Vacation in Oregon.

[jackknife]

This next July, we will be staying in a rented vacation cabin in Medford Oregon, over looking the Rogue River. What kind of summer time temps are we looking at, and how should one pack? Will be doing a raft trip on the river, and some hiking around. Maybe go drive over to see Crater Lake and some sight seeing. Thanks for any info from Oregon residents.

Carl.

 

[michaelm466]

I grew up in Roseburg (about an hour and half north of Medford) But I remember Medford consistently being 10-20 degrees hotter than us during the summer months, I'd plan on 90-110 depending on how the summer is. I haven't spent much time in Medford unfortunately so can't give you much advice on it besides that, Crater lake is beautiful, an excellent place to visit, and makes for some great pictures, but you can't do much with the lake (it's very protected, no swimming, no boating, etc) However I would highly recommend checking out Diamond Lake while you're visiting Crater Lake, it's probably 20-30 minutes away (you might even pass it on the way up to Crater Lake depending on the route/direction you take to get there. It's a beautiful area, with a nice lodge/restaurant cabins you can rent for night, camping area, paddle and motor boat and bicycle rentals (it's a nice 11mile loop around the lake with a mostly paved bicycle path all the way around it. They also keep the lake stocked with trout (I caught a 19" last time I was there and all three of us caught our limit). I know the rogue has some good white water rafting and innertubing as well, probably some great fishing.

 

[Gollnick]

Think hot. 90s, 100s. Sunny. Dry. Crater Lake is, IMHO, the most beautiful place on earth. It is just breathtaking. Also, there's a nice wine industry down there. Oh... and a nice knife shop in Jacksonville.

 

[OHALLUM]

My wife's brother lives in Medford, and I monitor the weather there on my web page along with the weather here in the Atlanta area. The weather Temps nearly year long run almost neck and neck. It is in a valley near the coast, so the winter temps remain mostly mild. I was there one summer, and as posted above, the temps can reach into the 100's. Have gone river rafting there, and you will not be disappointed. A side trip to Crater Lake would be criminal not to take if in the area. Expect and take a full day to enjoy the trip up there and relish the scenery and wildlife. You can not look at that area, and all its grandeur and beauty and not believe in God. Enjoy your trip and take lots of pictures.

Blessings,

Omar

 

[Gollnick]

Crater Lake is beautiful, an excellent place to visit, and makes for some great pictures, but you can't do much with the lake (it's very protected, no swimming, no boating, etc)

Swimming is permitted in one specific place. This is to protect the lake (which we Oregonians consider a priceless treasure), but also for safety. This is a volcanic crater. Unlike most lakes where there is a gradual shore and shallow areas, the "shore" of Crater Lake drops off almost vertically. It is difficult and dangerous to get down to the water in most places, almost like climbing a sheer rock wall. And because the walls of the crater are almost vertical, there really aren't many shallow areas. The lake is very deep, the deepest in America and one of the deepest in the world. It is a huge mass of water and, therefore, a huge thermal mass. No river feeds the lake; the water is 100% snow-melt. The water started cold and it stays very cold, about 38F, year-round.

Boating on the lake is all but forbidden. There is an official tour boat that goes out about twice per day as I recall. They use very quiet and very low-emission boats. Sometimes you can see an occational other official boat on the lake doing some research or something. But we like it undisturbed.

Scuba diving is possible in some areas and, I am told (I'm not a diver myself) quite rewarding. But it also faces practical problems of shore access and the fact that there is no road leading down to the lake so all gear must be hand-carried on a narrow trail which is about a mile long and drops over 700 feet in that mile.

Fishing is not only permissible, but is encouraged. The trout and salmon that inhabit the lake were introduced for recreational purposes in the 50s and we'd actually like them out. So, no license is needed and there's no catch limit. Just one thing: no organic baits are allowed.

 

[oregon]

This next July, we will be staying in a rented vacation cabin in Medford Oregon, over looking the Rogue River.
Carl.

Oh boy are you in for a treat. The Rogue River area is brilliant.

The Oregon Shakespearean Festival is just next door in Ashland. It puts on productions that rival best in the world. Mt. Ashland is a short drive, great bike ride from Ashland, and terrific walk up for views of Mt. Shasta to the South and you can see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_McLoughlin to the East (this is a terrific day hike to the summit if you like old Volcanoes (no shade so go early or late, constant rockfall @ rocky summit). You are in the gold fields so take a pan to any stream in the Illinois River Valley and look for color. The Kalmiopsis Wilderness area is next door in the ancient Siskyou Mountains where you find very few people, rattle snakes, cougars, bear and a rich geologic history (the Chetco River (I swam in it) there runs thru rocks holding hundreds of millions of dollars in gold deposits, met the fella who took two 5 gal. buckets of gold from this river on a claim that predated the wilderness designation). Some of the best hawks are made in this neck of the woods so if the armory in Medford is hosting a show you might want to consider attending. The rim road around Crater Lake is a terrific bike trip and the lodge is historic. The Oregon Caves are worth a visit. I hope you post your impressions of Southern Oregon.

 

[9blades]

I have some fond memories of Oregon I lived here years ago! If you happen to get close to Bend Oregon be sure to do a google search for "Renaissance revival" when I lived there (keep in mind I was around 8 yrs old at the time) it was right next to my USPS store so every time I went to check the mail with my mom I would walks around there (yeah I was a kid in a very sharp candy store lol) very nice people and a very good selection of knives I remember trying to find the one with the highest price to! (around $400) I actually forgot about them for awhile and it took me awhile to find them but I called (this was 5-6 moths ago) and they said the had Benchmades, spydercos, protechs, and I believe they even have some customs!

Enjoy your vacation!

-niner