I have an easy answer to this question: yes! There are lots and lots of farm-to-table dining opportunities in the Willamette Valley. It’s one of the things we’re best at :). If you’re looking for an actual farm dinner–a delicious dinner prepared by a talented chef and actually hosted on a farm, brewery or winery–there…
Glad you are visiting Oregon! The route between Mill City and Bend is fairly remote and mountainous. There aren’t a whole lot of towns in between – but two spring to mind that you could check out. Sisters is just 30 minutes from Bend. It’s a charming western-themed town with some good shopping and restaurants….
You can find seashells along most sandy stretches of the Oregon Coast. I feel timing and technique are the more critical aspects to beachcombing for shells rather than a specific location. For best success, I would suggest choosing less busy beaches, beachcombing during the offseason and being there at the right time (as the tide…
Bayshore Drive that connects Bayocean Road to Cape Meares is closed indefinitely due to major slides (map), but you can still reach Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint by driving through Netarts and Oceanside via OR 131. You’ll just have to retrace your route back rather than doing a loop as you had planned. It’s only…
There are some great resources over at Travel Oregon on ghost towns. You can also find helpful details at Visit Eastern Oregon here. According to these sources and others, it does appear that Auburn is fairly rundown and collapsed, with little signs other than rubble and gravestones from the old town cemetery that can be…
Lincoln City has many pet friendly oceanfront options. A few that come to mind immediately include Surftides, The Coho and Chinook Winds Casino Resort. While all of these are larger resorts, November is a much quieter time on the Oregon Coast, so they may fit your preference for quiet and private. You may want to…
Easily your best bet for sessionable ales and bitters is Deschutes — which also has two of the very, very few cask engines in town. (They do not, unfortunately, always put low-alcohol cask-appropriate beers on them, but you may get lucky.) While there, give a look a Twilight and Bachelor Bitter — they’re wonderful beers….
The Willamette Valley Scenic bikeway is beautiful and October would be a great time of year to ride it. Here are my thoughts on each of your questions. Quaint B&Bs Salem Century House of Salem is a historic home that’s just half a mile from the bikeway route and very bike-friendly. Albany Edelweiss Manor is another…
Thanks for your question! I’m usually asked when is the “best” weather on the Oregon Coast or when to plan a trip when it’s not cloudy or foggy and I have to try to explain that sunny skies are not necessarily the best and certainly are not the most typical or interesting of the climatic…
You have a great route picked out! There is so much to do in the outdoors in Oregon from Eugene through the southern part of the state. You’re going to love it. Here’s what not to miss: If you go from Eugene to the coast, make your first stop Reedsport, to check out the amazing…
You’ll be headed through some wonderful brewery country there. If you’re traveling F-Su, you might consider Agrarian Ales, an absolutely wonderful farmhouse brewery that uses local ingredients and has a lovely outdoor dining area with a great view of their hop fields. They’re just off I-5 north of Eugene. Another great choice is Corvallis’ Block 15,…
September is a great time to visit Oregon and explore the mountains! It’s definitely doable, but weather can be a huge question mark. Often, September is filled with warm, summer-like days and crisp, cool nights. However, it’s not uncommon to see snow falling in September, especially at higher elevations. If you’re planning on day hikes,…
What exciting news! Baker City is a pretty amazing place with a lot of beautiful vistas nearby, and even more if you have extra time to explore. The downtown area has some beautiful cityscapes, including in front of the historic Geiser Grand Hotel. There are some lovely valley views along the Elkhorns as you drive…
Thanks for you question! Directly in Canyonville, there are several parks that are dog-friendly. Charles V Stanton Park is right off I-5 (hard to miss), and fairly large, but does get some freeway noise. If you take Tiller Trail Highway, however, you arrive at two smaller parks, Herberts Pond Park and Canyonville County Park (this…
Thanks for asking! There are a few campgrounds close to Highway 204 as you travel across the Blue Mountains. On the western side there is Camp Meadowwood Springs and as you move progressively east there is Woodward Campground near the summit and then further west Woodland Campground. A little further off the highway are two…
I definitely have some suggestions. Here are some of my favorite half-day, full-day and overnight backpacking hikes: Half-Day Hikes Tumalo Mountain (Bend, Central Oregon): Tumalo is about 4-miles round-trip. The trail up Tumalo starts from Dutchman Flat parking area on Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway and offers a steady climb rewarded with alpine wildflowers and beautiful views of Broken…
Good question! Depends on what you define as “near.” I know lots of folks paddleboard on the Willamette River…which isn’t right in McMinnville, but isn’t that far away, either. There are multiple places to put in/take out on the Willamette. I know people paddleboard from Wallace Marine Park in Salem, which is maybe 30 minutes…
The Oregon Coast is 363 miles of family friendly, but there are some great stops known for being kid-rrific. The town of Seaside is one of Oregon’s first beach resort towns and it is still known as one of the best family destinations in the Pacific Northwest. There is a lot of family friendly shopping,…
Sounds like a really fun trip! The Painted Hills are one of my favorite places in Oregon, with a landscape that is both majestic and a little surreal when the sunlight hits it just right. One of the best campgrounds near the Painted Hills is the Clyde Holliday State Recreation Site, located between John Day…
I suggest the 7-mile Tam-a-láu Trail loop hike near Lake Billy Chinook. It features a mile-long climb to the top of a lava plateau called the Peninsula, which separates the Deschutes River and Crooked River arms of Lake Billy Chinook. Hikers are treated to bird’s-eye views of the reservoir and the dramatic cliffs and plateaus that line…
