jbeninato

Hi everyone!
My husband and I will be spending 8 days in Oregon in mid-September and we could use some help fine tuning our road trip. We will be flying into Portland, renting a car and traveling right away down to Newport for night 1. The next day we will drive down the coast and maybe overnight in Brookings. Day three we want to make a quick stop at Jedadiah Redwood Forest before EITHER....heading straight up to the Eugene area for 2 nights (to use as a base to see area parks, etc) or should we take the Grant pass and head over to the Bend/Sisters area for two nights? Our interests are mainly nature and photography. From either of these areas we would head to Silver Falls then back to Portland for our final nights. I guess my question is...Is it worth the extra driving to head over to the Bend Area? We are not interested in Crater Lake but love waterfalls, rivers and other unusual natural areas. Thanks in advance for any help.

Fodorite018

Bend is much more desirable than Eugene, IMO. Born and raised in OR, the only time I go to Eugene is to visit family, FWIW. Bend and Sisters has SO much more to offer. Why no interest in Crate Lake? It is stunning and mid September is usually really nice there.

jbeninato

I guess because Crater Lake looks like it is just a big lake? I don’t get to see waterfalls or big rivers or cool rock formations where I live so things that are different appeal to me. Is there something there that is worth the side trip? I’m open to anything! Thanks for the info on Bend as well.

tomfuller

I agree with mms wholeheartedly. My suggested route would be south on US 101 to Reedsport then east on Rt. 38 to Elkton. About 5 miles east of Reedsport, stop at the Dean's Creek Elk Viewing area. I have seen up to 40 Roosevelt Elk there - sometimes none. At the east end of Elkton, take Rt. 138 SE to get back to I-5 then south on I-5 to Roseburg.
Take Rt. 138 east from Roseburg up the beautiful Umpqua River past Diamond Lake to get to the north entrance of Crater Lake NP. Crater Lake is one of the five most beautiful lakes in the US IMO. There is an area of interesting rock formations in the SE part of the park called "The Pinnacles". There is also a small pumice desert that you drive through coming in from the north entrance toward the lake and Llao Rock.
Leaving Crater Lake from the north entrance, it is 90 miles via Rt. 138 and US 97 to the south end of Bend. If you are interested in rock formations, there are a few rimrock formations where some Western movies starring John Wayne were filmed. It has been reported that Katherine Hepburn used to skinny dip in Sparks Lake west of Bend on her way to the shooting location.
Be sure to see both the High Desert Museum and the Lavalands Visitor Center south of Bend.
Leaving Bend head for Sisters and take the McKenzie Pass highway (242) up to the Dee Wright Observatory. Plan on at least a half hour there seeing a large section of the Cascade Range. Leaving Dee Wright, you can get to Springfield/Eugene on 126 or you can go north along the McKensie River to get back up to US 20 toward Sweet Home and Albany.

Gardyloo

Well, it's more than a big lake - it's a stunning lake filling an ancient volcanic caldera. Your call of course.

But I would revise the trip to include Silver Falls right off the bat, then back to the Columbia via Bend and Smith Rock State Park. Here's a map which shows a route that includes Crater Lake and gives plenty of time for the Columbia Gorge so you can see all the waterfalls along the gorge walls. I'd skip Newport and head for the southern Oregon coast, then the redwoods, then back to Crater Lake and north through Bend and Smith Rock, then maybe a stop at Timberline Lodge on the side of Mount Hood, before ending the trip in the Gorge.

Smith Rock

jbeninato

This route sounds interesting as well! I have never seen Elk in the wild. I appreciate the details, they are very helpful when looking at a map. It sounds like I need more than 8 days!!! I guess we will have to come back again after this trip to catch what we miss. Thanks so much for your insights.

tomfuller

Note that Gardyloo's map also includes Rt. 38 from I-5 over to Reedsport. The most interesting thing I've seen in Eugene is Skinner Butte. Eugene was named for Eugene Skinner. Eugene sounds a lot better than Skinnerville. If you go over Rt. 58 to get over to Eugene, make a stop at Salt Creek Falls, (not far off highway). The trail over to the falls from the parking lot comes to the top of the falls.

sunbum1944

I would definitely stay in Bend rather than Eugene - and I live in Eugene. Bend is much more vibrant and interesting in my opinion. Take a look at the St Francis School Hotel which is an old Catholic school turned into hotel. It is fun and walking distance to downtown Bend. Waterfalls close to Bend would be Benham Falls- a nice hike on the Deschutes River trail.

For sure visit Silver Falls State Park which is east of Salem. Nice trail between the falls- there are 10 waterfalls on this trail. The trail goes behind the falls in a couple of spots so the water is gushing out over your head. We usually spend the day, bring a lunch and eat at one of the falls before continuing on. You take a swim at the end of the hike at the North Falls.

There actually are quite a few waterfalls close to Crater Lake. Hwy. 138 Scenic Byway between Roseburg and Crater has many falls. Some are just short walks from the parking lot- others are more of a hike. Watson Falls and Susan Falls are a couple of favorites. On a hiking trip here a few years ago, I think we visited 10 falls in 2 days as well as a beautiful hike along the river.
Stop at Steamboat Springs for a lunch or a snack. Beautiful grounds along the river.

jbeninato

SunBum, thanks for your tips as well. The old school hotel sounds very unique! Based on everyone’s comments, Bend and that area sound like the best way to go. I really appreciate everyone sharing their knowledge of the area, thank you.

sludick

Yes, the St. Francis school is so much fun. We've stayed there once, and on a separate trip we just went there for a "midway to St. Patrick's Day" festival. Take time to explore and look at all the funky artwork there - it's a big part of the charm.