Southern Oregon — Destination Guide: Overview

Southern Oregon (roughly the southwestern and southcental area of the state, excluding the coast) is physically a jumble of mountains and river valleys, including the magnificent Rogue River and the less well known but magical Umpqua. The 1,943-foot-deep and intensely blue Crater Lake is in the caldera formed when Mount Mazama erupted and caved in on itself 6,600 years ago; it's Oregon's only national park. The highlight of a visit to Crater Lake is a boat trip to Wizard Island. Culturally, Southern Oregon is a mix of the largely wealthy and sophisticated newcomers (i.e., California expatriates) and the generally more down-to-earth ...

Southern Oregon (roughly the southwestern and southcental area of the state, excluding the coast) is physically a jumble of mountains and river valleys, including the magnificent Rogue River and the less well known but magical Umpqua. The 1,943-foot-deep and intensely blue Crater Lake is in the caldera formed when Mount Mazama erupted and caved in on itself 6,600 years ago; it's Oregon's only national park. The highlight of a visit to Crater Lake is a boat trip to Wizard Island. Culturally, Southern Oregon is a mix of the largely wealthy and sophisticated newcomers (i.e., California expatriates) and the generally more down-to-earth old-timers. But the greatest cultural activities - Ashland's Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Jacksonville's Peter Britt Music Festival - are long-standing and did much to attract the newcomers, in whose wake great restaurants and classy hotels have followed.

About the Expert

Judy Jewell and W.C. McRae are frequent collaborators: together they have written Moon Handbooks to Montana, Utah, and Zion-Bryce and updated the Moon Handbooks to Oregon and Coastal Oregon. Judy wrote the Compass American Guide to Oregon.