Even w/o the WUE, WWU presents a pretty decent OOS tuition at $20k for COA, and around $14k R&B.
[could I have squeezed in anymore acronyms…?]
Seems a shame to skip Lewis & Clark when you’ll be so close and it’s widely regarded as one of the best LACs in the PNW. Just my 2 cents.
Do you have your travel dates set? Just saw that “Oregon Private Colleges Week” is July 25 - 29. The colleges include most of the ones discussed in this thread (well, not the WA ones, obv.)
@Cathpark: Your revised plan sounds MUCH more manageable. If you need advice on a few convenient recreational activities, places to eat, et., to help the trip fun in addition to the business at hand, say so. I’m a lifelong PNW resident, and it looks as though there are others posting here as well.
I wouldn’t pass up Pacific Lutheran in Tacoma since you are going to driving right by the campus heading south…and my son is a freshman there 
He got in to Puget Sound also but the delta in costs after merit aid was $15K per year…and could have been more if he had applied earlier to PLU.
This is a bit non-responsive, but if it’s his sophomore year, and he’s not interested - why are you going now instead of waiting?
My daughter was interested in going to my MIT reunion at the end of her sophomore year. So we went, and went to the admissions talk. She loved it, and it really inspired her. (Note - she has like no chance of getting in to MIT - sorry honey… ) So a trip to ONE school that was really interesting to her was great.
Now we’re in the 2nd half of her junior year. We did a college trip in April. She alternates between being inquisitive and open to seeing colleges, and DAD WHY DO YOU ONLY TALK ABOUT COLLEGES I HAVE A LIFE TOO?!?!?!
So I think it’s very valuable to push the kids a little - but not too much. Getting them mad at the process (and you) is counter-productive.
Seeing 7 colleges, maybe more, as a sophomore who is not interested really seems like a giant waste of time, money and energy to me. You can’t get these summer trips with your kids back so I would encourage you to rethink it. I understand completely the feeling of needing to get out there and start doing this and if you have to be in the PNW anyways…why not combine it. Intellectually and logistically, that makes sense. However. It is summer. None of these schools will be in session. Not one will give the vibe that they will when they are in session. That’s a ton of driving and little down/play time.
Pick 2. Maybe 3. But not 7 or 8. Try to pick some that are very different from each other so he can get a feel of the campus size etc but don’t cram that many into one trip, with a child who is not interested yet. We did 3 on a spring break tour to “break” S17 into it . That was just enough. Any more and he’d have had my head. The rest of the trip was actual vacation. If he is into it after 1, 2 or 3 then sure, maybe add more in but let him have a say. It doesn’t sound like he has one. I will only take my kids to schools they have expressed interest in. I’ll present things, even maybe fight for them to consider it but if they don’t want to, I’m not wasting our time. At the end of the day even though it’s my money, they are the ones potentially attending the school, not me.
I will say, based on stats, Reed, Whitman and L&C are reaches and not generally seen as being good with merit especially in the lower percentiles. Reed is need only (CSS Profile need though, not FAFSA so it is a bit better). UPS, Seattle U, U of P and Willamette are likely to have better offers, as would Gonzaga. Run the NPC’s on all and you’ll get a decent feel. Linfield will likely make a decent offer and come in lower than the rest but I don’t think they are quite at the same academic level. I’ve not run PLU personally but have checked out all the others. My S17 has similar stats and has looked at some on your list with some still to come. I would agree with checking out Colorado State and add in University of Wyoming as well (WUE) which is a hidden gem in my opinion (though maybe not liberal enough).
Evergreen is very alternative, it is not for everyone so just be aware of that. CTCL or not, it may or may not be the most desireable place to have a degree from IMHO for a law school application. It has a huge following outside of the area. In the area…less so.
This really sounds like your trip, and not a single school or even location that your child has expressed interest in attending school at. Seeing 2 in one day is a lot, even for a kid who is interested in it.
I will also say that some of the schools on your list may have music $ opportunities. UPS does for non majors and WWU has a strong music program for non majors as well, though no $ offered. If he wants to keep playing, I’d look at that and maybe use it as a filter to cut the list down. Reed is uber intense and quirky. Perfect for some and not at all for others. All of these are pretty liberal, some more so than others.
One more I didn’t see on your list is Seattle Pacific University. I am not sure on their merit but they are more in the LInfield price range than some of the others if memory serves and is a great school.
Lots of advices given already, but I just want to chime in since I’m a PNW local so feel free to ask questions.
To give you some more frame of reference, I applied with a 3.7 cum GPA, 1690SAT & 26ACT & here is my school list:
WSU - accepted, $0
U of Portland - accepted, $23k
Whittier College - accepted $27k
U of Puget Sound - accepted $20k
Pacific Lutheran U - accepted $20k
Whitworth - accepted $16k
Willamette - accepted $24k
Seattle U - accepted $20k
U of Washington - accepted, ultimately going $0 in merit but I got money from financial aid
Lewis & Clark - waitlisted
Whitman - declined