Cool to see. If you go into the exhibit, they talk about their efforts to preserve the inhabitants of the river despite the dam.
It's worth driving by here if say you're on your way from Portland to Bend. Beautiful scenic views of a not well known canyon. In the distant background you can also see the mountains.
I would recommend going during the Fall or Spring to avoid the heat of Summer. You definitely want to be able to hike as much of this as possible. There is a water fountain available to fill your water bottles, although it doesn't taste the best.
Definitely come prepared for this, which we were not. The temperature inside the cave is probably in the low 40's if I had to guess. This is true regardless of season. We turned back early because of that. Otherwise it's incredible and wish we could have gone further. Also bring a bright light, otherwise you have to rent one. It's a cave so obviously it's pitch black after the first 500 feet.
Pretty amazing to walk through this. I would love if there were signs somewhere that talked about how it was formed. Definitely worth the drive into the desert. The temperature will drop about 15-20 degrees at the deepest parts. Wish I had spent more time there as I'll probably never be back. Of note this place is far off the beaten path. Besides being in the desert, you'll need to follow a "washboard" gravel road for several miles at which point you'll reach a small parking lot. From there you walk a quarter mile or so along a sand-dirt path. It'll pop out of nowhere.
Totally worth the drive out into the desert. There are a number of trails you can follow in and around Fort Rock. There's not much in the surrounding area, so I wouldn't plan on lunch or anything.
Absolutely beautiful. This trail is one you must do if you're never coming back to Crater Lake. It is the ONLY ONE that will take you down to the lake level. If you're brave enough, bring a bathing suit and jump in. The flora and fauna along this trail is also amazing. There's a very distinct bright green moss that grows on the trees and at the bottom you may see some hummingbirds that camouflage as large moths.
This is obvious the coolest, most beautiful place in all of Oregon. That said there are some things you should know. Always get there early! traffic starts to build up later in the morning and rest of the day and parking is incredibly limited on the rim. Further, there was road work going on in 2017 which brought traffic to a standstill. Go very late in the season because the snow sticks! We went in late July and the Watchmen Trail was inaccessible because it was still covered in snow. The boats to Wizard Island were also not running yet. Speaking of the boats to Wizard Island, book that far in advance because that is also very limited and books up quick. I recommend also driving up long after the sun has set, because this is one of the places in America where you can still see the Milky Way in its near entirety.
Be warned that most or maybe all the campsites here have no electrical outlets. Other than that, it worked well for tent camping. It does get pretty cold here at night even during late summer so come prepared. Oh and the bathrooms smell like shit and are poorly maintained. Most of the toilets were clogged. The showers were very nice on the other hand and in a separate building.
This is the most beautiful hot spring in Oregon with an incredible view. That said, I favor Terwilliger over Umpqua any day. The pools here are murky and have very dirty bottoms. There's a lot of people that leave trash lying around. It gets crowded. And there's a lot of prudes that show up, feel uncomfortable at a nude spring, stare at you for a little while, and leave. If your driving from Portland, just go to Terwilliger. You'll enjoy it more and it's a shorter drive.