southern oregon recommendations
 

We are considering a trip to southern Oregon the last week of August. The plan is to fly to Medford on Friday, August 25 and fly back on Saturday, Sept 2,

We have previously been to Portland, have driven north on the coast from Florence, and have been to Redwood National Park.

Our plan is to visit Crater Lake. Is one day sufficient? We plan to take the lake cruise. We can take short hikes, but I can' hike long distances. From there we are thinking of going to Ashland for the Shakespeare festival. Our next stop will be Grant's Pass. I am hoping to take a boat ride there, but not white water rafting. Again, is one day enough time for Grant's Pass?

That leaves me with our remaining days. We will drive to Crescent City and then up the Oregon coast. Should we go as far north as Florence. What activities should we plan for the days 3-4 days we will have as we travel up the coast?

Thanks for any ideas anybody can offer.

One day for Crater Lake is fine. The boat ride is very good! Tickets do sell out, so buy in advance. I would go early in the morning, then spend the afternoon driving the rim. If you do not want to drive, there is a trolley that goes around so you can leave the driving to someone else.

You'll have to hike down the Cleetwood trail to get down to the boat. It is quite a climb to come back up after the boat trip.
Since you want to go to the coast anyway, take the boat trip up the Rogue from Gold Beach. https://www.roguejets.com/64-mile-jet-boat-trip/
I think it is a better trip than any boat from Grants Pass.
If you exit Crater Lake NP via the north entrance, check out the Umpqua River along Rt. 138. At Roseburg go north on I-5 and then take Rt. 138 to Elkton and 38 to Reedsport. About 4-5 miles east of Reedsport, make a stop at the Dean's Creek Elk viewing area. I usually see more than 20 elk when I stop.
The Oregon Dunes are just north of Reedsport. You don't have to go all the way to Florence.

Agree with Tom that the jet boat from Goldbeach is a great day trip. I have usually done the all day trip.

Hwy 138 between Crater Lake and Roseburg has many short and beautiful waterfall hikes. Some are really just short walks. Susan Falls is a favorite.

If you enjoy wine tasting, there are many wonderful opportunities in the Roseburg area. Hill Crest Winery is a favorite. It is home of the first Pinot Noir in Oregon.

Florence is a cute coastal town. There is really not much to see from the car between Coos Bay and Florence though- view obscured by trees.

You might enjoy a stop at Shore Acres in the Charleston area. Beautiful gardens at site of home of some of Oregons pioneers. Read the Book "A Gathering of Finches" for historical fiction version of life of the people who settled that area and built Shore Acres.

South of Crescent City, stop at the Klamath River Overlook- where the Klamath River joins the ocean. Beautiful views and you can frequently can see whales feeding down below!

Enjoy your trip!

While you are in Ashland check out historical Jacksonville - it's only a 30 minute drive http://jacksonvilleoregon.com/
And it has a great Britt Music Festival that syncs well with the Ashland Shakespearean Festival http://www.brittfest.org/

From Crater Lake a day or two coulds be added to go to Bend - a great place in the spring, summer, or fall: http://www.visitbend.com/

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful suggestions. I will check all of them out. A question about the boat trip from Gold Beach. It sounds like a lot of fun. My daughter has a colleague in Grants Pass who mentioned arranging a trip for us. If we do a boat trip from Grant's Pass, would we want to take a trip from Gold Beach as well?