The ever-elusive Crater Lake has been on my list for a while.  Four hours from Portland Oregon, the drive down to this National Park has always seemed long to me – particularly for a solo destination.  But when I looked to the east & west of the park, I found some cool places to visit & our Oregon road trip was planned.  The loop consisted of Portland -> Yachats -> Crater Lake -> Bend -> Portland.

Take a look below for the route Rita V took and how you can do the same!

Yachats is one of many gems on the Oregon coast. 

Yachats is just north of the Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve, a stunning site full of trails & natural ocean sites.  Blowholes & other cool coastal features with names like Thor’s Well, Cook’s Chasm & Spouting Horn will blow your mind.  Go at high tide.   

Crater Lake National Park was a bit smoky for us, due to fires in the area, but the crystal blue lake still made an appearance.  You can hike the moderately strenuous, but short Watchman Peak Trail for sunset.  There is a fire overlook at the top of the .08 mile trail for lovely views and there is a ranger-led hike if you’re in to that.  While sunset was pretty, waking to see the sunrise at the southern end of the lake made the trip for me. 

If you want to learn more about Crater Lake’s adventure possibilities head HERE.

Bend is amazing for several reasons:  beer & nature are two of them. 

Crux Fermentation, Deschutes Brewing & others give you all the reasons to go for a hike, climb, kayak, bike ride so you can come back to town & drink.  My favorite place to hike was Three Sisters Wilderness.  We did the eight-mile Green Lakes Basin trail, which had waterfalls and lakes.  Highly recommend!

Oregon is yet another reason the Pacific Northwest has more hidden gems than most realize!
In fact on our National Parks Podcast it contained more shout outs than any other region in the country.

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Because Adventure Feeds the Soul,
Rita V and the #Hashtag59 Team