May 25-June 6, 2023
Our last trip took us to Collier Memorial State Park near Crater Lake, LaPine State Park near La Pine, Oregon, and McIver State Park near Mollala, Oregon.
Our first stop was to Collier. This park was closed for awhile following a devastating fire in September 2020. Parts of the park suffered heavy damage. This was not evident from the campground. There were plenty of trees for shade.
South of here is the deepest Lake in North America, Crater Lake. I think Late May to early June is the best time to see the only National Park in Oregon. The road to the park is usually cleared by Memorial Day. The rim road opens later. Because of a heavy snowfall, it might be awhile this year. Check the National Park website for road conditions and webcams.
LaPine SP is one of our favorite state parks. It has lots of trails and servcie roads to explore. Great for our ebikes.
Near La Pine is the Newberry Volcanic National Monument. This is a huge caldera containing two large lakes, Paulina and East Lake. Both Lakes have lodges with cabins for rent. It does not look like the restaurants are fully open until late May. Paulina Lake Lodge East Lake Resort
McIver SP is on the Clackamas River where it is dammed to form Estacada Lake. It looks like a good place to fish or paddle board (we did neither).
McIver has a sign that says “Bike Friendly”. This means you can ride your bike there and camp. You just can’t camp there and ride your bike as there is a second sign that says, “No bikes on trails”.
Rob and Shawna 