OREGON
KOA camping in Oregon
Klamath Falls
Check out the eerily surreal landscape at Lava Beds National Monument, where you can rent a flashlight and a lamp for exploring underground caves and trails. Guided trips are also available. Don't miss a visit to Crater Lake National Park, where a trip around Rim Drive will reward you with great views of the lake and surrounding mountains and forests. During winter, the region is a mecca for wildlife watchers-the Klamath Basin hosts the largest concentration of wintering bald eagles in the contiguous U.S. Take the ten-mile walking/biking trail through marshlands and uplands at Klamath Marsh, part of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge, or view and photograph eagles from behind a blind at sunrise. Positively mesmerizing.
Bend
Central Oregon's stunning landscape of pine-sloped mountains and gemlike lakes is just part of the picture. Underground is an amazing series of lava caves and tubes created by violent volcanic activity that began 45 million years ago! To find out the how and why, visit Lava Lands Vistor Center on Highway 97, between Bend and Sunriver. Then, see it for yourself at Lava River Cave, the longest intact lava tube in Oregon. Also check out Newberry National Volcanic Monument, an area encompassing obsidian fields, lava formations, waterfalls, hiking trails, and Newberry Crater, with two spectacular fishing lakes.
Madras/Culver
Three rivers merge to form the 3,906-acre Lake Billy Chinook, one of Central Oregon's favorite summer playgrounds. The lake and surrounding park offer hiking, picnicking, boating (a marina offers rentals), and unbeatable fishing for everything from bull trout to Chinook salmon. To get there, take the scenic route-the Cove-Palisades driving loop, a 31-mile drive that goes through the town of Culver to Lake Billy Chinook, skirts the park to Round Butte, then heads to Madras.
WASHINGTON
KOA camping in Washington
Spokane
This big little city is full of surprises. One of the largest urban waterfalls in the U.S. rolls right through downtown; flanking the falls is 100-acre Riverfront Park, site of the 1974 World's Fair. Now, it's a favorite hangout for all, with an IMAX theater, a tour train, outdoor art, and a classic 1909 carousel. Look for little brown bumps on the hillsides-they' re marmots. For a thrill, take a gondola ride over the lower falls of the Spokane River. Hand-feed chicken necks to a lion, if you dare, at Cat Tales Zoological Park.
Yakima
Surprise! Washington State is the second-largest producer of premium wine in the United States, home to nearly 100 wineries. Most wineries offer tasting rooms. Some are clustered in the Greater Puget Sound area; some in the Yakima Valley-look for Covey Run, Eaton Hill, and Zillah Oakes Winery.
Seattle
Seattle is home to a blend of cultures, outdoor recreation and a host of major attractions and sports. Cultural diversity permeates this Northwest center, and outdoor recreation ranges from sailing and ocean fishing to hiking and downhill skiing. Fine ethnic foods are well represented in the selection of more than 2,200 restaurants, which also feature seafood and other fresh culinary delights. Discover the Waterfront and tour the Pike Place Market. Urban attractions include the Seattle Aquarium, Woodland Park Zoo and the Space Needle. Shop and dine city style or experience the lakes, Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. This jewel of the Northwest offers spectacular mountain ranges and nearby Pacific Ocean beaches.
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