After an awesome tour and hike at Oregon Caves, we headed home. We didn’t want to though. In fact, we stopped at a park on the Applegate River and pondered swimming. It was late in the day and the water was ice cold, so we opted out. We decided on a whim, to go home, pack up a few things, and head towards Crater Lake. We would camp about half-way there, then get up the next morning and hike at Crater Lake; the trails should be open. We ended up camping next to a group that stayed up all night partying; literally. The sun was rising when they finally shut up! Not quite the good nights sleep we had hoped for. In addition to lack of sleep, soreness had set in from the previous days activities. My calves were burning before we step foot at Crater Lake.

What a difference a month makes. The snow was all but gone. The sky clear and blue, and the lake bluer still. It was crowded, so crowded that there were cars lined up at the gate. Our National Park Pass came in handy as it allowed us to pass through the employee lane. Rim Village was bustling with tourists all taking selfies or family shots in front of the lake. Luckily, even at Crater  Lake, you don’t have to venture far down a trail before the crowds disappear and you are surrounded by peace and beauty.

Another gem near and dear to Grants Pass. The Oregon Caves are just over an hours drive from here. The caves are marble, which is rare for this area of the country. We went on the cave tour and hiked to see the largest Douglas Fir in Oregon. Along the trail we found a print of the legendary Bigfoot!

With the coast being less than 2 hours away, I’d like to aim for a monthly visit; especially now that summer has arrived in its blazing glory. We had thought we would enjoy a mild summer here in Oregon, but as it turns out; southern Oregon gets hot. It’s just June and the temps have already reached over 100 degrees. It was in the mid 90’s as we left Grants Pass to head for Harris Beach. As we left the valley, you could feel it getting cooler as we drove. On the coast, the highs were in the low 60’s, what a change! We love camping at Harris Beach, but I am anxious to explore more of the coast. We are hoping to find work on the coast for our next assignments. The winter storms are supposed to be spectacular. We stopped for a picnic and a short hike at Jedadiah Smith Redwoods State Park on our return home. The majestic Redwoods and beautiful Smith River make a trip to the coast even better!  I took only my waterproof point and shoot camera on this trip. The simplicity was freeing and inspiring.

We decided to take a “long-cut” back from Crater Lake and continue north and take the Umpqua Scenic Byway to Roseburg then take I-5 back to Grants Pass. This route would take us by Toketee Falls and Watson Falls.  This is another area I’d like to return to and explore other falls. So many waterfalls, so little time!

Crater Lake is a caldera. It was formed when Mount Mazama erupted over 7000 years ago and collapsed, creating a huge caldera. Over time the caldera filled with rain and snowmelt forming the deepest lake in the United States and the 7th deepest in the world. Crater Lake is also known for its clarity and deep blue color. You have to see it to believe it, it looks unreal. There are no inlets or tributaries to introduce pollutants. The water level is maintained by a balance of precipitation and evaporation.

We stayed two nights at the Crater Lake Lodge in celebration of our 6 year anniversary in May. It just so happens that it is the 100 year anniversary of the lodge, which is pretty cool. It is a beautiful lodge with huge fireplaces and a patio with an amazing view. About half of the park was still closed as well as most of the trails due to snow. This year Crater Lake only received about one third of the “normal” amount of snowfall. It still seemed like a lot of snow to us! In the summer you can take a boat tour of the lake.  I would love to visit again this summer to camp, hike, and take the boat tour. Crater Lake is less than 2 hours northeast of Grants Pass.

A little more than an hour from Grants Pass up the Crater Lake Highway is Lost Creek Lake. It is a reservoir created by a dam in the Rogue River that was created primarily for flood control, but also retains water for summer use. The lake is over 3400 acres and 280 feet deep and is used for a variety of recreational activities. Joseph H Stewart State Park has a nice campground and a day use area that includes a marina.

Jacksonville began as a gold rush town after gold was first discovered in 1851. The entire town (which isn’t very big) is a National Historic Landmark due to the preservation of so many of the towns buildings.  Jacksonville is about 45 minutes south of Grants Pass and is in the heart of southern Oregon’s wine region.

Cathedral Hills is a trail system just outside the Grants Pass city limits. Its trails are open to hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders. It is a spiderweb of a trail system that allows a variety of combinations to create different loops and trails are labeled with level of difficulty.  It is a gem to have so close to the city, you don’t have to go far to lose yourself here in Oregon.

We took an overnight trip to Ashland with a priority on bathing in hot mineral springs at the Lithia Springs Resort. It was quite the treat. Ashland is a nice town that features the beautiful Lithia Park right in the middle of downtown. Ashland Creek runs through the park with trails on either side. The creek continues and runs along a row of restaurants and shops downtown. Ashland is about an hour south of Grants Pass.

Hellgate Canyon is a section of the Rogue River that lies northwest of Grants Pass. I decided to drive up there one day to check it out before I started working and had a bit of time on my hands. It is a beautiful area and I’d love to see it from the river for a different perspective. There are 27 miles of class I and II rapids in the Hellgate Recreation Area and jet boat tours that leave from Grants Pass. There are several trails in the area as well.