Have 12 days mid Oct.

I know we are early, just want to be organized. Wife, husband @ 10 yr. daughter. Have rental car for 10 days. Fly PDX would like Crater Lake, coastal, Cali. Redwoods. Some what of a camping trip. Not too much for big city stuff. Interests-fall colors?, beach/sand dunes (rent your own buggy?), waterfalls, whales/sea lions, fossils @ precios rock mines. Help with ajenda PDX to Silver Falls, then La Pine, Crater Lake, Grants Pass, Crescent City Cal., Cape Blanco, Umpqua Lighthouse. Too much already? Would appreciate your input. Expierenced camper and don%26#39;t mind driving.

Have 12 days mid Oct.

First, let me get a plug in:

www.oregonstateparks.org

I think what you have in mind will work. PDX to Silver Falls is an easy, 1.5 hr drive. Take the Silverton exit off of I-5. This takes you over to Hwy 214. It%26#39;s beautiful drive with fall colors and Mt Hood in the background. You might want to stop by the Oregon Garden on your way through Silverton. This route brings you in the north side of Silver Falls where most of the hikes and waterfall are located. They have a nice campground along Silver Creek with cabins if you prefer.

Continue on Hwy 214 to Stayton, then on Hwy 22 to the Bend/Redmond area. I would recommend staying at Tumalo State park in Bend, but you could easily travel to LaPine (40 minutes) and stay at say, Lapine State Park. Both are very nice. Lapine is a bit off of Hwy 97 though.

From here you would continue on Hwy 97 down to Hwy 138 and on to Crater Lake. There is camping at Crater Lake but 1) it is expensive and 2) the campground may not be open in October due to snow. I recommend taking the rim drive around to Hwy 62, cutting over to Chiloquin at Klamath Agency, then back up 97 a few miles to Collier State Park for the night.

You have couple of choices to get to Grants Pass form here. I like the drive over Hwy 140 from Klamath Falls , or you could take Hwy 66 to Ashland then up to Grants Pass. Both are nice drives.

Harris Beach State Park in Brookings is a very nice facility on the beach. Since you%26#39;ve been inland for a few days, you might prefer this, but I%26#39;d also recommend Loeb State park, a few miles inland and on the Chetco River.

From Brookings north is where it will get challenging. How much of the coast do you want to see?? There are four very distinct regions along the coast, all with their own beauty. From Brookings to Umpqua Lighthouse is a 3 hour drive w/o stopping, but you WILL be stopping. Umpqua is a nice park, don%26#39;t get me wrong, but you might not want to push too hard to get there. Bullards Beach, north of Bandon might be a better choice, with Umpqua Lighthouse or Honeyman for the third night on the coast. From Honeyman you could/should continue north where you could easily take in all the sights from Sea Lion Caves to Heceta Head Lighthouse to Cape Perpetua and still make Newport or Lincoln City. I suggest Beverly Beach, north of Newport as your next stop. The remainder of the coast is doable in two more days. I%26#39;d recommend staying at Nehalem Bay if you are RVing or Oswald West if you are tent camping and ending at Ft Stevens near the mouth of the Columbia River.

Hope this helps and HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!

DEn

As you can see, if each one of these sections is only a day, we are only at day nine!! I think you have plenty of time to accomplish what you want.