Crater Lake and the Red Woods: I will be spending a few days in the Red woods and at Crater Lake. Would appreciate any advice on scenic hot spots, time and location. Any place I should...

tjjm Loc: Saint Louis, Mo.

I will be spending a few days in the Red woods and at Crater Lake. Would appreciate any advice on scenic hot spots, time and location. Any place I should check out near these two? I am also allowing a couple days for visiting wineries. :)

Thanks and happy shooting, Tom

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

Check the weather reports and the national park site as well as forestry forest fire site. Crater lake has been smothered by forest fire smoke for weeks now. Some of the roads have been closed due to smoke and fire. I live in Prineville and our visibility has dropped to sometimes less than a mile from both the crater lake fires and sisters fires. We barely were able to see the eclipse due to smoke. The Crater Lake webcam is a great way to check on smoke conditions. I am not sure about the Red Woods. Are you referring to the ones in Northern California or the small grove just East North East of Brookings OR. Be aware the largest forest fire is burning at Brookings and the Red Woods there may be in the fire zone. There are also several forest fires burning in Northern California near the Red Woos there too. Let your fingers do the walking on the Internet and the state and national park service before you head off into Forest Fires ...

Tonight's sunset via forest fire smoke

Shot last September
Shot last September...

The red wood trees are normal it's the people that become small

tjjm Loc: Saint Louis, Mo.

Thanks for the advice. Have 2 weeks till leave and last I saw only the west side was closed. And heading down to California but didn't realize they had issues too. Dang. Hope it clears up soon. Can't afford 8 days at wineries.

Kuzano

Most often taken pics at the moment in Oregon, Central and South.... Smoke, orange sun peeking through, 100 degree weather for labor day. Pay attention to previous post. Chetco fire, nearing 200,000 acres and near 0 containment, north of the Redwoods, expected to be out of control weeks, perhaps months. Stifling heat. Check the site map and condition for Crater Lake.

Warming of the climate is upon us. Oregon is burning in many places. People are having trouble getting over two of the passes from the Willamette Valley (Portland south to Eugene) as fires are blazing on both sides of both highways.

Check all web sites before traveling. Trips that normally take 2 to 3 hours are now taking all day on some routes. Gas is approaching $3 gallon.

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

tjjm wrote:

Thanks for the advice. Have 2 weeks till leave and last I saw only the west side was closed. And heading down to California but didn't realize they had issues too. Dang. Hope it clears up soon. Can't afford 8 days at wineries.

Don't t expect much improvement in the next 2 weeks unless we get some rain and a break from the heat. As an alternate... Check out Smith Rock, and Painted Hills. The are in Central Oregon.

Smith Rock
Smith Rock...

Painted Hills
Painted Hills...

Earworms Loc: Sacramento, California

Did you know that the world's tallest tree (379.1 ft.) is a Redwood? I visited the Redwoods when I was a boy. By the way, Redwood is one word, not two.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

tjjm wrote:

I will be spending a few days in the Red woods and at Crater Lake. Would appreciate any advice on scenic hot spots, time and location. Any place I should check out near these two? I am also allowing a couple days for visiting wineries. :)

Thanks and happy shooting, Tom

tripadvisor.com

flyguy Loc: Las Cruces, New Mexico

billnikon wrote:

tripadvisor.com

We are getting smoke from the Northern California fires here in San Francisco too --- we are going through a heat wave, temp Friday toped at 106F with an inversion layer holding the smoke down to the ground causing very low visibility.

Chris Gilbert

I was at Crater Lake last week, and left early, like many others. The attached shot was from the lodge, normally a spectacular view, but we could not see the lake at all (Sept. 30). Check the Crater Lake webcam before going; call the rangers for smoke updates. It's a dull place without visual clarity unless you want to focus on close-ups of plants and rocks.

unlucky2 Loc: Hemet Ca.

It is a long ways from Crater lake to the wineries, if going to Napa wineries then Muir woods for the Redwoods and don't miss the ares around the north end of the Golden Gate. If going to the Amador Sutter wineries then Calaveras Big trees for the Redwoods (different than coastal) and numerious small towns and cave tours. The likelihood of smoke interference from the big fires kind of rules out stops near Cresent city for the Redwoods, but you could still get great shots of the Roosevelt elk in that general area. Hope this helps.

tjjm wrote:

I will be spending a few days in the Red woods and at Crater Lake. Would appreciate any advice on scenic hot spots, time and location. Any place I should check out near these two? I am also allowing a couple days for visiting wineries. :)

Thanks and happy shooting, Tom

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Kuzano wrote:

Most often taken pics at the moment in Oregon, Cen... (show quote)

Really. Visitors would be themselves a favor by not coming until Mid-October or November. Yeah it may be raining, but that will be welcome relief. Many 3 hour trips are taking much longer. Please, people....exercise some common sense and stay away for now. You won't enjoy it anyway.

johnh1944 Loc: North Las Vegas

I generally stay in Union Creek, Oregon which is about 25 miles from Crater Lake. Check out the Rouge River Gorge;Natural Bridge; Takelma Gorge; Water Falls (Clearwater, Whitehorse and many others) and be sure to stop at Beckies Cake for some great pies.

tjjm Loc: Saint Louis, Mo.

ORpilot wrote:

Don't t expect much improvement in the next 2 weeks unless we get some rain and a break from the heat. As an alternate... Check out Smith Rock, and Painted Hills. The are in Central Oregon.

Thanks for the suggestion. Photos look gorgeous. Wife and I are heading up for our 40th anniversary and wanted some place new so they all qualify.

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

If you go over to Smith Rock and Painted Hill, The Crooked River gouge starting just outside of Prineville on the south side, is like driving through a mini grand canyon. Happy Shooting

seniormomentnw Loc: Seattle

When the air is clear, a leisurely drive around the rim at Crater Lake, allowing lots of time to stop at all the viewpoints, is supreme. Sadly, you won't have that opportunity in the next few weeks. The rim drive closes for the winter after the first major snowstorm, or November 1st, whichever comes first.