Posted by Anne K. Rusk on May 14, 2014 at 10:31 PM
Howdy, all!
I have been surfing the PNWNP forum looking for tips on visiting Oregon and realized that many of you have been out there, so I thought I'd ask here, too.
JR and I are thinking of heading to Oregon next May. We plan to go May 16-25, but are curious if that seems like a good time of year? We are hoping to visit Crater Lake (2 days), Oregon Coast (3 days), Columbia River Gorge/Mt Hood area (3 days).
If you have any thoughts, tips, tricks, resources, etc that could help planning, I would really appreciate it! I am especially looking for the "I wish someone had told me this before I went" type of thing or in general great sites/sources to check out. I am in the very beginning stages of planning!!
Thanks for reading and any advice you have.
Hope this spring is treating you well!
Posted by Scott Fricke on May 14, 2014 at 11:23 PM
I went to Crater Lake about 5 weeks ago and my only advice there is to check ahead to get the road closure/opening. The ring road around the top of the crater is closed in the winter and sometimes does not open until June according to a ranger I spoke with. If it is closed you will need to get a permit if you want to hike to a point around the rim and camp overnight. No permit needed if you are just day hiking. They have snow shoe rental available at the visitors center at the rim. Apparently this year was't a huge snow year, even though the entire parking lot at the top was surrounded by 20 high walls of snow. The road to the top is open 24/7 so you can arrive early and hike to where you want to shoot for sunrise or stay late for sunset. I didn't go to the coast or the Gorge, the only other spot I went in Oregon was the Painted Hills (John Day Fossil Beds - Painted Hills Unit). It was pretty cool but a very small area that you could do in an afternoon, with sunset casting nice light onto the face of the formations. They have the whole area fenced off due to the fragile formations so you just go around the perimeter to shoot.
I went a couple summers ago, though I went during the week of the 4th of July. I'm sure it varies year to year, but even during that week, a few roads up high were still closed from snow! It made for some longer routes to a couple of the falls that were on my "must see" list. So keep that in mind, you going that much earlier, I'd check road conditions/availability.
I didn't even plan to do 3 days on the coast, but ended up doing that many as well. It has a funny way of keeping you there, so 3 is probably a good idea.
I really liked Crater Lake, but that said, I'd maybe only do a day there, and put the other day towards more falls. I had many falls on the list that I didn't get to simply because I ran out of time. So many choices!
I can recommend "Waterfall Lover's Guide" Pacific Northwest by Gregory Plumb. It has 600+ waterfalls in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. I wished for more pictures, but its still good info. I would gladly loan you guys my copy if you want to check it out.
Hey Ann, I was in Oregon in the fall in November so I have not much knowledge of the time you are going but Greg Vaughn puts out a great book with lots of great info in it called "Photographing Oregon". The Gorge has some beautiful easy to access waterfalls and some with moderate hikes that are beautiful. My favorite was Metlako falls and punch bowl falls both accessed on the same hike and talked about in his book. On the coast Bandon beach is awesome and very photogenic and the town is very cute with great seafood restaurants. The state is gorgeous and you will not be at a loss for photographic opportunities in any of the places you mentioned. I didn't go to crater lake but Greg talks about it in his book at length. Have fun!!
Hey Anne, sounds like a great trip. I haven't photographed Crater Lake or the Oregon coast but I did spend 2 days in the Gorge a couple of years ago. I'm on the road now but will send you some material I have on my home computer sometime this weekend. I'd also recommend getting maps of the areas you are visiting from Trails Illustrated. Great maps with a plastic coating and very detailed. Photographing in the Gorge, don't forget to bring a polarizer and ND filters if you want to smooth out the water. If you have the capacity it's a good idea to bring waders or rubber boots. Some of the falls require you to stand in the creek for the best comps and that water is COLD! My favorites that I saw were Ponytail Falls and Elowah Falls. I didn't make time for the hike to Melatko Falls and Punchbowl Falls but will try and see them in a few weeks when I travel to Portland for business and will add a couple days of vacation time to that trip. The other suggestion I would offer is to visit the Portland Japanese Gardens. I've been there a couple of times recently and really enjoy the tranquility and photo ops there. Whatever you decide I know you'll have a great trip. I love photographing the PNW.
