Welcome to OREGON!
Capital City: Salem
A Picture Book of Lewis and Clark
by David Adler; Illustrated by Ronald Himler
(ages 4-8)
World Classroom: Oregon
Oregon is a beautiful state and surprisingly only has four locations mentioned in the “National Parks Passport Book” that are managed by the National Parks Services. Below you’ll find links to each of the National Parks official sites for detailed up-to-date information about each one. We’ve included pictures and some ideas for things to do and sites to see near some of our favorites to date. Enjoy the beautiful Pacific Northwest!
National Park
Crater Lake National Park – Crater Lake, OR
If you’re looking for the most beautiful blue lake in the U.S., Crater Lake National Park in Southern Oregon belongs at the top of your list. With its stunning blue water and beautiful trails, Crater Lake offers breathtaking views and a variety of activities for families to enjoy in and nearby the park. This park hosts visitors from all over the world, so if you want to rent a hotel room with a view of the lake, we commend planning a year in advance as they book quick! And with a view like this, it’s easy to see why.
During warm seasons throughout the year, the lake can be used for fishing or boating as there are trails down to the water that are covered with snow in colder months. Whether you want to experience some recreation or just appreciate the beautify and capture some photos to treasure, you can enjoy your time here. Take a scenic drive (or bike ride for those daring enough to brave it!) all around the lake. There are certain times throughout the year the road is closed to cars so bikers can have safer passage around the 33 mile loop.
This park also hosts a Jr Ranger station with an activity book, scavenger hunt and videos to engage young visitors. Learn all about this cool caldera and how it formed and why its water is so pure. Be sure to bring your passport books for stamping!
Additional Favorite Spots Near Crater Lake or on the way to and from
Diamond Lake
While Crater Lake does offer biking around the it, Diamond lake is only approximately 45 minutes north and offers a more family friendly trail that is about 11 miles around, fairly flat and is not shared with cars. Our family loved biking around the lake in the fall time with the colorful leaves and crisp fresh air. It was a bit chilly, so we bought gloves at the little store by the lake that you can rent bikes from to keep our hands from getting too cold on the handle bars. There is a variety of lake toys to rent (as well as bikes of course) – you can rent fishing boats, paddle boats, bumper boats and patio boats depending on what your family likes to do on the water. The accommodations are not fancy, but affordable – in our opinion you come here for the lake biking trail and nearness to Crater Lake. Be sure to check what’s available before you go as there are seasonal offerings – winter offers snowmobiling, cross country skiing and other snowy sports.
Waterfalls and Hikes such as Toketee Falls
There are several great waterfalls near and around Crater Lake. This one is Toketee Fall and is approximately an hour SW of Crater Lake and less than 30 min from Diamond Lake. It’s a beautiful family friendly hike less than half a mile to the falls from the trail head.
Wildlife Safari Drive Through
In this Safari in Winston, Oregon the animals roam free and the visitors stay locked in their cars. There were animals of all types – bears, lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes, all kinds of birds and herds. Our favorite were the emus as they were pretty aggressive about getting food from the visits since you can purchase a cup of food to feed them. Be prepared for some good laughs!
There is even an area to park once you have completed the drive through loop portion, and you can walk through a more typical zoo and see other creatures as well such as snakes and cheetahs. This park is approximately 2.5 hours from Crater Lake; 1.75 hours from Diamond Lake and 1.5 hours from Toketee Falls or Oregon Caves National Monument. So stop by on your way to or from one of Oregon’s beautiful national parks!
National Historical Park
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park – Astoria, OR
Some highlights at the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park are the replica of Fort Clatsop, where the Lewis and Clark party camped from the winter of 1805 until the spring of 1806. Get a peek inside the rooms as they’ve been made to look much like the originals would have – complete with furnishings and accessories.
Watch a demonstration on the loading and firing of a gun powder rifle. It takes a lot more time to load and fire than today’s weapons.
Additional Favorite Spots Near Lewis and Clark Ntnl Park
Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, OR
The Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, OR is one of our favorite places to visit. You could spend days learning about so many cool things having to do with the coastline, history and technology. Looking at the map of all the sunken ships (Graveyard of the Pacific) is fascinating and learning about the dangers of the waters and what coast guard workers and ship navigators need to know and do to stay safe and help others is unforgettable. Take in stories of the past and learn about fish canneries, ocean life, commerce in the area and more! There are usually short films available for viewing such as sea creatures or naval ships and aircraft carriers at sea. You can even tour the inside of a coast guard ship on the dock! Bring the family here and they will thank you! Drive over the long bridge from Astoria to the Washington side for more of Lewis and Clark’s adventures at Cape Disappointment.
