La Pine State Park

If you want to immerse yourself in a subalpine pine forest where the air has that high-Cascades tang; to stay in a clean, quiet campground next to a twisting, cold river brimming with trout (and a nearby legendary fly fishing spot) and surrounded by miles of waiting-to-be-explored wilderness; to sit smack in the middle of dozens of high-mountain lakes (in winter, near some of the best ski-spots in the land); to see eagles or red-tailed hawks grabbing breakfast right in front of you; or, to just sit in a campsite pondering what you might do tomorrow ... ... then LaPine State Park demands a visit. The park is also home to Oregon's largest ponderosa pine. Nicknamed "Big Red," the tree is 162' tall, 28.9' around and may be in excess of 500 years old.