I'm traveling to Oregon in late July with my husband and 10 and 8 yo children. I really wanted to go to Crater Lake, but it turns out there is absolutely no lodging for the dates I'm looking at inside the park. Nor is there any lodging (from what I can tell) close by. I've looked at the lodgings the NPS recommends outside the park, like Diamond Lake and Prospect - they are also all booked, or not suitable for our family (ie, not enough beds, or way too many beds such that I would be vastly overpaying). I've also searched VRBO, airbnb, homeaway, etc.

We will be coming up from Ashland, and headed next to the coast for the Oregon Dunes. We could, I suppose, daytrip from Ashland, or I can find rooms in Roseburg (and which is on the way to the Oregon Dunes), both of which seem to be about 1.5 hours away from Crater Lake. Either way, though, I'm only looking at around one day inside Crater Lake. I was hoping to have spent 2-3 days there, but my OH will flip at the idea of multiple 1.5 hour long each way daytrips.

So - is 1 day enough for Crater Lake? Or should I just write this part of Oregon off our vacation, and hope we make it back to the Pacific Northwest some other time? And does anyone have any lodging suggestions or thoughts? We - okay, I - are not campers, so the campgrounds are out. Any and all feedback is much appreciated.

Check this place out- have not stayed there but friends have and I think its OK - there are several other places to stay along Hwy 138 - I stayed at one last summer but have forgotten the name but am checking with a friends- will get back to you.

http://www.unioncreekoregon.com

There is always Steamboat Springs but its pretty expensive- depends on your budget

To ease your mind - one day is fine for Crater Lake. Three would have been overkill unless you were camping.

stayed here last summer- not a bad place- nice grounds with picnic tables. Kids will enjoy the fish pond- owner raises giant carp

http://www.dogwoodmotel.com

The drive along Hwy 138 is great- lots of waterfalls - Watson Falls is a favorite- you make a whole day of just seeing the different waterfalls-

If you like hiking - several days would be great but one on a day trip can do you if there is no other option.

And you could stay in Roseburg - or in Klamath Falls (an hour away)- and check out the beautiful Running Y Resort in my old home town. see: www.runningy.com,

Keep calling Xanterra for cancellations at Crater Lake Lodge.
People cancel from 2-4 days out when they realize they can't make it.
Just so you know, they are expecting 3-8" of snow at Crater Lake today. The shutters are still on the lodge.
If you can't get the lodge, call Diamond Lake when you leave Ashland to see if they have anything suitable.

Why don't you give us an overview of the whole trip? Maybe there is some minor rearranging of things that could help.

We're flying into SFO, and then visiting with family in SF and then more family in Willow Creek, California prior to starting our travels. There's no wiggle room there. Then:

Day 1 - leave Willow Brook, drive thru Redwood Nat/St Parks and visit, then drive to Ashland.
Day 2 - Daytrip to see the Oregon Caves (kids) and visit Ashland (me). Have tickets for "Into the Woods" that night. Sleep Ashland.
Day 3 - Drive to Crater Lake, sleep where?
Day 4 - more Crater Lake, sleep?
Day 5 - Drive to Coos Bay, stay in Coos Bay.
Day 6 - Oregon Dunes Nat Rec Area, sleep Coos Bay.
Day 7 - drive north along 101 to Cannon Beach/Astoria, (lodging place and town TBD).
Day 8 - Beach time, let kids to Seaside amusements.
Day 9 - Drive to Hood River area, past Columbia River Gorge and Lavender farms. Lodging specifics - TBD.
Day 10 - Mount Hood Adventure Park (kids), and see Mount Hood, drive to Portland.
Day 11 - Portland (or really crazy, LONG daytrip to Mt. St. Helens to make OH happy).
Day 12 - fly home.

Since I'm with kids, I'm trying to stay at least two nights in each place. Its a balance to see everything I want to see and keep them entertained and happy. I've learned that things work well if we drive places to give them downtime, so while I'm not worried about the fact that I feel like its a lot of driving and moving, I did lengthen what was going to originally be one week in Oregon to almost two weeks.

I've got some room to play with, and other than my tickets for "Into the Woods" and our plane tickets, things are still flexible. We do like hiking, although since I have kids, its more like "walking" then what most folks consider hiking. Oh, and we're from Texas, so the idea of snow, let alone snow in July, will rock my kids' world.

And thanks for the assurances, janisj and Tomsd, that one day might be enough for Crater Lake.

Willow Creek !? ! You may have posted the first or second mention of Willow Creek ever on these forums.

One day may be enough for Crater Lake but you could easily spend a day along Hy 138- there are a lot of waterfalls to see- easy hikes/walks into most of them- I would recommend you stop at least a few of them - and as I posted above- Watson Falls is a good one to hike into.

I went with a group last summer, stayed at the Dogwood Motel, and hiked/walked for 3 days to most of the waterfalls and also trail along the river.

Also, at Diamond Lake, there is a nice trail around the lake, you can rent bikes at the store or walk, but biking the trail is fun and would help burn off some of the endless energy of the kids.

Stop at Steamboat Inn for a snack, maybe some marionberry cobbler and ice-cream.

Also, I have to say, I don't think I would stay in Coos Bay for 2 nights- so many other nicer places to stay in my opinion. If its the dunes you are interested in seeing, you could drive to Florence and see them there.

There is even a sand board park in Florence the kids might enjoy, Also love doing the dune buggy rides just south of Florence.

First you said Willow Creek, then you said Willow Brook. Willowbrook (now one word) is in Los Angeles; I assume you mean Willow Creek in Humboldt County. Major difference ;-)

Try this out as a thought experiment -


Day 1 - Willow Creek - Brookings via Gold Beach. By that I mean shoot through Brookings on US 101 in order to see the spectacular coast that extends around 75 miles north of the state line - arguably the most scenic part of the Oregon coast. http://gardyloo.us/20130116_84HD1a.jpg Then double back (just as scenic) and spend the night in Brookings.