Walk along the coast, ride bikes along the coast, watch the ships and barges . . . kayak or canoe on the Columbia River
National Monuments
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument – John Day, OR
Visit John Day Fossil Beds NPS.gov
The Painted Hills are one of the three main units comprising the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. These picturesque hills offer unique landscape as they are rolling with color and untouched terrain. There are trails for walking to protect the delicate nature of the stratifications on the soil that give the color and character to these gems.
The best place to see fossils at this park is in the Thomas Condon Visitor’s Center. Your little paleontologist will thank you for this field trip.
Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve – Cave Junction, OR
Additional Favorite Spots in Oregon
Canon Beach – Tide Pools
I’ve yet to meet a kid, young or old, who didn’t get pleasure in seeing the incredible creatures and finds of a tide pool. The ones in Canon Beach never disappoint and as long as you go during low tide, you’re sure to see a plethora of critters.
Tillamook Cheese Factory
Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
Ever wonder what happened to the Spruce Goose? Maybe you saw the 2004 film about Howard Hughes and his role in this controversial legendary giant wooden plane. Well – Come and see it! along with hundreds of other planes and parts from all throughout history from the Wright Brothers to Amelia Earhart to all the different varieties of planes used in the various wars to the history of commercial transportation, you can see and learn from so many stories of those who have gone before us. You can easily spend a whole day at this museum if you are down for a LOT of reading! One of my favorite highlights are the volunteers are veterans from various wars. When we were there last we visited with some from the Vietnam and Korean Wars. These veterans will not be around much longer, so spend a little time thanking them for their service and listening to the wisdom and stories they have to share.
There are two large museum buildings, one hosts the airplanes and helicopters while the other holds the space flight ships. Both have short videos throughout as well as many plaques to read about everything aviation!
Columbia River Gorge
The Columbia River Gorge is one of the most beautiful places on earth and home to over 90 waterfalls. So one would need to spend a lot of time in this area to see it all. Below are some of our favorite waterfalls and hikes in the area. Hopefully you can make it at least once in a lifetime.
Multnomah Falls is the most well-known waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge and probably the most photographed. You’ve probably seen pictures and works of art showing it off in all four seasons. Just steps away from the highway it’s an easy fall to see; however, it is usually crowded. So if you prefer a hike and some solitude, you may want to check out another one.
Elowah Falls is a two-for-one waterfall hike. It rates easy to moderate depending on how much you decide to take on. The lower falls (Elowah) is less than a mile from the parking spot. Hike another mile further up to a twin waterfall Upper McCord Falls. All pictures
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This is a lush and family friendly hike just one mile each way, so you can fit this into a tight schedule or for tentative hikers.
Eagle Creek Hike including Punch Bowl Falls
Eagle Creek Trail is the most classic trail in the gorge with several falls, our favorite being Punch Bowl Falls. There was a terrible fire in 2017 that burned most of the old growth, so today it is not the picture-perfect calendar gracing photo op it once was, but still a great waterfall and hike nonetheless.
Horsetail Falls is just a short walk from the parking lot. Pictures
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Bend, OR
Bend, OR is on the eastern edge of the Cascade Mountain Range with Mount Bachelor and Three Sisters peaks towering above it and the Deschutes River running through it making it a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts.
Both Mount Bachelor and Three Sisters peaks have trails carved out for mountain biking enthusiasts. Even if you are new to the sport, there are options with simple trails the whole family can enjoy in the Deschutes forest. Map out a path or hire one of the many travel guides to get what you want from this experience.
There are many places along the calmer parts of the Deschutes River for canoeing and kayaking with a young family, or go for the white water with a kayak or raft.
Ride along the Deschutes River or on a mountain trail. There are a few options for horse rentals if you do not have horses of your own. Pictures
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As a mother, I prefer to not share the road with my biking clan; and if you feel the same, you’ll love some of the options available. Our favorite is a paved trail winding along the Deschutes River in Sunriver Resort.
Take on the challenge of the white water of the Deschutes River!
Check out a DVD just like the good old days! And have an indoor movie night. We picked some good ones: Escape from Pretoria (2020 film based on a true story prison escape in South Africa during apartheid) and First Cow (a 2019 historically fictional artistically created story based on the original settlement of Oregon). Recommend both! Pictures:
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Depending on which generation you’re in will determine which equipment you prefer, but if you like to play in the snow – Bend is your haven in the winter months.
Silver Falls State Park
Silver Falls State Park is one of our favorite places to see a condensed amount of waterfalls, and the surrounding scenery is an added bonus! The Ten Falls Loop really does have ten gorgeous waterfalls with four that you can even walk behind. It’s a great place to spend a day if you want to do the full hike or spend a few hours and just do part of the hike and see a few of the falls. Even though this is a STATE park – bring you National Parks Passport book as they do stamps. 🙂 The visitors center also has some great educational information about the wildlife native to this area so keep an eye out for some of the animals referenced there as well as some not mentioned.
