Kelso

Getting there

By car Interstate 5 (I-5) goes through Kelso: Exit #39 (Allen St/Kelso) leads to most food, gasoline and lodging Exit #40 (N Kelso Ave) accesses a residential district north of town. Allen St: Goes through town from I-5 as Allen St to 5th Ave N (WB) & 4th Ave N (EB). It becomes the Ocean Beach Highway (SR-4) west of its intersection with Washington Way, west of town, connecting to the coast (Long Beach & Astoria) along the Washington side of the Columbia River. Washington Way Local boulevard that connects West Kelso to Longview.

By train 1 Kelso Station, 501 S 1st St (downtown). The train station for twin towns of Kelso and Longview, and for Rainier, OR on the other side of the Columbia River. (updated Sep 2022) Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates train service around the United States of America. (updated Mar 2022) Routes stopping in Kelso: Amtrak Cascades operates between Vancouver, BC and Eugene via Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Everett, Edmonds, Seattle, Tukwila, Tacoma, Lacey (Olympia), Centralia, Kelso (Longview), Vancouver, WA, Portland, Oregon City, Salem, and Albany. There are two round trips daily along the portion between Vancouver and Seattle, four round trips daily along the portion between Seattle and Portland, and two round trips daily along the portion between Portland and Eugene. No train departures travel the whole length of the route. Additional service between Vancouver and Seattle, and between Portland to Eugene are provided on the Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach. Coast Starlight operates daily between Seattle and Los Angeles. Stops include Tacoma, Portland, Eugene, Klamath Falls, Dunsmuir, Redding, Chico, Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, San Francisco (Emeryville), Oakland, San Jose, Salinas, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Van Nuys, and Burbank. Between Seattle and Eugene, it makes the same stops as the Amtrak Cascades, except it skips Tukwila and Oregon City.

By bus The 1 Kelso T

Buy

1 Three Rivers Mall, 351 Three Rivers Dr (SW of Allen and its junction with I-5 (Exit #39).). Daily 11AM-8PM. Three Rivers Mall hosts Regal Cinemas, JCPenney, Planet Fitness, Kelso Public Library, Sportsman Warehouse and numerous other shops & restaurants inside the mall and in several free standing establishments surrounding the mall (Target, Safeway, Pier 1 Imports, GuestHouse Kelso/Lonview (see 'sleep' in below), among others). An episode of the Food Network show Food Court Wars was filmed in the mall. The episode titled Gaufre Gourmet vs. Pressed originally aired on March 30, 2014. (updated Sep 2020) 2 Strip Mall on 200-236 S Kelso Dr, 200-236 S Kelso Dr (SE of Allen and its junction with I-5 (Exit #39), along S Kelso Dr, opposite side of the freeway from Three Rivers Mall.). Hours vary by tenant/store. This smaller mall hosts Wilco Farm Store, Dollar Tree, Rite Aid, Subway, Boost Mobile, etc. in the mall itself, fronting a large parking lot. There are other free standing establishments closer to S Kelso Dr such as McDonald's,Shari's, Super 8, etc in front of or next to this mall. (updated Sep 2020) 3 Triangle Center, 1015 Ocean Beach Hwy. Hours vary by tenant/store. Southwest of the intersection of Ocean Beach Hwy (SR-4) & Washington Way (in a large triangular shaped lot). Triangle Center hosts Bed Bath & Beyond; Michaels, Maurices, Petco, Ross Dress for Less, Ulta, WinCo Foods and numerous other shops, banks & restaurants in the mall and in the immediate surrounding areas not part of the mall (Taco Bell, Sizzlers, Stuffy's, among others) along Ocean Beach Hwy & Washington Way. Unlike a traditional mall where everything is under one big roof, in a single building, this mall consists of several smaller buildings spread further out from each other in a huge parking lot. (updated Sep 2020)

Sleep

The listed hotels are near Allen St & I-5 (Exit #39), either surrounding the Three Rivers Mall or on the east side of the freeway:

1 Comfort Inn & Suites, 440 Three Rivers Dr (Across parking lot from Regals Cinema at the S/SE side of Three Rivers Mall), ☏ +1 360 425-4600, fax: +1 360 423-0762. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. (updated Sep 2020) 2 Motel 6 Kelso - Mt St Helens, 106 Minor Rd (at Allen St), ☏ +1 360 425-3229, fax: +1 360 423-4650. 3 GuestHouse International Inn & Suites, 501 Three Rivers Dr (next to the Three Rivers Mall), ☏ +1 360 414-5953, fax: +1 360 414-5942. 4 Red Lion Inn Kelso Longview, 510 S Kelso Dr, ☏ +1 360 636-4400. (updated Sep 2020) 5 Sleep Inn Kelso Longview, 250 S Kelso Dr, ☏ +1 360-200-7410. There is also a hotel in West Kelso, across the river:

6 Best Western Aladdin Motor Inn, 310 Long Ave (at Cowlitz Way), ☏ +1 360 425-9660, fax: +1 360 577-9436.