Crater Lake – Drive time: 1 Hour 30 minutes
Crater Lake is very unique. It is the deepest lake in the US at 1,943 ft deep. The drive to Crater Lake is already beautiful, but there is a road around the lake called Rim Road with more than 30 scenic pullouts. It’s also perfect for seeing all the wildlife!
Sparks Lake (Cascade Lakes Highway) – Drive time: 42 minutes
Sparks Lake is a large but shallow lake with a beautiful view of Broken Top and Mt.Bachelor. The best part about Sparks Lake is that there are several other wonderful bodies of water so close by like Elk Lake, Cultus Lake, South Twin Lake, Crane Prairie Reservoir, and access to creeks, rivers, and so many hiking trails!
Smith Rock State Park – Drive time:36 minutes
Smith Rock is the closest trip out of these 5 options since it’s just located right next door in Redmond! This area is well known for its challenging rock climbing routes and hiking trails. There is endless outdoor fun here, from running/hiking trails to camping to just setting up a nice picnic with family! (Make sure to bring plenty of water! It gets pretty hot here)
Watson Falls – Drive time: 2 Hours
This waterfall is a 272-foot drop which is the highest waterfall in southwest Oregon. There is easy parking and plenty of picnic tables to enjoy with friends and family! The trail is the perfect length for a quick hike at just 0.4 miles long, and to go further past the bridge another 0.3 miles! Either way, you’ll get quite the view of the falls!
Sahalie & Koosah Falls – Drive time: 1 Hour 11 minutes
These Falls are a little bit longer than the Watson Falls hike at about 2.6 miles. It is a family-friendly trail and loops back around, the trail borders the McKenzie River. The Koosah Falls drops about 70 ft and the Sahalie Falls plunges at about 100 feet. (The Sahalie Falls are actually kind of famous as they can be seen in the Disney movie “Homeward Bound”.) There is a viewing platform very close to the parking lot (approx. 100 ft) that shows the Sahalie Falls!