 W E L C O M E T O O R E G O N Klamath County, Oregon, the home of Crater Lake National Park, is located just east of the Cascade Mountains and just north of the Oregon/California border. It includes snow capped mountains in the west, and high desert area in the east. For leisure activities, there is everything from hunting and fishing in the scenic mountains, marshes, lakes and rivers, sight-seeing at the many attractions, including the majestic Crater Lake, birdwatching and wildlife viewing at the National Wildlife Refuges, or seeing real western history at its museums. Upper Klamath Lake, in the Klamath Basin, is the largest lake in Oregon. The 25 mile long, 64 square mile lake is one of the best birdwatching area in the state. The Klamath Basin has six National Wildlife Refuge Areas, three of which are in Oregon. The Basin hosts the largest number of wintering bald eagles in the lower 48 states, which begin arriving in November each year. During the spring and fall bird migrations, you can see thousands of Canadian geese, pintails, mallards, cormorants, gulls, herons, pelicans and other marsh birds and waterfowl. There are self-guided auto and canoe trail tours to take for bird viewing. At Klamath Falls, the largest town in the area, there are several fine museums. The Favell Museum has an extensive collection of Indian artifacts and western art. They have a display of over 60,000 mounted arrowheads including one fire opal arrowhead, as well as displays of Indian beadwork, basketry, pottery, bone and shellwork, and carvings. The Klamath County Museum has exhibits depicting the history of the Klamath area. Exhibits range from fossils, geology, minerals and wildlife of the area to exploration and the hardships of settlement. The Baldwin Hotel Museum offers a depiction of the Victorian days and general area history back to 1911. The Klamath Tribes Museum, about 22 miles north of Klamath Falls, has exhibits on artifacts, baskets and historical items of the Klamath and Modoc Indian tribes. Twenty one caves have been opened for spelunkers at the Lava Beds National Monument. These lava tubes include Hopkins Chocolate, named for the rich chocolate glaze covering the ceiling and walls, Skull Ice Cave, named for the ice chamber with a large ice floor and the skulls of bighorn sheep and antelope once found at the entrance, and Big Painted Cave and Symbol Bridge. Big Painted Cave and Symbol Bridge contain some of the best examples of pictographs in the area. Lava Beds National Monument is located approximately forty miles south of Klamath Falls, in northern California. |
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