Rogue Valley Wanderer

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Comment by AmandaChantel on March 6, 2009 at 3:30pm

Dave, don't wait until its warmer to see Crater Lake. That is something that should be experienced in both the winter and summer. They keep the road well plowed and there is no entrance fee in the winter. They have free guided snowshoe hikes on the weekend, they even provide the snowshoes. Find a nice sunny day and head out.

Comment by Roy Cooper on March 2, 2009 at 7:48pm

When we moved here 5 yrs ago one of the things that we did to help us learn the area was Geocaching. (geocaching.com)

If you've never heard of this the general gist is: Someone hides a cache (any weather proof container) with a log sheet inside along with little gifts for kids. Then they log the GPS coordinates on Geocaching.com Now it's your job to find the cache.

Lot's of people, like me, enjoy putting caches in interesting places. I put one by the duck pond at Lithia Park. One of the 1st ones I found was by the Rail Road Park.

We spent weeks geocaching all around the valley during our 1st year.

Comment by Bob Hunter on February 28, 2009 at 4:39pm

When the weather is better and the salmon are running, hike the Rogue Trail at the top of the Wild and Scenic Section. Take I-5 north of Grants Pass, get off at the Merlin exit and follow the signs toward Galice (west), about 12 miles. There's a restaurant/raft rental place on the river in Galice that's an OK place to hang out and get a burger. To get to the trail, follow the highway (it's paved and an easy drive) another 7 miles past Galice until you come to the Grave Creek put-in area for rafters heading down the Wild section. The trail is on the opposite side of the river from the put-in, you'll pass it just before you go over a bridge that takes you to the put-in area, where's there's usually lots of parking. The hike takes you to Rainie Falls and is just a couple of miles -- an easy hike. There's also a trail on the put-in side of the river (which is actually the trail that runs all the way to the coast) but it's a bit tougher of a hike. When the salmon are running, Rainie Falls can be spectacular as the fish try to leap the falls. Even when the fish aren't running, it's a beautiful place just to look around.

Comment by Dave Sager on February 28, 2009 at 11:59am

So far, the only exploring I've done is going to the Oregon coast. And it was bee-you-tiful. I can't wait to go again. But if anyone has suggestions about exploring things closer to home, please let me know. I also have Crater Lake on my agenda once it gets warmer. But how about some of the lesser-known areas in the Valley? Any tips?