by Geon, Bryan
Heading south, some consider bustling Lincoln City (www.oregoncoast.org) to be a great base for exploration, while others view it as an overbuilt tourist trap. The attractions in slightly more laid back Newport (www.discovernewport.com) include the historic bayfront, a working waterfront that boasts tacky souvenir parlors, sea lions lazing on the docks, and restaurants that have garnered rave reviews from the New York Times; charming Nye Beach; and the Oregon Coast Aquarium (541-867-3474, www.aquarium.org), one of the country’s finest aquaria and famous as a former halfway house of sorts for the orca Keiko, a.k.a. Free Willy. South of Newport, the coast gets fewer visitors. You’ll pass through rugged coastal scenery and often fog-bound towns like Waldport and Yachats on your way to Florence and the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/siuslaw/recreation/recarea/?recid-42465), a 40-mile strip of sand dunes that in some places are more than 500 feet high; the dunes area also contains several swimmable freshwater lakes. Beyond Coos Bay and its large working harbor, the south coast includes towns such as Bandon (famous for its cheese, cranberries, and lightning-fast broadband network), Port Orford, Brookings (the so-called banana belt of Oregon, which typically has the state’s mildest winter temperatures), and Gold Beach (800-525-2334, www.goldbeach.org), a good base for jet boat excursions up the Rogue River.
For more information on visiting the Oregon Coast, contact the Oregon Coast Visitors Association (541-574-2679, 888-628-2101, www.visittheoregoncoast.com). Dozens of the most scenic areas along the coast are part of the Oregon State Parks system (800-551-6949, www.oregonstateparks.org); while some state parks are little more than waysides open for day use only, others are fairly large and substantial parks with camping facilities, and sometimes yurts or cabins.
The Willamette Valley and Oregon’s Wine Country
The Willamette Valley stretches south from Portland for more than 100 miles. This broad valley is home to some of the nation’s richest agricultural land, as well as the cities of Salem, Albany, Corvallis (541-757-1544, 800-334-8118, www.visitcorvallis.com), and Eugene (www.eugenecascadescoast.org, 541-484-5307, 800-547-5445). The latter two cities, home to Oregon State University and the University of Oregon, respectively, are both worthy stopovers, but the Willamette Valley generally lacks major tourist attractions. Its appeal lies primarily in its small towns and farm fields, some of which are full of unusual crops like peppermint and lavender, and its slower pace of life. To see the valley at its best, get off the main highways (Interstate 5 and highways 99E and 99W) and putter around the back roads; better still, tour the valley by bicycle. (Smell the mint, feel the burn.)
For wine lovers, the most compelling destinations in the Willamette Valley lie along its margins, on the low ranges of hills that rise from the flat valley floor. Here, on slopes that shed cold winter air and collect summer sunshine, grow the vineyards that supply the dozens of wineries in the six AVAs—American Viticultural Areas—in the Willamette Valley region. Oregon is globally famous for its pinot noirs, but it produces many other kinds of wines as well. The greatest concentration of wineries is in Yamhill County, especially around Dundee, less than an hour southeast of Portland. For more information about wines and wineries visit www.willamettewines.com or www.oregonwine.org.
One don’t-miss destination, especially for waterfall lovers, is Silver Falls State Park (www.oregonstateparks.org) east of Salem. The park contains a canyon with no fewer than ten waterfalls, some of which are short walks from parking areas on the canyon rim; an 8.7-mile trail links the falls and actually passes through small rock amphitheaters behind four of them. Nearby, just south of Silverton, the Oregon Garden (503-874-8100, 877-674-2733, www.oregongarden.org) presents a wide range of specialty gardens, as well as the only Frank Lloyd Wright–designed house in Oregon.
For more ideas about Willamette Valley tour routes, contact the Willamette Valley Visitors Association (866-548-5018, www.oregonwinecountry.org).
Central Oregon
Fast-growing Bend (541-382-8048, 877-245-8484, www.visitbend.com) sprawls on the banks of the Deschutes River as it flows from forested highlands into the high desert. The hub of scenic central Oregon, Bend is a minimum three-hour drive from Portland via Mount Hood and Madras or Salem and Santiam Pass. Bend property values rose at one of the highest rates in the country during the mid-2000s real estate boom, and although some of the toniest eateries and shops did not survive the subsequent crash, the city still offers a wide range of restaurants and hotels, as well as the acclaimed High Desert Museum (541-382-4754, www.highdesertmuseum.org), three miles south of town. The real attraction of central Oregon, however, is the stunning landscape and the consequent recreational opportunities. The region immediately surrounding Bend is a semi-arid plateau of sagebrush, juniper, and ponderosa pine, but the volcanic peaks of the central Cascades rise just to the west, and scenic beauty can be found in every direction.
