There is a place like that near forest grove, but it gets booked really early. Tree to tree adventure, it was featured on the adventure hostess crap show.
Yep, we have friends that stay there every year. It's not EXACTLY what we're looking for, but we still might give it a try for a change of pace. BNM
http://www.treetotreeadventurepark.com/ My girls have been watching Wanted II: Adventure woman and my 12-year old is begging me to go to Tree to Tree. But that's more like a half day thing, not a 2 - 4 day weekend - which is what I'm looking for. BNM
Jessie M. Honeyman State Park in Florence is a blast for kids that age. Dune buggy rides, exploring the dunes, kayaking, horse-riding, swimming lakes, ranger shows, trails... Weather is usually nice there in the summer. Nearby is the Sea Lion Caves, Cape Perpetua, 10 miles of beach, carnivorous plants at Darlingtonia State Park, clamming, crabbing, fishing. Here in Beautiful Central Oregon try a more rustic and less expensive resort on a lake for a change. http://www.paulinalakelodge.com/ http://www.eastlakeresort.com/default.aspx http://www.twinlakesresortoregon.com/ http://www.crane-prairie-resort.com/ http://www.elklakeresort.net/
Thanks for the suggestions. We camped at Honeyman years ago, before the kids. It was OK, but everynight, about 2:00am some drunk on an ATV with no muffler decided it was a good time to roar up and down the dunes right above the campground. We camped at Twin Lakes Resort a few years ago. It wasn't bad. A bit of a drive. I've been to all the other places you mentioned, but haven't spent the night at any of them. I'll check into the lodging/camping options. Rustic is definitely OK, as long as there is good swimming and other kid friendly activities, especially bike trails, nearby. BNM
Sure there are. In late July, August and early September most of the state is warm and sunny - especially east of the Cascades. You need to get out more! BNM
Closer to home, has anyone stayed at the Resort at the Mountain in Welches? Been checking into Black Butte. Five pools and many miles of paved bike trails looks appealing, but it gets terribly mixed online reviews. That's probably a function of the vacation rentals being privately owned. Every unit is different. So, it's a bit of a crap shoot. It sounds like some units have been updated and properly maintained, others haven't been remodeled (or apparantly cleaned) since they were built. BNM
I've stayed at East and Paulina lakes before. Great fishing. Horrible experience camping (not necessarily the campgrounds fault). Bears, man-made forest fires, snow in August...you name it. Another great place that no one has mentioned yet is Wallowa Lake out towards Joseph in rural Eastern Oregon. Maybe the most scenic lake in Oregon and thats saying a lot. Great hiking, fishing, swimming all that dandy stuff. I had fun when we went as a youngster. Deer mingle in like they are humans out there, its crazy. Then of course there's Lake Billy Chinook. Which is like a wannabe Lake Havasu in Oregon. Kind of a party spot. On the opposite side of Billy Chinook though is Lake Simtustus, which is low key, and fun. So many options in Oregon its nice. Also, Lake Chelan up north of Wenatchee is really nice as well.
I've golfed at Welches, very dramatic scenery. But I didn't stay there. Cape Lookout is another good state park at the coast, and good for biking and hiking.
Black bears are common at East Lake, which makes it hard for women to use the restrooms at night. Myself, I love having bears around when I camp, they are awesome, intelligent creatures. I actually photographed one at East Lake taking a dump, proving once and for all that they do indeed shit in the woods. I was going to mention Wallowa Lake, but it's an all-day trip each way from Portland so better suited to a week or more trip. As a kid we went there yearly, and were pretty well acquainted with the Wiggins family who owned the lodge and go carts at that time. The deer there are ridiculously bold to the point that they steal food from children's hands and off your table. A woman who was dumb enough to try feeding an apple to a buck during the rut was stomped to death a few years back. At the dam (by the Chief Joseph Memorial) there is a spillway with an irrigation chute that is a blast to ride when the water is spilling enough.
We camped at Wallowa Lake State Park a couple of times before we had kids. I've also done some backpacking in the Eagle Cap Wilderness - spectacular scenery, and relatively easy hiking. It's a 6 - 7 hour drive from Portland. That makes it a bit far for a weekend, but doable for a 4 day trip. We were camped there one year for the 4th of July and they launch the fireworks from rafts floating on the north end of the lake. It was pretty cool watching them from the opposite end of the lake as the fireworks were reflected on the surface of the lake doubling the amount of color. Camped there multiple times, with and without kids. Too many drunken boaters. Our first experience was being kept up all night by the drunken partiers in the surrounding camp sites. About 2:30am they had a belching contest. The woman (I'll refrain from calling her a lady) who won sounded like Booger from Revenge of the Nerds. Driven by and toured the dam, but haven't camped there. This place looks awesome: http://www.campbellsresort.com/index.php?page_id=291 Two pools and a swimming beach. But again, a bit of a drive. BNM
Speaking of Lake Chelan, has anyone here ever visited Stehekin at the north end of the lake? Getting there is a bit much for a long weekend (6+ hour drive followed by 2.5 hour ferry ride), but maybe a four or five day trip. I've always wanted to take my kids there, but it's never fit into our schedule. BNM
Thanks to all for the recommendations. We are truly blessed to live someplacve with so many great options. In addition to these weekend get aways, I also have plans to take the kids on a few backpacking trips this summer. I've taken them all (individually) on short 1 or 2 nighters, and my oldest daughter on a five night trip last fall, but this year, I want to take all three kids on a couple 3 - 4 night family backpacking trips. I think the four of us might tackle the 40 mile Timberline Trail in August, and probably a two nighter to Jefferson Park, and 3 - 4 nighter at Mt. Rainier, and/or a 3 -4 nighter in the Wallowas. And then there's always the Olympics (I've done some great backpacking trips there in the past) and the Three Sisters Wilderness. So many great choices. BNM
Not really. As far as wilderness areas go, it's pretty tame (but you still need to be careful and know what you're doing). Some of the areas get REALLY heavy usage. So, some places feel more like a city park than a wilderness area. Some of the wilderness areas I've visited in Washington are much more rugged and more remote. But hey, all wilderness areas are great and deserving of their federally designated status and there is a reason some of those trails are heavily used (great scenery, easy trailhead access and relatively easy hiking). Two of my favorites are the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness Area here in Oregon and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area in the Central Washington Cascades. Both have some crowded trails, but are large with unbelievably spectacular scenery. Same goes for the Eagle Cap Wilderness in NE Oregon. I've also done quite a bit of hiking and backpacking in the wilderness areas of Southern Utah. Also spectacular, but in a totally different way. BNM
