Redwood & Oregon Road Trip 2026 | Redwoods, Coast 101, My Alma Mater, And Crater Lake Again

This was a big loop north into Oregon. We started with redwoods and a fern canyon in Redwood National Park, then drove north along Oregon Coast Highway 101. Midway we went back to my alma mater, Oregon State University, and showed our older son the hospital where he was born and the playground he played on as a toddler. We caught up with old friends in Portland, and on the way home we stopped at Crater Lake. I have been there several times, but the blue still stops me every time.

Overview

• Day 1 (9/26): Redwood National & State Parks — redwood trails, Fern Canyon, Prairie Creek, Big Tree
• Day 2 (9/27): Into Oregon and north on 101 — Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor, Cape Sebastian, Prehistoric Gardens, Bandon, sunset at Heceta Head
• Day 3 (9/28): Yaquina Head Lighthouse, then inland to Corvallis and my alma mater; dinner with old friends in Portland that night
• Day 4 (9/29): Columbia River Gorge — Vista House, Multnomah Falls, Bonneville Dam, Mt Hood from Hood River
• Day 5 (9/30): [TBD: Portland plans or the drive south]
• Day 6 (10/1): Crater Lake, Watchman Peak above Wizard Island, then the Rogue River gorge on the way out

The rhythm: nature and coast first, memories and friends in the middle, and Crater Lake to close it out. Half the photos are scenery; the other half are memories.

Day 1 | Redwoods, Fern Canyon, And The Big Tree

Day 1 started in the redwoods. Morning light came in sideways through the trail, the trunks were straight and enormous, and anyone standing under them instantly became the scale reference. The kids loved climbing into burned-out trunks, hugging trees, and craning their necks to find the tops.

Around noon we went to Fern Canyon, the highlight of the day. Both canyon walls are covered in ferns, with a shallow creek and fallen logs underfoot. It feels like walking into another era. The trail gets wet, with some rock-hopping and log-crossing, so wear shoes that can get soaked.

In the afternoon we moved to the Prairie Creek area. The visitor center has several creatively painted elk sculptures, and the kids took a photo with each one. The meadow outside is Elk Prairie, where you may see real Roosevelt elk if you're lucky.

Next was Big Tree Wayside. The sign lists it at 286 ft tall, 23.7 ft in diameter, and an estimated 1,500 years old. It is a few steps from the parking lot, which makes it ideal with kids. The loop trail nearby has moss-draped bigleaf maples, and the whole forest glows green.

Day 2 | Oregon Coast 101: Scenery The Whole Way North

On the morning of Day 2 we walked a Northern California beach, then crossed the state line around noon for the obligatory photo at the Welcome to Oregon sign.

The first stretch in Oregon is the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor. Highlights are packed close together here: Natural Bridges and Arch Rock are both short walks from roadside pullouts. The water is a greenish blue, with one sea arch after another.

Further north at Cape Sebastian, the view north takes in the whole coastline and beach, and to the west there's nothing but open Pacific. We also stopped at Prehistoric Gardens near Port Orford, where life-size dinosaurs hide in the forest. Our younger son had the most fun of anyone there.

In the afternoon we walked the waterfront in Bandon and grabbed seafood at Bandon Fish Market.

We reached Heceta Head at dusk, and it was the best part of the day. The lighthouse sits on the headland while the sun drops slowly into the sea and turns everything gold. Afterwards we watched the rest of the sunset from a black-rock shoreline nearby, where seagulls stood on the rocks completely unbothered by us.

Day 3 | Yaquina Head, Then Back To Corvallis

We started the morning at Yaquina Head in Newport. It is the tallest lighthouse in Oregon, and the white tower against a blue sky looks spotless. Cobble Beach below is made entirely of round black stones that rattle as the waves pull back.

In the afternoon we drove inland to Corvallis, the most personal part of the trip.

Our first stop was Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, where our older son was born. We took a photo in front of the same sign and put it next to his newborn photo. More than a decade went by in a blink.

Then we went back to where we used to live. The playground downstairs is still there, with the slide and swings in the same spots. Our older son is now taller than the slide; his little brother was fully committed anyway.

