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Welcome to Oregon!
I-5
crosses the Oregon border just north of the little town of Hilt. The
highway has traversed over 795 miles of very varied California topography.
The northern California mountains which you have been viewing, are now
Oregon mountains - not much difference to the eye. Shortly after
crossing the border you reach the first of several mountain passes (this
one is nearly 4,400 feet). We mention this because, in the winter, there
can be quite an accumulation of unplowed snow. So you do want to be aware
of the weather conditions.
Medford
After a very gradual assent, passing Klamath Junction and
Ashland, you will pass through Medford. Shortly after Medford, the
Interstate turns west and joins the Rogue River. Yes, this is very
beautiful terrain no matter what the season.
Grants Pass
Grants Pass is nearly an hour's drive from the border. You
will have descended to about 1,100 feet. US-199 strikes out toward the
Pacific coast at exit 55. This excellent highway takes you to Crescent
City in California. About 28 miles southwest of exit 55 is Cave Junction
and OR-45 which takes you to Buck Peak and Oregon Caves National
Monument. Continuing southwest on US-199 you will pass Jedediah Smith
Redwoods State Park. The Park is just northeast of Crescent City and
presents an excellent opportunity to view the giant Redwoods close up.
Roseburg
About 2 hours from the state line you will pass through Roseburg.
one of our favorite Oregon highways intersects I-5 at exit 124. This is
OR-138, popularly known as the North Umpqua Scenic Highway. Passing a
number of
beautiful
waterfalls,
it takes you to Crater Lake National Monument.
If you are interested,
exit I-5 onto OR-138 and head east, across the river to OR-99. Here,
OR-138 follows 99 north for a couple blocks and then goes east (right)
again. It is about 18 miles to Glide and the North Umpqua Ranger District
Office (18782 North Umpqua Hwy). Stop in, get loaded up with information -
which will help increase your enjoyment of the coming sights.
Eugene-Springfield
Continuing north on I-5 through Sutherlin and Cottage Grove, you arrive
at the twin cities of Eugene and Springfield. Eugene claims bragging
rights to being the larger but you can't really tell by looking. We've
found the tourist-type shopping, here, to be much less expensive than in
most town in Oregon. If you haven't noticed all the log ponds, you are in
logging country. Timber harvesting is probably the most important industry
in southwestern Oregon.
Exit 188-A will be your encounter with OR-58. This, also, is an
excellent but well-traveled highway which takes you southeasterly, over
the Cascades (at Willamette Pass - 5,128 feet) to US-97. Heading south on
US-97 takes you past the Crater Lake turn-off, then passes Upper Klamath
Lake to Klamath Falls and, after another 18 miles, back to California. If
you are southbound on I-5 and wish to visit Crater Lake, we recommend this
route.
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Salem
Another hour motoring northbound on I-5 takes you to Oregon's
capital city: Salem. On the way you will have passed the very visible
twin peaks of Saddle Butte in Shedd (on the east side of the Interstate
near milepost 122).
At exit 233 in Albany, US-20 crosses I-5. If you are wanting to
visit the Pacific Coast of Oregon (and there are dozens of great State
Parks along the seashore), US-20 is a good route.
Continuing north on I-5, you will pass through Salem. At exit 253
OR-22 crosses I-5. Head east on 22 if you wish to visit Silver Falls
State Park. See write-up at
Waterfalls-Guide.com).
Here you can view the frequently visited North Falls and South Falls.
The park also has excellent campgrounds plus guided, one-hour horse
trail rides.
Oregon City
At exit 288, I-205 splits off I-5. This 'belt highway' take you to
east Portland via Oregon City, site of Oregon's largest (not highest)
waterfall. Though only 42 feet high (certainly not a short drop) is at
least a quarter-mile wide. Technically, this is (was) a natural rock
barrier in the Willamette River but man (of course) had to improve on it
by adding a concrete dam along the lip. Natural or not, it is certainly
a sight to behold. Read about it at the
Waterfalls-Guide.com.
Portland
Sandwiched between the Willamette River and the Columbia River,
Portland is an outdoor person's delight. The magnificent waterways
overlook the Mount Hood glacier, a backdrop for a marvelous visit.
Whether you travel around Portland by train, bike or foot, the view of
Mount Hood is always visible.
Reserving a room in a
fine hotel in the Portland area is very easy here with Hiway-Guide.com. Just
select the community with a left-click of your mouse and then select the
hotel of your choice. You can even request desired amenities. There is the famous
Jupiter Hotel, the "hottest pillow in town". This year-old, 80-room
hotel, in a revamped 1960's motor inn on the east side of the Willamette
River, screams trendy, but without the rock star prices. The Jupiter's
modern guest rooms, cutting edge entertainment, food 21/7 fashion, spa
style rub-downs, make up Portland’s only cultural boutique hotel. Reviews
claim, "One of the 116 best new hotels in the world.” (Conde Nast Traveler
Magazine - May ‘05), or GO Magzazine's rave, "One of the top four new
(old) hotels in the US.” In contrast, the is the stately, just remodeled
Governor Hotel in Portland's downtown, Its west wing once was
Portland's Elk Temple. Its stately marble columns, and ornate ceiling help
prepare you for rooms with such touches as fireplaces.
By the way: if you are interested in great waterfalls, I-84 (which
begins at I-5's exit 301) will take you by 7 great waterfalls all within
35 miles of downtown Portland. For more information, go to
http://www.waterfalls-guide.com/. There are
two groups of waterfalls listed there, the first group accessed from I-5
and the second group accessed from I-84. You can safely walk behind some
of these waterfalls - folks really seem to like that!
At exit 31 of I-84 is the Multnomah Falls Lodge, the upper floor of which
is a nice restaurant. |
