Travel Forum / Destinations / USA and Canada / August 2005

Greetings,

We recently spent three weeks camping, hiking and sightseeing along
the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway, and would offer the following tips:

Starting from Roseburg, be sure to stop at the Umpqua National Forest
Service Visitor's Center in Glide (just east of Roseburg) and get the
free pamphlets they have on the attractions on Route 138. There's lots
to see at the higher elevations where it will preferred because it
will be much cooler than the lower end. The area around Toketee Lake
is especially lovely and there is a District Ranger Station there for
specific information on that area.

Toketee Falls is gorgeous, but other falls nearby include Watson and
Lemolo (the latter includes a nice 2-mile hike down the North Umpqua
River from near Lemolo Lake). If you like hiking, the North Umpqua
Trail runs about 75 miles, and can be done in segments. Along the
trail are waterfalls, hot springs, and lovely riverside walking.

Lemolo Lake itself will be crowded with power boaters, jet skiers,
etc. on Labor Day weekend. Continuing south from there, however, the
scenery around Diamond Lake (which also will be very busy) is more
open and spectacular. There are many hikes in that section, including
a challenging one up to the needle top of Mt. Thielsen.

Going to Crater Lake would be a side trip, and right now there is lots
of building and road construction that makes things there slow and
difficult. The worst roadwork is west on Route 62 from Mazama, so I
would suggest avoiding that (normally a nice loop can be done by
taking that route west to the Rogue River, then heading up Route 230
to Diamond Lake). Best to go back out the way you came in, IMO

Let me know if you need further details on any of the above.

Caveat

Silver Falls state park is great.  The flow will be low compared to winter
however there will be enough.

Be prepared; the Oregon coast in Summer was just listed as teh worst
gridlock in teh U.S.

Frenchy and Winter Falls will be dry.  I'm guessing that Double Falls
might be dry as well.  I'd expect the others to be flowing somewhat
low, but I wouldn't let that keep me away.  What might keep me away is
the crowds that will probably be there on a holiday weekend.

I've got some winter shots of SFSP in this gallery.
http://www.pbase.com/madhatter/oregon_winter
It should look a lot different this weekend, but that'll give you some
idea what the area is like if you haven't been there before.

Caveat had some good information about SR138.  I'd definitely stop at
the Visitor Center in Glide.  They have a good pamplet about the local
waterfalls.  Clearwater and Whitehorse are two that I'd suggest seeing
since it's so easy to get to both of them.  I don't know how much water
Watson might have, but I wouldn't expect much.  I saw it in July 2003
and it was very low then.