pres Weekend. I’ve rented a small car, but maybe I need to upgrade to a 4WD… Is there a way to check the weather for that drive?</p>

<p>Portland to Walla Walla isn’t usually a problem. It’s all flat (and gorgeous) as it goes along the Columbia River. It’s the road to Seattle that crosses the mountain range and can be gnarly.</p>

<p>Oregon road conditions: [TripCheck</a> - Road Cams, Road & Weather Conditions in Oregon - ODOT](<a href=“Road & Weather Conditions Map | TripCheck - Oregon Traveler Information”>Road & Weather Conditions Map | TripCheck - Oregon Traveler Information)</p>

<p>I once did the Walla Walla to Portland trip and ran into ice, but generally it’s fine. For that matter, I’ve also gone from Seattle several times and the pass has always been great. I90 is the major east-west route from Seattle and the Washington DOT does its best to keep it open. If it’s not actively snowing hard you’ll be fine. Our attitude has always been to be flexible on timing in case we need to wait out a storm.</p>

<p>My favorite I90 links:</p>

<p>[WSDOT</a> - Snoqualmie Pass Road and Weather Conditions](<a href=“http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/Passes/Snoqualmie/]WSDOT”>http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/Passes/Snoqualmie/)
[I90&lt;/a&gt; Traveler Information](<a href=“http://i90.atmos.washington.edu/roadview/i90/]I90”>http://i90.atmos.washington.edu/roadview/i90/)</p>