Mount Bachelor (800-829-2442, www.mtbachelor.com), only 20 miles away from Bend, is a major winter-sports destination, while one of the largest designated wilderness areas in the state, with more than 240 miles of hiking trails, encompasses the nearby Three Sisters. (South Sister, at 10,358 feet, is the third-highest mountain in the state; you don’t need technical climbing skills to reach the top in late summer.) The McKenzie Pass Highway runs west from Sisters, a small, touristy town northwest of Bend, over a bleak, lava-strewn pass between Mount Washington and the Three Sisters, while the Cascade Lakes Highway, a National Scenic Byway, winds south from Mount Bachelor past a series of high mountain reservoirs (and abundant campsites).
North of Bend, past slightly lower and drier (but also fast-growing) Redmond is Smith Rock State Park (www.oregonstateparks.org), one of the premier rock climbing destinations in the country. Much of the land nearby is part of the Crooked River National Grassland. To the east, the relatively low, forested Ochoco Mountains are much less visited than the Cascades, and the range includes three small wilderness areas. South of Bend, the Newberry National Volcanic Monument (541-383-5700, www.fs.usda.gov/main/Deschutes/recarea/?recid=66159) includes lava tubes, cinder cones, and two beautiful, crystal-clear crater lakes set in a geologically active caldera. Practically anyplace in the region makes a great jumping-off point for backcountry trips.
For obvious reasons, central Oregon is a major outdoor sports center. Downhill and cross-country skiing and other winter sports bring crowds in the winter, while hiking and backpacking, mountain and road biking, rafting and other forms of boating, and golf are all popular pursuits during the summer and fall. Central Oregon has also become something of a hub for destination resorts; the two most venerable and best-known of these resorts are Sunriver (800-801-8765, www.sunriver-resort.com), about 15 miles south of Bend, and Black Butte Ranch (866-901-2961, www.blackbutteranch.com), off Highway 20 between Sisters and Santiam Pass. Closer to Portland, Kah-Nee-Ta Resort and Spa (800-554-4786, www.kahneeta.com) is located on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. For more information on destinations in the region, contact the Central Oregon Visitors Association (800-800-8334, www.visitcentraloregon.com).
Southern Oregon
South of Eugene, the Willamette Valley peters out in a rugged jumble of forested mountains cleft by the valleys of the Umpqua and Rogue rivers and their various tributaries. Most southern Oregon cities, including Roseburg, Grants Pass, and Medford, huddle in the river valleys. Roseburg (541-672-9731, 800-444-9584, www.visitroseburg.com), although not particularly exciting, makes a good base for exploring the Umpqua Valley wine region (541-673-5323, www.umpquavalleywineries.org) and Wildlife Safari (541-679-6761, www.wildlifesafari.net), a drive-through wild animal park.
The Rogue River Valley in far southern Oregon, the site of Medford and Grants Pass, is a region of orchards, loggers, retirees, more wineries, and, surprisingly, smog. Jacksonville (www.jacksonvilleoregon.org), just west of Medford, is a well-preserved 19th-century gold-mining town, but the most popular “urban” destination in southern Oregon is Ashland. Home to the Oregon S
hakespeare Festival (800-219-8161, www.osfashland.org), a nearly nine-month-long annual theatre series (and the attendant nice restaurants and hotels), as well as to large communities of environmentalists and California retirees, Ashland is an intriguing place to visit at any time of year. In winter, when the Shakespeare Festival is on hiatus, the Mount Ashland Ski Area (541-482-2897, www.mtashland.com) is a half-hour drive away.
Still more wineries nestle in the Applegate Valley, which winds through the botanically and geologically unique Siskiyou Mountains. Few roads pierce this rugged range (and none enter the large Kalmiopsis Wilderness), but US Highway 199 runs from Grants Pass toward the redwood country of northern California through the hippie-meets-logger community of Cave Junction (where there are still more wineries). A spur road leads to Oregon Caves National Monument (541-592-2100, www.nps.gov/orca), which centers on a marble cave system high in the Siskiyous.
