Southern Oregon in Winter

Day 1 - Crater lake

A long awaited trip to Crater Lake while snow is on the ground.

Our first day out my father, Tom, and I drove from Medford up to Crater Lake National Park. Every good morning adventure with my father starts with a trip to the coffee shop. It used to be a Coffee People, then it was Caribou, these days it might be Long Bottom or a drive through while he’s on the road. Caffeinated and ready to find the snow, we set out into the mountains in his new palatial Ford F150 double cab.

snow shoeing

Somehow I managed to convince my father to try snow shoeing for the first time. We were able to rent some shoes at a local outdoor store, unfortunately both pair were far larger than either of us needed. If you’ve ever strapped on snow shoes, you know that even at their best they are awkward, and the larger they get the more weird it is to walk in them. However we pushed through, undeterred.

Unfazed by the too-large-snowshoes we soldiered on around the rim a little way for some spectacular views.

As the light warmed, the sun moved toward the horizon, and our visit to the lake neared an end.

DAY 2 - DIAMOND LAKE & OTHERS

On the second day we decided to drive up to Diamond Lake and see what that looked like. While enroute we drove through ranch land and got to experience some of the beauty that is a typical Southern Oregon range.

As it turns out, Diamond Lake was completely frozen over. Ideal for ice-fishing and quite a sight for those of us unaccustomed to witnessing frozen lakes.

We decided to load up and head down the mountain, stopping to eat lunch at a little snowed over river crossing. Turned out to be a pretty good spot.

One last stop off in the town of Prospect, OR to see the Rogue River tumble over Prospect Falls and we were about ready to wrap up our adventures in the hills.