Day 2 - Brookings - Ashland via Oregon Caves. A short reversal back down US 101 to US 199, then visit the caves before the play in Ashland.

Day 3 - Crater Lake day trip, overnight in Ashland. You said you'd prefer not to break camp every day; this would handle that, and not too awful a ride from Ashland up to the park. Do a loop around the lake, and you'd have the kids back in the motel pool by dinnertime. Alternatively, if it's too hot or you're too pooped, you could also spend the day in Jacksonville, a very picturesque and historic gold rush town in the mountains west of Medford.

Day 4 - Ashland - Florence. North on I-5 to SR 38 (prettiest road out to the coast) then north to Florence. Skip Coos Bay.

Day 5 - Florence. Oregon Dunes, Heceta Head lighthouse, Sea Lion Caves if you want to test your sense of smell, otherwise find a beach and hang.

Day 6 - Florence - Astoria. Stop in Yachats and Depoe Bay, and any number of state parks or pullouts en route, and get the kids some ice cream at the Tillamook dairy.

Day 7 - Astoria. Kid time on the beach or in Seaside, or - better - spend the day at Cape Disappointment on the WA side of the bridge. Lighthouses, waves on rocks, fabulous Lewis and Clark history. You could also visit Long Beach in Washington, similar to Seaside (salt water taffy etc.) but lower-key, plus you can drive on the beach. Woo hoo. Back to Astoria for the night.

Day 8 - Astoria - Portland via Mt. St. Helens. This is a longish day but it kills two birds. Ideally, follow the north shore of the Columbia River to Longview, up to the Johnston Ridge observatory, then back to I-5 and down to the Portland area. Actually, I'd recommend McMenamin's Edgefield in Troutdale, a little east of the city. More on that below.

Day 9 - Portland/Gorge. Maybe visit OMSI, ride the gondola, whatever.

Day 10 - Portland/Gorge

Day 11 - Portland/Gorge

Day 12 - Fly

Map - http://goo.gl/maps/WrNXi

The intent of this is to allow (as much as possible) the two-night rule. There are a couple of days where you retrace your route (Crater Lake most notably) but if you just return to Ashland after a day at Crater Lake you don't need to break camp, so you can use those hours to enjoy Crater Lake or whatever. One note about southern Oregon in late July is that the Rogue Valley (Ashland, Medford, Grants Pass) can get really hot, so pick a place with a pool if possible (and not some twee bed and breakfast in Ashland - overpriced during Shakespeare days.)

Regarding Portland, I'd have a look at McMenamin's Edgefield in Troutdale - http://www.mcmenamins.com/Edgefield. Although it has a lot of pubs, a winery, distillery and a brewery on the premises, it's also quite kid-friendly, with lots of food options, free movies in the on-site theater, etc. Troutdale is an easy drive from downtown Portland, but also an ideal spot to visit the Columbia Gorge, Mt. Hood and the Hood River Valley, White Salmon on the Washington side of the river, etc. It's also 15 min. from the Portland airport in the other direction.

Visit the Gorge, some of the waterfalls (if you're adventurous, google "Oneonta Gorge") don't miss Herman the Sturgeon at the Bonneville hatchery (90+ year old sturgeon that's been delighting kids for generations) and all the other cool things for kids and their parents in the area. Even head out to Maryhill (at the US 97 junction on the WA side) for a unique little museum - amazing native American arts, Rodin sculpture, the very cool "Theatre de la Mode" mannequins from 1940s Paris, and, nearby, a "replica" (not really) of Stonehenge, set above the river. Way cool.

It would seem to me that as many as 3 nights in the Gorge area would be a good ending to your trip - comfortable, affordable, endlessly fascinating.

Just some thoughts.

Thanks so much for your detailed thoughts and itinerary tweaking, Gardyloo. Wow! I especially appreciate your thoughts that we might be missing some of the best part of the Oregon coastline around Brookings.

I like your itinerary a lot, although I don't necessarily like the zig-zagging from Brookings to Ashland to Crater Lake and then back to the 101. The whole flow of the trip would seem better to me if we just went straight up 101. I do like hearing that Highway 38 is beautiful, though, so maybe I won't mind it as much. I just wish Crater Lake was a bit closer to the coastline.

(And yes, I meant Willow Creek in Humbolt County - this is my OH's family so I've never been there and made a typo with the "Willow Brook" entry above.)

We knew you meant Willow Creek . . . It's just that its a pretty small , remote-ish place not many folks have heard of . . .

Well look, if you were willing to scratch Crater Lake, then you could travel from Willow Creek through the woods and mountains to Ashland via I-5, then back out to the coast via US 199, and straight up the Oregon coast the rest of the way.

I don't mean to badmouth Crater Lake one iota, but having been there a few times, I just am not convinced that the pain/payout formula really works for me. It's a long way, it's usually quite hot (but sometimes foggy and disappointing at the rim) and I can practically guarantee that the kids will be nonplussed (and antsy in the car both ways.)

On the other hand, if you reallocated that day to more beach time, or visits to lighthouses, or even extended your travels into Washington to the Quinault rain forest... well... You know the kids, we don't, so it's a judgement call. But if it were me I'd nix Crater Lake and do something else with those hours and miles.

I don't care if you just do a drive by of Crater Lake - it is one of the wonders of the world.

BTW - if terribly pressed for a place to crash - you could pull into a campground space (cheap) at Diamond Lake and grab a few hours shuteye in the car. If you had sleeping bags - you could sleep out under the stars as I did.

And they have nice shower facilities at Diamond Lake campground.

And they also have a good pizza place by the campground store.