Flying J in Tacoma

[Karnajj]

I will be getting to Tacoma Sat aft for a Monday del and am thinking of staying here instead of the TA in North Bend. Is it a decent truck stop? How much parking do they have? If I get there by 4pm or so will I be able to get a spot? Also thinking of renting a car to see the sights. thanks

[Dispatch_This]

Excuse me for being blunt - The Tacoma Flying J is a craphole. One of those independently own franchise joints and not up to J standards. If your coming from the south, Gee Cee's at ex. 57 would be a better choice.

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

I will be getting to Tacoma Sat aft for a Monday del and am thinking of staying here instead of the TA in North Bend. Is it a decent truck stop? How much parking do they have? If I get there by 4pm or so will I be able to get a spot? Also thinking of renting a car to see the sights. thanks

it is kind of crappy ...And it claims 85 spaces ,And every one of them a shoe horn deal . infact by afternoon on a saturday is is likely that even by noon ish you may not have parking , so 1600 is a gamble also it isn't unusual for a truck or 2 to lose fenders an hoods here every night .

[Rockee]

Man it's been ages since I've been in that dump. Isnt it "pay to park now"?

[Orangetxguy]

LOL..Washington is not a truck friendly state, even though it is a state that generates huge quantities of freight.

Gee Cee's (exit 50)is a decent truck stop, though a bit of a drive from Tacoma. The Shell at the Gold RD. (exit 75?) off I-5 in Chehalis, has about 30 parking spot's, is closer, and the food at "Ribeye" next door is excellent.
At Grand Mound/Rochester(exit 86?), you have two fuel stops that have limited truck parking and even more limited food.
In Olympia(Lacey)(Marvin RD, exit 111) you have a Casino/TS (forgot the name of it myself) that has parking for about 75 trucks, a decent restaraunt, and is 35 miles from Tacoma...very tough 35 miles though.

[evertruckerr]

hey karnajj,

That J is probably the worst one in the country. It's a bear to get in and out of and once you do get a spot there is a good chance that someone will back into you or take your nose off trying to get out. I used to get fuel there on a weekly basis and I have seen a number of accidents in that lot.

[jeremyh]

Hey Gee Cee's is actually off exit 57 not 50. Gee Cee's has a lot of parking and the food there is decent. It's a big lot so you don't have to worry about other trucks running into you. I stayed at the Flying J is Tacoma one time and that was it! It was hard to back into a spot even for the most experienced driver it would seem like a challenge. I personally would rather stay in one of there many rest areas before I stay in the Tacoma Flying J.

LOL..Washington is not a truck friendly state, even though it is a state that generates huge quantities of freight.

Gee Cee's (exit 50)is a decent truck stop, though a bit of a drive from Tacoma. The Shell at the Gold RD. (exit 75?) off I-5 in Chehalis, has about 30 parking spot's, is closer, and the food at "Ribeye" next door is excellent.
At Grand Mound/Rochester(exit 86?), you have two fuel stops that have limited truck parking and even more limited food.
In Olympia(Lacey)(Marvin RD, exit 111) you have a Casino/TS (forgot the name of it myself) that has parking for about 75 trucks, a decent restaraunt, and is 35 miles from Tacoma...very tough 35 miles though.

[jeremyh]

double post

[flood]

pacific pride at I-5 ex 88 only has parking for about 10-15 trucks but the little red barn has good food. there is a new pilot at I-5 ex 99 have been by it but didn't stop all i can say is it is new BTW i would never stop at the j in tacoma for anything....!

[Scoe]

Nobody goes to the J in Tacoma anymore, it's too crowded! :shock:

[tweety bird]

Gee Cees is A LOT better for parking- much more room and you don't have to wait for someone to take your hood off! I avoid that truck stop if at all possible. The best thing for the Tacoma area and parking is DISTANCE. If you can park at the TA in North Bend, you're better off imo.

[Karnajj]

I'm sitting at the Pilot in Butte, Mt, supposed to get down to 12 degrees tonight. There was snow on Bozeman Pass but not on the road thankfully. I'll be coming in from the east on 90 so it looks like I'll be staying at the TA in North Bend since the consensus is to avoid the J. Thanks for the input guys.

[tweety bird]

It shouldn't be as pressing on the weekend, but normally I'd suggest getting there early if you want to find parking.

[Trukrswyfe]

The motel is really not worth the money but if you rent a car for the weekend get a city pass and see the sites. There are also a lot of walking trails near the TA. If there is no parking I know that my husband took his truck down one, cold but not crowded. The museum of flight is excellent as is the science and technology. Space needle, and so much more. Have fun.

[Colin]

The only time I ever parked at the Tacoma Flying J was with a 35 foot trailer and a short wheelbase tractor.

It was still not fun. All I ever needed there was a place to park and a place to shower. Both were provided just fine.

If you are coming from the east, stay in North Bend.

If not, stay at exit 57 or exit 9x. West off I-5 at 93rd Ave. SW. Odd showers there. They give you a key to decommissioned hotel rooms and you use the bathroom in one of those. Again, I only ever needed a place to park and a place to shower. Worked just fine for me.

[TK THE TRUCKER]

I stopped at that J once and it was a nightmare. I came in at a good time and was able to park but when it was time to leave I had a hell of a time getting out of my spot. When I did it still took awhile to get out of the truckstop because trucks were parked all over the place being that the lot was full so they just parked where they felt like it blocking trucks from getting out of there. I never stopped there again.

When I'm parking in a lot like that, once I'm parked with my trailer tandems against the curb I unlock them and slide them forward so the truck is even farther back in the spot to give it a better chance of not getting hit by trucks on either side of me. 8) 8)

[Lunker]

I'm in Tacoma all the time, our main office and yard are there. There is a new Pilot at exit 99 on I-5.

[golfhobo]

I'm sitting at the Pilot in Butte, Mt, supposed to get down to 12 degrees tonight. There was snow on Bozeman Pass but not on the road thankfully. I'll be coming in from the east on 90 so it looks like I'll be staying at the TA in North Bend since the consensus is to avoid the J. Thanks for the input guys.

Probably a bit late with this but, if you just want to see the sites in Seattle, from the TA you can call for a free shuttle ride down to North Bend proper, and from there get an express bus into downtown. Since it's already Sun morning.... you are probably gone already!

[Soladad]

The last I heard the Flying J just off the Tacoma ship yard was closing up. This was a few months ago I heard this news. Really did need to be closed. Parking there was just an accident waiting to happen.

Soladad

[homer]

i think they got all the trucks out of exit 111. maybe im wrong tho.
new pilot is open at exit 99 across from that sweet rest over thing.
almost got robbed by some big white men at tacoma j but im a lil street wise.
i fuel at exit 88 all the time. big holes in parking lot an chunks of metal in the mud popped two tires. always lots of interesting people coming and going there