Natural beauty


Whether your interest in the outdoors centers around sports and recreation, history, photo ops, or just relaxing on a scenic drive, you’ll find something to love in or around Ashland. Today I’ll feature a few favorites.

In Ashland you’ll find Lithia Park, a favorite downtown spot for both tourists and locals, along with many smaller parks scattered throughout town. From Mt. Ashland ski area, summer hikers find a beautiful vista overlooking the entire valley.

A first year student at ABC once asked, “What’s the big deal about Crater Lake? Isn’t it just another lake?” After everyone in the room stopped laughing, they convinced her to join them on their day trip and find out for herself. For the next week she couldn’t stop talking about how amazing it was. Be sure your trip to Crater Lake includes a stop in Union Creek for a slice of fresh seasonal fruit pie at Beckie’s Restaurant. If you like fishing and boating, you’ll need to travel another 5 miles north of Crater Lake to Diamond Lake, where I hear there are about half a million trout waiting for you. The direct route from Medford to Crater Lake will take you through the beautiful Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, with numerous photo ops along the way, but if you crave waterfalls be sure to add the Rogue-Umpqua National Scenic Byway (Hwy 138/42) to your route.

Caves give me the creeps, but if you think I’m crazy you might enjoy the Oregon Caves National Monument near Cave Junction. If you really like caves you might want to plan a longer trip up the coast to Sea Lion Caves near Florence or east of the mountains to the lava tubes in the high desert near Bend.

Forests abound in the region, but none are more famous than the Redwoods of the northern California coast.

And then there is the coast itself. The southern Oregon coast is every bit as beautiful as the north coast, but not as overrun with tourists as the areas with direct routes from Portland and Eugene. Hwy 199 is the nearest route leading to the coast, but I wouldn’t call it direct. It meanders west from Grants Pass, then south into California, coming out at Crescent City. From there Hwy 101 will bring you back into Oregon to the fishing and tourist communities of Harbor and Brookings. The harbor at Brookings-Harborsustained significant damage from the recent tsunami, as did several ports from Crescent City to Depoe Bay, but I think all of the beaches should be accessible this summer. Brookings is known for its mild climate, and is a long time favorite destination for some members of the ABC staff. Further north lies Gold Beach, where the Rogue River meets the Pacific, so they feature both ocean and river activities. The quiet little town of Port Orford was our family getaway spot when I was a teen, with beach access right downtown. Still further north is the gem of the south coast and my childhood and adult favorite, Bandon, with numerous sandy beaches, picturesque rock formations (see Face Rock pictured above), the charming Old Town area on the riverfront, and the Coquille River Lighthouse. Hwy 42 leads directly across the coast range inland (through wine country) to I-5.

The Rogue Valley also abounds with outdoor activities like rafting, biking, golfing, hiking, and sometimes even hot air ballooning.


About Elizabeth Lonergan

Graduate of the American Band College. Freelance educational support services including social media and photography. Other interests include food, genealogy, and musical theatre.