Day trips/overnight trips from Coos Bay, OR
 

I am living just outside of Coos Bay in Charleston for the summer and we are trying to do as much as we can to see the area. We are limited, however, in how far we can drive as we have a 10-month-old infant. I am hoping that you can suggest some good day trips and some overnight trips as well. Our driving is limited to ~ 3 hours a day to preserve our sanity!

Thanks!

Hello alicarwil, I am somewhat familar with your area as my late husband lived in Coquille as a little fellow and we often visited there plus I had family members that had a fishing resort in Florence.

What are your interest? You sound as though you are feeling a bit "trapped" where you are. My MIL felt that way in Coquille years ago with three little ones.

Anyway, how long have you been in the Coos Bay area? Have you gotten any info from the local Chamber of Commerces? And again, what interest do you and your husband have? Where you live is rather out of the way although it it beautiful. I don't have any clever ideas regarding a 3 hours drive having no idea what interest you or your husband but if you will post back here perhaps I or someone else can offer you some suggestions. Best wishes to you and your family.

I lived in Coos Bay for 10 years and there is a ton of things to do there!
One of my favorite trips is Golden and Silver Falls which is out past eastside. They have a great short hike to silver falls which is the smaller of the two it takes about 5 minutes to walk to the base of the the falls. Golden is a fantastic view at the top but is about a half hour hike. With an infant it might be too much for you. Both are better seen after a little rain but are great anytime.
I am sure you have been up Cape Arago highway and there are a number of places out there. Try pulling over on the side of the road once you get past Sunset State Park and follow one of the trails. One of my favorite spots is the cliffs at shore acres (go just past shore acres and pull off the side of the road follow the path by the pull off.
South Slough Sanctuary off Seven Devils Rd is an informative walk though the delicate eco system of the slough.
There are too many day and overnight to list in detail but here are a few of my favorites.
1. Sand Castle Days in Bandon!
2. How about an overnight trip to Newport and visit the Aquarium. Stop for lunch in florence and walk along the water front. Kinda touristy but fun!
3. Overnight to Agness on the Rogue River. This area is down by Goldbeach and inland about 40 minutes. Its about a three hour drive to Agness from Coos Bay. It is very nice up the Rogue (I live in Grants Pass now so I am partial!)
4.Overnight to Ashland or Jacksonville for a concert or play. www.brittfest.org for this years concerts. Jacksonville has a great outdoor venue for concerts!
5. maybe not w/ an infant but the ATV's in the Dunes near Reedsport are great.
Sooooo many more things to do but hopefully this will be a start!

Thank you both for your replies.

We are definitely outdoor people, which is good in this part of the country. We love hiking but also appreciate a good meal and a hot bath! Panhandle, thanks so much for your suggestions. As you surmised, yes, we have done a number of your suggestions, including the Golden and Silver Falls which was wonderful! We have a backpack for the baby and hiked all three trails, they were perfect.

I am particularly interested in hearing more about Agness. This sounds right up our alley! I looked it up in a book and from us, it looks like a great trip would be to drive south via Powers to Agness and then keep on going to Gold beach and then come back up the coast via Rt 101. If we did this, would you suggest overnighting in Agness or Gold beach? Do you have any suggestions for lodging?

Another thing that I have been thinking about is the Umpqua Valley wineries. It looks like along Rt 138 would be a beautiful drive. Could we combine this with a trip to Eugene, or should these be separate trips?

Thanks again for your help and your suggestions are really just waht we are looking for.

The route you mentioned to Agness would be good but a little longer as the road by Powers isn't as swift. It is very nice though. As far as Lodging goes Cougar Lane Resort rents cabins out out there and there is another lodge across the river that I cant remember the name of. Cougar Lane is a decent place to stay if you think of it as a step up from a tent. The place was clean and sits right on the river but dont expect the ritz. We did however have a knock on the door in the morning which we thought was roomservice (laugh) it turned out to be an Elk that had taken to people we actually pet him and fed him cheerios!If you prefer comfort vs. rustic check out the other lodge which I havent stayed at...or stay in Goldbeach. If you did two night in Goldbeach you could day trip to the Redwoods in N.California. Just a thought.
There are two places to eat in Agness...avoid the times when the Jet boat tours come in...it can be very busy!
As far as the other trip...combine it. If you can plan it around Saturday Market (5th St. Market??) in Eugene that would be fun.