The iconic natural attraction of southern Oregon, and arguably of the state as a whole, is Crater Lake National Park (541-594-3000, www.nps.gov/crla/). More than 1,900 feet deep and almost impossibly blue, Crater Lake fills the crater of ancient Mount Mazama, which erupted 7,700 years ago in a fashion that makes the 1980 Mt. St. Helens eruption look like a hiccup. Much of the park is inaccessible during the winter—the area averages some 44 feet of snow each year—but during the summer it’s possible to drive around the lake, climb to the top of several neighboring peaks, or hike down to the water and take a boat to the mini-volcano of Wizard Island. Other regions of the Cascade spine north and south of the park are included within several wilderness areas, which receive far fewer visitors than the wilderness areas in the central and northern parts of the state. On the east side of the mountains, the city of Klamath Falls (www.discoverklamath.com) lies near broad, shallow Upper Klamath Lake, a major stopover point for migratory birds.
Information about southern Oregon destinations and accommodation options is available from the Southern Oregon Visitors Association (www.southernoregon.org).
Eastern Oregon
Away from the Interstate 84 corridor (which follows the old route of the Oregon Trail), high, dry eastern Oregon receives comparatively few visitors. While it may not have many urban attractions—Pendleton (www.pendletonchamber.com), home of the annual Pendleton Round-up (www.pendletonroundup.com), being the main exception—this part of the state offers incredible scenery and wide-open spaces. Major mountain ranges—the Blue Mountains, the Strawberry Mountains, and the jagged, granitic Wallowas—thrust upward from the sagebrush and grassland, and offer outstanding and generally uncrowded recreational opportunities. The Wallowas in particular make an excellent hiking and backpacking destination; most of the range is protected within the vast Eagle Cap Wilderness, and more than 500 miles of trails link beautiful alpine lake basins. Non-hikers can enjoy the towns of Joseph and Enterprise, just north of glacial Wallowa Lake. Not far to the east, on the Oregon-Idaho border, is difficult-to-reach Hells Canyon, where the Snake River runs through North America’s deepest river gorge.
The mountain-and-valley country of east-central Oregon includes the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (541-987-2333, www.nps.gov/joda/); the monument has three separate units which protect not only abundant fossils but also the colorful Painted Hills. Remote southeastern Oregon has a host of adventurous destinations, including the canyons of the Owyhee River, Malheur and Harney lakes, and Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge, but the region’s crown jewel is probably Steens Mountain. This fault-block mountain range rises fairly gradually from west to east; then, from the high point at nearly 10,000 feet, the east side plunges precipitously to the Alvord Desert, Oregon’s driest spot, thousands of feet below. The mountain features aspen forests, cirque lakes, wildflower-dotted meadows, and bighorn sheep. A graded dirt road, passable by most passenger cars, runs from Frenchglen most of the way up the west side of the mountain (road open summer only).
The Eastern Oregon Visitors Association (541-574-2679, www.visiteasternoregon.com) is more than happy to suggest destinations and itineraries in this part of the state.
Washington State
Washington, like Oregon, is a topographically diverse state that encompasses coast, mountains, and semi-arid plateau, and has a correspondingly impressive range of getaway options.
One of the main attractions of southwestern Washington is clearly visible from Portland on a clear day. Mount St. Helens, which famously blew its top in May 1980, is now part of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (360-449-7800, www.fs.usda.gov/mountsthelens). You can visit one of the two observatories that offer views of the crater (which contains a growing new lava dome), hike into the recovering blast zone, or make a long, ashy (or snowy) slog to the new summit at the crater rim (permit required). Ape Cave, on the south side of the mountain, is the longest lava tube in the Western Hemisphere; it’s a great place to take kids. The next volcano to the east, Mount Adams (also visible from Portland), tops out at 12,276 feet and is thus more than 1,000 feet taller than Mount Hood. The area between the peaks is part of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest (360-891-5000, www.fs.usda.gov/gpnf/), which contains many wonderful (and, considering the proximity to Portland, often surprisingly uncrowded) hiking and backpacking options, including three wilderness areas; the lake-dotted Indian Heaven Wilderness is a particularly appealing destination (outside of peak mosquito season). The small community of Trout Lake makes a good base for exploring the Mount Adams region.
