Winter at Crater Lake National Park is a quiet time.    It begins with the first large snowfall in October or early November and continues into May or June.  Tourists are few and generally spend a few minutes enjoying the lake, visitor center and  gift shop before moving on.  Craig Ackerman, Park Superintendent,   told us that [...]

by Canoe . . . The Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge is one of six National Wildlife Refuges in the Upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California.  It is located on the north-western shore of Upper Klamath Lake near the Oregon community of Rocky Point. With almost 15,000 acres of marsh and open water, but [...]

Gateway to the Klondike Gold! George Carmack, Skookum Jim and Dawson Charlie found gold on Bonanza Creek in the Klondike in 1896. They didn’t find much in the beginning, but it was enough – the gold rush was on.  Tens of thousands of people, thrown out of work by the depressed economy or just plain [...]

Birding is a great reason to get out and explore our world, but even if you aren’t really into the wide variety of birds to be seen, checking out bald eagles can still be a wonderful adventure for you and your family.  If you want to see lots of bald eagles, the Upper Klamath Basin [...]

History . . . This trail began as a railroad owned by the City of Klamath Falls and named the Klamath Falls Municipal Railway.  After beginning construction in 1917 and reaching Olene a year later,  Robert Strahorn, the contractor and major proponent of the project, offered to buy the railroad from the city.  The sale [...]

The Nation’s First Waterfowl Refuge As the above map shows, there are six National Wildlife Refuges in the Klamath Basin. The Lower Klamath Refuge was the first to be designated, in 1908, and also the first in the United States intended to provide refuge to waterfowl. Physically, the refuge is flat.  Before human modification, this [...]

Lava Beds National Monument . . . The trail to Big Painted Cave and Symbol Bridge was the backbone of my explorations in this area southeast of Schonchin Butte in the Lava Beds National Monument.  The trail heads toward Schonchin Butte from the road to Skull Cave.  The Skull Cave Road is about 1.3 miles [...]

Exploring the Refuge . . . For a short orientation (with a map) to the Tule Lake Refuge and the other refuges in the Klamath Basin system, check out the article entitled “Wildlife Refuges of the Klamath Basin.” The Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge offers explorers six opportunities: a great little visitor center at the [...]

or The Battle of Sand Butte – Lava Beds National Monument . . . History . . . The Park Service labels this site the Thomas-Wright Battlefield.  This, the fourth battle of the Modoc War (after the battle at the Lost River, and two battles at Captain Jack’s Stronghold) was actually fought between a U.S. [...]

Like many places around the world, wetlands in the Upper Klamath Basin were drained to provide croplands for a hungry nation. Here, the United States Bureau of Reclamation began the process in 1905 with an effort called the Klamath Reclamation Project.  The needs of  waterfowl were recognized early on with the establishment of the first [...]