I’m going to Oregon for 10-12 days around Labor Day. The approximate route is Portland->Mt. Hood->Bend->Crater Lake->Klamath Falls-> Ashland->Coos Bay->Astoria->Portland. We are planning to see the Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood, Crater Lake, Lava Beds National Monument and Oregon Dunes National Seashore.
So, any recommendations? Particularly interested in natural areas, wildlife, short hikes, kayaking, and museums, but really anything fun would be considered. Nothing has been finalized yet, so alterations to the route are welcome. Anything to avoid? Opinions on the Shakespeare Festival? Portland looks like a great place to live, is there enough to see to recommend spending a day or two there?
Here’s one suggestion, we just went there this week, but I am mostly familiar with the North Coast region.
While in the Gorge be sure to see the museum at Maryhill, Wa. , there is also a nice winery and a replica of Stonehenge nearby. You take the bridge at Biggs Junction, Or. and it is all just right across the river. Great views. Quite an exhibit of Rodin sculpture and Native American relics. It is in an old mansion built by Sam Hill. Then you can just go back across Biggs Junction and take that road on to Bend.
All of the coast is open to the public and there are many nice parks. The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport is great. Cannon Beach is a nice little artsy town, go up the hill to Ecola State Park and Indian Beach for great hiking and spectacular ocean views. And don’t miss the Maritime Museum in Astoria.
The Sisters Folk Festival near Bend is said to be quite good. And the Painted Hills and the rest of the Fossil Beds Monument are definitely worth a visit. Some beautiful and rather eerie country, and a grand feeling of isolation.
The Pendleton Roundup is a great show…one of the “Big Three” on the pro-rodeo circuit (the others being at Cheyenne and Calgary). Be advised that tickets and lodging usually sell out well in advance.
At Hood River the Mt. Hood Railroad with scenic theater and dinner trains is an enjoyable experience.
The Rogue River passes through a lava tube near Crater Lake off of Highway 62. It’s one of the most spectacular natural phenomena I’ve seen. Here’s a link.
If you take the boat out to Wizard Island in Crater Lake, try to catch the first boat as the wind is calm and the lake is glassy in the morning.
Highway 97 going North to Bend is really beautiful.
In Bend, you can walk or drive to the top of Pilot Butte for a nice view of the area. Newberry Crater is about 20 miles south of town and well worth a visit.
We just returned from a week out in the John Day Fossil Bed area. There is a great bird and wildlife refuge in Malheur County. It’s pretty desolate and remote country out there, but then these two lakes seem to appear out of nowhere. The La Pines area is very nice, also.
The Oregon Dunes area has businesses that rent out ATVs to zip around the dunes on. The coast is known for its seafood restaurants and rugged coastline. All beaches have public access, which is very nice.
I didn’t find it too difficult climbing Beacon Rock, on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. It’s a spiraling trail up to the top, with handrails at the difficult spots.
Farther east, also on the Washington side, you can visit the Maryhill Museum of Art, which has a nice collection, but really most people just want to see the replica of Stonehenge next door.
At the John Day Fossil Beds, there is Blue Basin, a pastel-turquoise canyon. There is a trail around the rim and one through the canyon itself. Nearby in Fossil, you can dig for fossils in the beds behind the Fossil High School football field.
Just south of Coos Bay is a good spot on the coast to watch seals and sea lions. Sorry I can’t recall exact directions. If you are staying in hotels, esp with kids, the Best Western in Coos Bay has an indoor pool that my kids loved.
I live in Ashland, actually, and work (occasionally) at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Are you seeing shows at the Festival? It’s rightly known as one of, if not the best, regional theatres in the West, and is the dominant feature of the town in the summer. They do four or five Shakespeare plays each year and six or more plays by other authors, too. If you’re seeing shows, be aware that the main support beam in one of their theatres (the Bowmer) has cracked and is under repair, so they’re doing shows in a big tent in the park in the interim. It’s the nicest interim tent theatre I’ve ever seen, but it’s still a tent, so fair warning. The other two theatres (the Elizabethan* and the New Theatre**) are running normally. This year, The Pirates of Penzance is the hot show in the outdoor Elizabethan and Julius Caesar is the sellout in the New Theatre, so get your tickets now if you want 'em.
Around Ashland, there are lots of nice wineries and a couple of breweries. We’re known particularly for our red wines. The downtown area around the Festival has lots of cute little shops. You can go rafting on the Rogue River with one of the local rafting companies-- this winter was very wet and snowy, so the river is higher and wilder than usual! I believe that a couple of the rapids are up to Category 4. Fire dancing is free to watch on the Plaza Friday nights.
You’re already going to Crater Lake and the Lava Beds (which is in NorCal, but you know that, I’m sure) and both of those are totally worth it. Bring a bike helmet and your own flashlight for the Lava Beds. The Oregon Caves are not far off your intended route to the coast, and they’re fun, though no match for the big caverns back east.
*The “Lizzie” is carefully modeled on the Fortune Theatre, a contemporary of Shakespeare’s Globe. There are very few records of what the Globe looked like, but the Elizabethan is probably pretty close. We’ve got very mild summer weather, so you can watch a show under the stars in short sleeves in August, or shiver and freeze in a sleeping bag at the end of the season in October when tickets are cheaper. It’s a great experience.
**It is the “New Theatre” because Paul Allen donated the most money when they built it in 2002, but he didn’t want his name plastered on it. If you beat his multi-million dollar donation, it could be named after you!
Eight locations in 10-12 days? Be prepared to spend perhaps a few hours at each place and the rest of the time traveling from place to place. I suggest cutting your route by half and spending more time at the remaining place. If you take into account the suggestions of others, cut your route again.
My suggestion? Pick three destination spots along your proposed route and scout out the fun stuff in and around each destination location. Leave plenty of wiggle room in the itinerary just in case you want to extend a stop, the weather goes nuts, the road is crappy, you need to make reservations for some things, etc.
Minor nitpick; It’s the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, but it’s actually located in Harney County. Malheur County, where I live is the next county to the east. A lot of desolate and remote country out here, to be sure, but most of us kinda like it that way
Oregon Caves are out of the way, and they’re not as impressive as the more famous showcaves, but they’re pretty cool all the same. The Caves Chateau is a wonderful old-style lodge, and their dining room has been excellent both times I’ve eaten there.
I was just there last week and stayed at the Oregon Caves Chateau. It has all kinds of rustic CCC-era character. The cave tour itself is okay, but no better or worse than others I have been to elsewhere.
I can also recommend Newberry National Volcanic Monument–both the Lava Lands Visitor Center area and the area around Paulina and East Lakes. If you go to the latter, be sure to take the short hike on Obsidian Mountain.
Crater Lake had a huge amount of snow this year and was still digging out last week, but the entire rim road should be open by Labor Day. Expect it to be pretty crowded.
A small clarification: I meant Newberry Volcanics, not Lava Beds.
You guys have too much good stuff in your state. Some things are going to have to be dropped to get this to work. The Klamath Falls area seems a likely candidate, as we’re not that into bird watching.
We’re trying to schedule Crater Lake before or after the official holiday weekend in order to at least cut down the crowds a little. How bad are the crowds on the coast over Labor Day?
When you’re looking for a place to spend the night, consider staying at one of Oregon’s State Parks. They have rustic and deluxe yurts and cabins that are pretty reasonably priced.
Ah, that’s right. But I really like saying Malheur with a French pronunciation. . .Mal-yuurrrrrrr. The midges were hatching when we were there. The front of the RV was a bug massacre zone. Given where you live, your username is certainly appropriate.
