Crater Lake and Painted Hills (Central Oregon)

Our primary destination in Central Oregon was really the Painted Hills; we stopped by Crater Lake just to break up the drive and also because it seems to be on many tour itineraries.  
 

This was the reason we drove 500 kms from the Oregon Coast!

The drive from Bandon on the Oregon coast to Crater Lake was quite scenic and it only took us a few hours to get to Crater Lake. We had a lunch stop at a fish hatchery (learned something new!) and a couple of photo stops on the way, mainly at the North Umpqua River which ran beside the highway OR-138, Oregon Scenic Byway. An interesting wood bridge caught my eye as I drove and I stopped to photograph this unusual wooden bridge that was built on the piers of an old bridge. Tioga Bridge was very photogenic as was the river with its fall colours.

Tioga Bridge on the North Umpqua River and the view from it

Crater Lake was unfortunately shrouded in a smoky haze from a nearby fire. But I could still see it could be a very scenic lake. One thing to note is that signage is very poor in this park and it took us several drive-bys to find several of the lookouts, including the Phantom Ship which did look rather mysterious in the haze that was on the lake when we first saw it. By the time we got to the Sun Notch lookout, we could see it clearly with the setting sun shining right on it - it made the steep uphill hike worthwhile.

Crater Lake

The rims of the crater are obvious in spite of the smoke

 

"Phantom Ship"

Another deer encounter

Sunset at Crater Lake

Crater Lake Inn was full when we first looked at booking a room six months earlier - it was worth a stop with its Arts and Crafts style interior.

 We had to spend the night at a sketchy roadside motel as there was nothing much around. The dining room was closed due to a power outage so we had to drive further down the highway to a casino to get some food. As expected the food was cheap, but the pork steak was unexpectedly delicious.

The following morning, we drove to John Day Painted Hills via Bend. We stopped for lunch in Pioneer Park and saw a man taking fly-fishing lessons on the river. That was a great photo op with the fall colours as backdrop. 

This extended lunch, including a walk by the river, plus unanticipated traffic on the highway delayed our arrival at the Painted Hills so we barely made it before the golden hour. I was able to catch the light at Panorama Point, but by the time we got to the Painted Cove, the light was gone. We barely caught what was left on the top of the Red Hill; as you can see in the photos below - having the golden light could make a huge difference. It was all pretty awesome. We went back again the next morning, but the morning light wasn't the same as the golden light. The panorama was a far cry from what we saw the afternoon before.

The different layers of the Painted Hills correspond to different geological eras, formed when the area was an ancient river floodplain. The red colour came from the laterite soil that was formed by floodplain deposits when the area was moist and humid. (Wikipedia) It is considered one of the Seven Wonders of Oregon.

View from Panorama Point during the golden hour

 

Painted Cove near the end of the golden hour

Three different shades on the same hill - but no gold

Below - three different aspects of the Red Hill at three different times of day

The Red Hill was a little higher than Painted Cove so we were able to just catch the sun on it - you can't buy this gold!

More deer at sunset

Lizard at the cove

Practical Tips:
- Beware of missing or misleading signage at Crater Lake National Park
- Painted Hills - make sure you arrive at least three hours or more before sunset to allow enough time to see the setting sun on the painted hills.  As the Painted Cove is not very high, they will be dark already if the sun is too low, even though you may still be able to see it in the sky. It made all the difference if the sun is on the red hills.
- The Oregon Hotel in Mitchell, where we spent the night is quite quaint - a historic hotel from 1905 twice rebuilt because of fire. It is also the only hotel in Mitchell and we saw people being turned away because the place was full. Always book ahead as there is nothing else around, unless you're camping!


Next post: Mt. Hood area