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…
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…
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….
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…
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….
Perhaps the most well-known attraction in the Roseburg area is Wildlife Safari, a few miles away in the smaller town of Winston. Speaking from personal experience, this is fun for kids and adults alike. Here’s a story from the Mail Tribune newspaper’s Joy magazine about it: http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070620/JOY/706200302&cid=sitesearch There’s also the Douglas County Museum of Natural…
In the Southern Oregon Region, the most beautiful site arguably is Crater Lake, the centerpiece of the state’s only national park and a sacred site to native tribes long before settlers “discovered it.” The summertime and wintertime landscapes each show unique facets of this natural wonder. In Southern Oregon, there are several sites I recommend…
Greetings from Southern Oregon, West of Crater Lake in northern Jackson County, there are stands of maple that turn orange and crimson this time of year. East of Crater Lake, the fall color show is put on by native aspens. The main concentration is in the Fort Klamath area. But there are numerous groves in…
Grants Pass is the gateway to the Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue River. As such, it is renowned for its whitewater rafting. For those who prefer to see the river from a motorized craft, there is Hellgate Jetboat Excursions. Grants Pass also is near Oregon Caves National Monument, the state’s oldest and one…
Whenever I vacationed as a child in Roseburg, we always went to Wildlife Safari in nearby Winston. This is the ultimate kid-friendly activity around Roseburg. Check out this story from the Mail Tribune newspaper’s Joy magazine about the attraction. If you still need more to keep the kids busy, there’s also the fish ladder at Winchester Dam on the Umpqua…
If Oregon Caves already is on your itinerary and you’re coming from Bend, you shouldn’t miss Oregon’s only national park, Crater Lake. Along with the Caves, it’s this region’s premiere attraction, as noted in this recent story for the Mail Tribune newspaper. If you’re coming from Bend south, the most logical route is through the Cascades right past Crater Lake on…
It sounds like the town of Ashland is right up your alley. Just off Interstate 5 and just north of the California border, this town is, arguably the region’s main tourist destination. It boasts a wide variety of restaurants and accommodations, including boutique hotels and many bed-and-breakfasts, plus the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Cabaret Theater and…
The South Coast is one of the best places to U-pick blueberries, with the prime location being Langlois, just south of Bandon and north of Port Orford. There are a couple of family-run farms just off Highway 101 that mark their location with signs. Look for Jensen’s, which is organic. Berrying usually is at its height in August,…
You’re on the right track with plans to partake of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland’s claim to fame. If you haven’t already, see the Mail Tribune newspaper’s guide to the festival for news and reviews. If you want to take in the region’s primary natural wonders, plan a day to visit Crater Lake, Oregon’s only national park, or…
If you’re planning a trip to Ashland, don’t miss Oregon Shakespeare Festival, arguably the town’s claim to fame. See the Mail Tribune newspaper’s guide to the festival. A nice day trip from Ashland is Jacksonville, a national historic landmark that hosts the outdoor Britt Music Festival concert series into October. Or go on an artisan-food tasting tour in Central…
I’m not sure how far into Oregon you were planning on driving, but if you’re looking for atmosphere in the southern part of the state, Ashland is the town for you. Surrounded by mountains (Cascades and Siskiyous), its vibe is about as European as you’ll find almost anywhere in Oregon. Just off Interstate 5 and…
There’s one place that stands above all the other nationwide for viewing bald eagles. That’s the Klamath Basin region of Southern Oregon. While late winter is the prime time to see them, you stand a good chance during other times of the year. Here is a great story in the Mail Tribune about viewing bald…
Glad to hear you planned a trip to Crater Lake, Oregon’s only national park. To clarify, it’s not closed. Some of the road and facilities are closed. But it’s well worth seeing in wintertime, when there are some unique opportunities for exploring the park. Snowshoe hikes on the weekends are free through April 29, and…
I live right on this scenic byway and can attest to its beauty. It’s indeed worth a few days of your time. This byway is named for two rivers: the Rogue (in my backyard) and the Umpqua. Of the two, the Rogue is regarded more for its rafting. The Medford Mail Tribune readers picked Noah’s River Adventures as…