We met when a couple of years ago on a cold and very windy morning at Bryce when you and your husband held my tripod legs steady so I could get a pano.
I've been to the Oregon Coast a couple of times and it can be spectacular - the sunsets are often other worldly. I'll e-mail some info and recommendations to you in the next day of some really great locations. I don't have first hand knowledge of Crater Lake or the Columbia River Gorge so I'll just confine my recommendations to the various beaches and natural areas. In NC fishing or I'd do it now - the trout are calling. You can check out some of the locations on my website. There are two separate Oregon albums - one on page 1 of the site and the other on page 2. Need to reorganize all this.
Great tip on the gardens, Bill! I didn't even think of that!
I remember you, Doug! That was a COLD morning out there. Thanks in advance for your recommendations. I hope you are having good fishing!
Anne, I just returned last night from there. I haven't read everyone else's responses yet, but I can say that this is a very good time to visit. You'll beat the crowds, not have the fog layer over the ocean, have rich greens in the forest, fast running waterfalls, flowers blooming in the forests, and rhododendrons blooming amongst the redwoods in the south. The only thing you will be missing are the great flower blooms above the gorge. If you need any detailed information about anything at all, just let me know.
Discussion
9 repliesI have been surfing the PNWNP forum looking for tips on visiting Oregon and realized that many of you have been out there, so I thought I'd ask here, too.
JR and I are thinking of heading to Oregon next May. We plan to go May 16-25, but are curious if that seems like a good time of year? We are hoping to visit Crater Lake (2 days), Oregon Coast (3 days), Columbia River Gorge/Mt Hood area (3 days).
If you have any thoughts, tips, tricks, resources, etc that could help planning, I would really appreciate it! I am especially looking for the "I wish someone had told me this before I went" type of thing or in general great sites/sources to check out. I am in the very beginning stages of planning!!
Thanks for reading and any advice you have.
Hope this spring is treating you well!
I went a couple summers ago, though I went during the week of the 4th of July. I'm sure it varies year to year, but even during that week, a few roads up high were still closed from snow! It made for some longer routes to a couple of the falls that were on my "must see" list. So keep that in mind, you going that much earlier, I'd check road conditions/availability.
I didn't even plan to do 3 days on the coast, but ended up doing that many as well. It has a funny way of keeping you there, so 3 is probably a good idea.
I really liked Crater Lake, but that said, I'd maybe only do a day there, and put the other day towards more falls. I had many falls on the list that I didn't get to simply because I ran out of time. So many choices!
I can recommend "Waterfall Lover's Guide" Pacific Northwest by Gregory Plumb. It has 600+ waterfalls in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. I wished for more pictures, but its still good info. I would gladly loan you guys my copy if you want to check it out.
Great advice here and some wonderful resources. Excited to start researching this trip!
We met when a couple of years ago on a cold and very windy morning at Bryce when you and your husband held my tripod legs steady so I could get a pano.
I've been to the Oregon Coast a couple of times and it can be spectacular - the sunsets are often other worldly. I'll e-mail some info and recommendations to you in the next day of some really great locations. I don't have first hand knowledge of Crater Lake or the Columbia River Gorge so I'll just confine my recommendations to the various beaches and natural areas. In NC fishing or I'd do it now - the trout are calling. You can check out some of the locations on my website. There are two separate Oregon albums - one on page 1 of the site and the other on page 2. Need to reorganize all this.
Doug Beezley
Snellville, GA
I remember you, Doug! That was a COLD morning out there. Thanks in advance for your recommendations. I hope you are having good fishing!