Glad to hear you’re focusing some of your visit on Crater Lake National Park. It’s perhaps Oregon’s most unique feature and an attraction I routinely recommend. June still isn’t considered high season for visiting Crater Lake, but your chances will start rapidly improving for seeing more of the park. While there likely will still be…
The top 10 attractions I would recommend include (north to south): Astoria’s historic attractions including the Columbia River Maritime Museum and Lewis and Clark’s Fort Clatsop. Seaside’s automobile turnaround and oceanfront promenade, famous landmarks dating from the 1920s. Ecola State Park and Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach. Three Capes Scenic Drive southwest of Tillamook (Cape…
Greetings from Southern Oregon. Many attractions in this region depend on the season and how active visitors are. The Grants Pass area is renowned as the gateway to the wild and scenic section of the Rogue River. As such, it is a destination for whitewater rafting and fishing. For those who prefer to see the…
This is a tough question because there are so many “top” hikes. I decided to answer this with the 20 best hikes based on what they are best for. Check out this story to see my Top 20 Oregon Hikes. Happy Travels!
Thanks for the question! Waldo Lake is a true Oregon gem. The Willamette National Forest does an excellent job maintaining the webpages for this area (http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/willamette/recarea/?recid=4528). Their interactive map will give you the overview. Shadow Bay, Islet, and North Waldo are developed campgrounds with pit toilets and drinking water. There really aren’t bad places to…
Wilson Ranches Retreat located near Fossil, Oregon is one of the most well-regarded dude ranch B&Bs in the state. You can learn more about them here https://traveloregon.com/trip-ideas/oregon-stories/oregon-dreamers-2/ and contact them via [email protected]. Enjoy!
Hello! Lucky you, there are some beautiful places near Bend to ride horses! Here are my top faves: Black Butte Ranch (large family friendly resort outside of Sisters with incredible views of the Cascade Range and Black Butte) Brasada Ranch (upscale resort near Prineville with luxury touches and also incredible Cascade and high desert views)…
Greetings from Southern Oregon, Our outdoors writers always tout that the Pacific Crest Trail runs through our region, through the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, Soda Mountain Wilderness and Sky Lakes Wilderness. Of course, those areas are most popular for longer, overnight treks. If you want a relatively easy day hike, consider locals’ favorite, the Table Rocks….
Hi Betty, Just south of Portland, you can exit the main freeway and get on to 99W. I would suggest you do this and then sit back and enjoy the ride! You will be soon be entering the Willamette Valley and I will suggest some stops along your route. One of the first stops should…
There would be many cities, towns and natural areas I would recommend along the 363-mile Oregon Coast for your September birthday trip. Since you like natural areas with unique geologic formations, I’d recommend a visit to the Central Oregon Coast. Newport is centrally located and is one of the coast’s larger towns, but will offer…
Elk Lake Resort (www.elklakeresort.net) might be a good destination for you. Cabins allow pets, though not sure about the “run free” part. There is a beach, however, on the other side of Elk Lake that I know allows dogs off-leash. It’s called Little Fawn. Fishing is popular on the lake, as well as sailing, stand-up-paddle boarding…
In Oregon salmon run almost year around on one river or another. First are spring Chinook; they start in March but the best fishing is April and May on the Columbia, Willamette and Rogue Rivers and May and June in Tillamook Bay. June also has some good summer Chinook fishing in the Columbia. Next is…
The State Parks closest to Portland that offer yurt camping include the following (north to south): Fort Stevens State Park at the mouth of the Columbia River offers 15 yurts. The park is large and is great for families with access to river, beach, lakes and several miles of hiking and biking trails. The park…
Greetings from Southern Oregon, The most commonly recommended time to travel the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway is June through October, mainly to ensure clear roads, fair weather and more daylight hours. Volumes of water running in the falls largely depend on wintertime precipitation. We’re off to a good start for this year, considering the flood warnings…
Thanks for the great question. I am the Ask Oregon expert on outdoor recreation and the Assistant Manager of the Eugene, Cascades & Coast Adventure Center, and these are my recommendations for easy hikes in Oregon away from the city. Since Oregon is so rich in variety, I’ve included hike suggestions for northern Oregon, central…
I have not been on the OC&E Woods Line State Trail, but I found some people who have. Most helpful was Zach Gilmour at Hutch’s Bicycles in Klamath Falls (541-850-2453). He has ridden most of the trail and here is what he says: Best type of bicycle to use: “It’s soft gravel for nearly all…
Hi Emily, I gather that you’re after morels, which are this region’s signature springtime mushrooms. The actual season depends largely on elevation. If we get some warm weather in February (50s), which is not uncommon, there can be early flushes of mushrooms in March, particularly in areas burned over by forest fire the previous year….
If I could choose just a few things for you do in an afternoon near Newberg, they would be as follows: Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum: This is a great place and if you have wanted to see the Spruce Goose, it’s here! You could certainly spend a lot longer than an afternoon here, but…
Temperatures are typically mild along the Oregon Coast in November, so only on rare occasions do you need to worry about ice or frost on our roads. This is the rainy season on the coast and it can rain hard and be windy, but the Oregon Coast is spectacular anytime of year and many people…
Hi Zig, Between Pendleton and the Oregon-Idaho border, there are 4 state parks close to I-84. Heading west to east, they are: Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area-just off the highway 25 miles past Pendleton, [only camping fees listed] Blue Mountain Forest State Scenic Corridor-just off the highway past Meacham, free Farewell Bend State Recreation Area-1…