Moving north along the Cascades, Mount Rainier National Park (360-569-2211, www.nps.gov/mora) centers on the mountain of the same name, which at an elevation of 14,410 feet is the highest peak in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to the mountain itself and its many glaciers, the park offers alpine meadows, old-growth forest, and the 93-mile Wonderland Trail. Moving north along the spine of the Cascades, you can visit the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Mount Baker and its adjacent wilderness and National Recreation Areas, and the rugged, glacier-clad peaks and steep-sided valleys of North Cascades National Park (360-854-7200, www.nps.gov/noca) on the Canadian border.
The bulk of Washington’s population lives in the lowlands west of the Cascades along Puget Sound. Although cities like Olympia (the state capital), pleasant Bellingham, and gritty Tacoma are all worth a stop, the Big Kahuna of Washington cities is Seattle. Portlanders carry on a love-hate relationship with Seattle, 170 miles to the north. Despite legitimate gripes about Seattle’s sprawl, traffic congestion, and high prices, Portlanders still flock to the city for its cultural attractions (which are arguably better and certainly more numerous than Portland’s), its professional sports teams, and its matchless setting on the water between two mountain ranges (when you can see them). You can make a great weekend out of visiting Seattle’s museums, sampling its cafés and restaurants, dodging airborne fish carcasses at Pike Place Market, and maybe even going to a Mariners or Seahawks game. Best of all, you can relax and go by train. For the official line on tourism in Seattle, contact the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau (866-732-2695, www.visitseattle.org).
The mountains visible across Puget Sound from Seattle are the Olympics, largely protected within Olympic National Park (360-565-3130, www.nps.gov/olym/). The park is incredibly diverse; besides the mountains, which are impressive enough, the park includes such attractions as the Hoh Rain Forest, the alpine meadows near Hurricane Ridge, and the longest stretch of wilderness coastline in the contiguous United States. Since 95% of the park is designated wilderness, the best way to explore its charms is on foot (with lots of time). Outside the park boundaries, overzealous forestry practices have compromised the Olympic Peninsula’s tourism potential, but the region also includes interesting towns such as Port Angeles, Poulsbo, and charming, historic Port Townsend (www.enjoypt.com); soggy, unassuming Forks is the setting for the popular Twilight series, and as a result has become a tourist draw.
Puget Sound’s islands offer fun maritime getaways, although they tend to be crowded with visitors from the Seattle area on summer and holid
ay weekends. Although largely rural, Vashon Island (206-463-6217, www.vashonchamber.com), southwest of Seattle, is home to many commuters to the city, who travel back and forth by ferry. Further north, the state’s largest island, Whidbey Island, can be reached by ferry from either side of the Sound or by the bridge over Deception Pass; nearby Camano Island has bridge access only. Information about both destinations is available at www.whidbeycamanoislands.com.
At the northern end of the sound, the atmospheric San Juan Islands are accessible only by ferry (or air). It’s best to give yourself at least a long weekend here; the wait for the ferry can take several hours, especially on summer weekends. Once you arrive, you’ll find secluded beaches, charming towns, cozy coffee shops, and an abundance of quaint bed and breakfasts. Each of the three main islands—Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan—has a different character and is worth a visit; you can stay on all three islands over the course of a visit, or you could plan to use one as a base and take ferry rides to the others. If possible, bring or rent a bicycle or kayak and tour the islands that way. For more information, contact the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau (888-468-3701, www.visitsanjuans.com). For details about ferry routes and schedules throughout the Puget Sound region, visit the Washington State Ferries website at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/, or call their helpline at 888-808-7977 (206-464-6400 from outside Washington).
Eastern Washington, like eastern Oregon, is much drier than the western half of the state. The most popular draws are actually in the eastern Cascades or its fringes: Lake Chelan, the “Bavarian” village of Leavenworth (509-548-5807, www.leavenworth.org), and the cross-country skier’s paradise of Methow Valley. Semi-arid eastern Washington contains some thriving cities, including Yakima, the Tri-Cities (Richland, Pasco, and Kennewick), and Spokane, along with vast fields of wheat; the major attractions, however, are the reservoirs along the Columbia River (including Lake Roosevelt, behind Grand Coulee Dam) and the mountain ranges of northeast Washington. In southeastern Washington, the area around Walla Walla (www.wallawalla.org) is a highly regarded wine-producing region; contact the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance (509-526-3117, www.wallawallawine.com) for details.
