Kelso (Washington)

• 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.

• 🌍 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.

The 🌍 Kelso Transit Center & Amtrak Station serves as a bus station for River Cities Transit, Greyhound and other regional bus companies serving adjacent Columbia County, Oregon and Wahkiakum County, Washington. It is located along 1st Ave S between Ash & Pine St, next to the Amtrak Station in downtown Kelso:

• Wahkiakum on the Move, (office & bus garage) 42 Elochoman Valley Rd, Cathlamet, WA 98612, ☏ +1 360 795-6212. Bus to Rockets Diner in Naselle, WA via Cathlamet, WA (major town and county seat) in neighboring Wahkiakum County, along Hwy 4. 'Wahkiakum on the Move' has additional local stops in the Kelso-Longview area for pick-up and drop off. Connections to Pacific Transit Rt #50 to Ilwaco, Astoria and South Bend at Rockets Diner in Naselle. (updated Sep 2020)
• River Cities Transit, ☏ +1 360 442-5663. Local city buses to Three Rivers Mall, Longview and around town with the following: (updated Sep 2020)

• 44 Three Rivers Mall, Kelso 'Amtrak/Greyhound' Transit Center, Triangle Center and Heron Point via Ocean Beaches Way (SR-4). Goes by the RA Long Square (Central Park) in Longview on the eastbound trip towards Three Rivers Mall.
• 45 Three Rivers Mall, Kelso 'Amtrak/Greyhound' Transit Center, RA Long Square (Central Park), Mark Morris HS/Triangle Center, Longview Transit Center. Connections to Longview on the other side of the Cowlitz River.
• 57 Local bus within Kelso proper on the east side of the Cowlitz River including stops to Three Rivers Mall and Kelso 'Amtrak/Greyhound' Transit Center.

• Lewis County Transit 'Purple Line' (formerly Twin Transit), (bus stop) Safeway at Three Rivers Mall. M-F 6AM-7PM every 2 hours. Express bus to Centralia via Castle Rock P&R at exit 49; Shell Station (642 SR-505) at exit 63; and 'Energy Station' (172 US Hwy 12) at exit 68. Passengers transfer in Centralia to reach Chehalis and Olympia. (updated Oct 2022)