Our older son rode this same swing set as a baby. This time we recreated the old photo: our younger son stepped into the same bucket swing to play his big brother as a baby, and our older son took the swing behind him to play the passerby swinging in the background. The building behind them has barely changed.

Finally we walked around the Oregon State University campus: the red-brick archway building, the big lawn in front of the Memorial Union, and Goss Stadium. A lot of it has barely changed. What changed is who is in the photos. Our younger son struck a series of poses under the red-brick archway, which we turned into a three-shot collage.

That evening we drove to Portland, had dinner with old friends around one big table, and caught up.

Day 4 | Columbia River Gorge: Waterfalls, A Dam, And Mt Hood

On Day 4 we headed east from Portland along the Columbia River Gorge. We started at Vista House on Crown Point. The Columbia River valley below is wide, and the clouds hung low.

We followed the Historic Columbia River Highway past several waterfalls and ended at Multnomah Falls. The falls drop in two tiers with Benson Bridge spanning the middle, and the lower viewing platform fits the whole cascade and the bridge in one frame.

The two of us took a photo in this exact spot one winter years ago, when the cliffs beside the falls were covered in ice. This time we stood in the same place again to make a then-and-now pair.

The Larch Mountain Trail sign next to the falls hasn't changed either, so I threw the same peace sign in front of it as I did back then.

Benson Bridge is just 0.2 miles up this trail. From the bridge, the lower falls drop away right beneath you into the pool, with the viewing platform where we'd just taken photos in the distance. The two of us each held out one hand to make a heart over the drop.

Further east we stopped at Bonneville Dam. The visitor center has a height chart flanked by a black bear and a sea lion, which were a big hit with the kids. In the afternoon we went to a viewpoint near Hood River to see Mt Hood (the sign says 11,249 ft). Clouds covered part of the summit, unfortunately. The viewpoint has a stone wall that's perfect for sitting and looking out over the Hood River Valley's orchards and the hills beyond.

Day 6 | Crater Lake On The Way Home: That Blue, Every Time

We detoured to Crater Lake on the way home. I was here in 2022, and more than once before that, but the lake still stops me every time. The surface is a mirror: clouds and the far cliffs reflect perfectly, and photos never quite capture that blue.

The weather was perfect, with almost no wind and an unusually still surface. We spent a long time around Watchman Overlook, with everyone jumping and posing along the rim, plus some quiet moments sitting on the stone wall just looking at the water.

Then we hiked Watchman Peak. The trail is short and switchbacks up to a fire lookout at the top. From the summit, Wizard Island sits right below you and you can see the whole caldera at once. To me it is the most worthwhile climb at Crater Lake.

As the light softened in the late afternoon, we got one more view through the trees on the southeast side: Phantom Ship, the small island that looks like a ghost ship on the water. Heading out on Highway 62, we stopped at the Rogue River's lava gorge, where the river has carved deep channels through black volcanic rock. It was the last stop of the trip.

Getting Around And Practical Notes

• Route: Redwood → north on 101 to Newport → inland to Corvallis → Portland → south on I-5 to Crater Lake → back to the Bay Area
• Fern Canyon: usually reached via the unpaved Davison Road, and parking reservations are required in some seasons. Check the Redwood NPS site before you go.
• Crater Lake: Rim Drive and the Watchman Peak trail open seasonally. They are usually open in late September and early October, but it depends on the year's weather. Check the Crater Lake NPS site.
• Coast 101: viewpoints are frequent and pullouts are easy, but if you want to stop at all of them you won't cover much ground in a day. Leave slack in the plan.
• With kids: bring wet-friendly shoes for Fern Canyon. Watchman Peak is at about 8,000 ft, so kids may get winded. Bring water and go slowly.

Takeaways

1. Fern Canyon and Big Tree in the redwoods are both easy, memorable stops for kids.
2. The Boardman corridor and the Heceta Head sunset are the best of the Oregon coast; add half a day if you can.
3. Going back to your old campus and your kid's birthplace is more moving than any viewpoint, and worth planning around.
4. Crater Lake never gets old, and Watchman Peak is the best bang-for-effort overlook.
5. Six days for this loop felt full; next time I'd split the coast over two days.

The redwoods, the coast, and the volcanic lake gave us the scenery. What stayed with me was standing in front of the hospital sign and that dinner with old friends.