Long Weekend in Oregon: Crater Lake National Park

Coming from California, Oregon is a convenient location for a long weekend. What I was surprised and delighted by was the diversity of landscape - from the lush green grasses and trees along the Columbia River to the rocky terrain of Smith Rock State Park - there was a little bit of everything within a short day’s drive. Oh and how could I not mention the breathtaking waterfalls and lakes! We will get into all that with the perfect itinerary for a long weekend in Oregon, including a day at Crater Lake National Park.  

Friday: Travel Day, Fly into Portland 

Friday night after work, we took a short flight to Portland and got a rental car. I was a bit drained after a day of work and an evening of traveling. The two people who checked us into the hotel - The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Portland-NW Downtown -  changed that all around really quick! We got to talking and then they danced and sang a little song to welcome us! True Portland gems. Our trip was off to a fun start from there. 

Saturday: Portland to Bend (3.5 hour drive) 

The first stop Saturday morning was a short drive to Vista House at Crown Point. This quick stop had beautiful views of the Columbia River. 

View of the Columbia River from Crown Point

The next place we stopped is the most popular place in Oregon - Multnomah Falls. We walked up and looked at the bridge and falls and continued along the 2.5 mile hike to the top of the waterfall. It’s a steadily steep hike but so cool to look down over the waterfall. 

Multnomah Falls 

We continued on and started moving south toward Mt Hood and Trillium Lake. This peaceful lake looked like a great place to camp with locals sitting around soaking up the sun, chatting with friends and family, and listening to the peaceful sounds of the water and birds. This small lake was nothing short of idyllic. Not to mention, look at this view of Mt Hood! 

Mt Hood viewing at Trillium Lake

We traveled south through the eastside of Oregon as the orchard lined roads shifted to a dryer terrain. This summer there were wildfires that made our next stop a little shorter than planned. Smith Rock State park has a few hikes but we just strolled around as there was a large amount of smoke. 

Smith Rock State Park

Another place that was on our todo list but was closed due to intense fires was Willamette National Forest. Here you can find Koosah Falls and Tamolitch Falls aka Blue Pool which can be reached via McKenzie River Trail. This adds a 2 hour drive if you are traveling from Smith Rock State Park to the town of Bend. If you are looking for something else to do, then this might be it. 

After Smith Rock State park, we headed into the town of Bend where we had dinner at Bend Brewing Company! Then checked into the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bend South.  Not getting paid for this but we stayed at the Holiday Inn for each of our stops in Oregon. It was great to know we were getting a reliable hotel and a FULL delicious breakfast each morning. 

Sunday: Bend to Crater Lake National Park (2 hour drive) and CLNP to Roseburg (2 hour drive) 

This was a full day! We saw it all and all I can say is wow! We started by driving to Crater Lake National Park (CLNP). Pulling into the park, we parked at the base of a hill and walked up to get our first look at Crater Lake. It honestly left me speechless. The steep sides of the crater and the contrast of the deep blue lake is incredible. 

Our first hike of the day was Watchman’s Tower. This 1.7 mile hike has great views of the whole lake and Wizard Island in the middle. 

Crater Lake from Watchman’s Tower Lookout

Our second hike of the day was Cleetwood Cove Trail. This is the only path that leads down to the lake so it is a must do if you want to swim in the deepest lake in the USA. There are lots of warnings about the intensity of this hike stating that it is extreme. The hike back up is steep but totally doable if you are active or enjoy hiking. (As a guide, it's marked as moderate on AllTrails). We scrambled along the rocks by the water and went for a swim in the clear, cold water! 

View from Cleetwood Cove Trail

After our swim we left CLNP and headed towards Roseburg making a couple hiking stops. First was Toketee Falls, a short mile hike with the trailhead not far from the freeway. Next we took another short mile hike to Umpqua Hot Springs. 

Toketee Falls

Hike to Umpqua Hot Springs

Monday: Roseburg to Portland (3 hour drive)  

On our last day we made our way back to Portland. We had lunch, walked around Powell’s City of Books, and walked over to the Willamette River. Oregon has so much to offer! I can't wait to go back to spend some time on the Oregon Coast.