With three days on the Oregon Coast, I would suggest spending a good portion of your first day between Brookings and Gold Beach. The Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor extends about 12 miles north from Brookings and includes several easy stops with rewarding views. My favorites are Whaleshead Beach, Natural Bridges and the Arch Rock…
Thank you for the hardest question I have been asked… This is a tough one. Taking into consideration all types of riders, resort and accommodations, the top three — in my humble opinion — would be… Timberline, most historic and 1 hour from Portland: http://www.timberlinelodge.com/ Mt. Bachelor, located in beautiful Central Oregon and the widest amount of…
I love your question! Like you, I must have elevation hiking, and I live near Rogue River. My Adam Sawyer has written a book on waterfall hikes in Southern Oregon; he also wrote a Travel Oregon story about specific waterfall hikes along the Umpqua and Rogue River. You can also go the other direction from Rogue…
Hello! It’s hard to say about the weather for sure, but there’s a good chance it’ll be cold in Central Oregon. Still, there are plenty of great places to visit. The High Desert Museum is great for families. The resorts Black Butte Ranch and Sunriver are also good choices. You can still walk the river…
The beaches between Port Orford and Cape Blanco are, in general, less traveled relative to many other Oregon Coast beaches and this stretch of beach is known for good agate hunting. There are two primary public beach access areas in this area. Paradise Point State Recreation Site in the north end of Port Orford offers…
That’s a good question because several wineries cut back on their hours during the winter months. A few in that general area that should be open include: Stoller Vineyard Ponzi Vineyard Sokol Blosser Anne Amie Vineyard Argyle Winery Domaine Serene and Domaine Drouhin (both are across the street from each other) Soter Vineyards is available by…
Fishing in the Mount Hood area can be tough in December because the lakes can be snowed in or frozen, however, Pine Hollow is a little east of Mt Hood and worth checking out. In December on the Oregon Coast the ocean is usually too rough to fish and also December is our wettest month…
It sounds like you already have an idea of some of the best things to do in Oregon (skiing!), and you really can’t go wrong with either option, but I can offer some more details that might help you decide. March tends to be the best month for skiing in the Cascades! We usually get…
Most people visiting Oregon fly into Portland. If that’s your plan, you can reach the North Oregon Coast by car in about 90 minutes. Cannon Beach offers a good introduction to the Oregon Coast with long stretches of easily accessible beach, Oregon’s iconic Haystack Rock, a small walkable downtown and nearby State Parks, notably Ecola…
Southeast Oregon is a beautiful region with some great sightseeing opportunities. I love spending time in the city of Burns, they have some great parks and restaurants. Also, the Alvord Desert and the Steens Mountains are in the region as well. These a great stops with exciting backroads. I can recommend a few Scenic Byways…
Hi Jason, welcome to Bend! There are two actual observatories, one in Sunriver and one at Pine Mountain east of town. Aside from that, I’d suggest getting away from the lights of town. Smith Rock would be a good choice, or head up Cascade Lakes Highway to Mt. Bachelor or one of the Cascade Lakes. Brasada…
When I think of cities in Oregon that are highly walkable for non-drivers, the two local college towns, Corvallis and Eugene, both come to mind immediately. Others are either too large or too small or don’t have amenities like groceries, restaurants, medical facilities and housing all clustered in a central area. Here’s a little bit…
Thanks for the inquiry. I always have a hard time with “best” questions, because that’s a fundamentally subjective judgment. What I can say is that we have several award-winning breweries that are much beloved on the Oregon Coast. In Astoria, I’d direct you to Fort George and Buoy, two great places. Heading south, you might…
There are many things to see and do along the 363-mile Oregon Coast and without knowing your interests or if you are planning on concentrating on any specific region, let me give me my top picks along the entire Coast. The top 10 attractions I would recommend include (north to south): Astoria’s historic attractions including…
If you visit in early November, check out the Ashland Culinary Festival. And to make a weekend out of it, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival often has discounted tickets on plays during late fall. November in Southern Oregon tends to be chilly and rainy, but the snow hasn’t usually flown at that point. This means that…
Everything within 3 hours of Portland right now (October) is going to be gorgeous. So I’ve put together a few lists for you. The Coast: Cape Lookout State Park Nehalem Bay State Park Fort Stevens State Park Lincoln City (~4ish hours) Mount Hood: Devil’s Peak Fire Tower Trillium Lake Timberline Trail Timothy Lake Columbia River…
Salmon fishing in Oregon is great year-round, but fall does yield some large catches. Your best bet for big salmon at this time of the year is along the Oregon Coast Range at Tillamook Bay, Nestucca River, Chetco River and Elk River.
There is much to be discovered in Bend. If you only have a day, here are my suggestions. Walk a bit of the Deschutes River Trail, in town. Visit a few of our famous breweries – I suggest Crux, Bend Brewing Co. and Worthy. Walk through Drake Park (the leaves should be changing, and beautiful,…
I think October is an ideal month to visit Crater Lake! The two campgrounds within the national park are only open during the summer, but there are several wonderful campgrounds located on Highway 62 between Prospect and the park, plus Diamond Lake, located just northwest. I suggest Natural Bridge Campground or one of the others…
Off the top of my head, I believe the trail you’re referring to is the Larch Mountain trail in the Gorge. From the top on a clear day you can see Mt. Shasta, the Sisters, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens. Larch Mountain has 3 trailheads. The first is…
