OTR: Oregon Caves

I know this is a little out of sequence for our road trip, but I was just looking through the photos and had to share a little about this fun destination for anyone heading to southern Oregon this summer.

The Chandeliers inside the cave

The Oregon Caves are located in Cave Junction, Oregon. Where is that you say? OK, better landmark: north of Medford, Oregon. The caves are actually part of the Siskyou Mountains and were discovered in  1874 by a man named Elijah Davidson. While the caves truly are amazing, the first thing that will amaze you is the last 10 mile drive up to the cave parking lot. My best guess is about a 2,500 foot drive UP the mountain with constant switchbacks. The boys thought it was very cool. Until they started feeling a little motion sickness from all the back and forth. The elevation at the top is 4,000'.

Dakota's not who they were talking about.

We had a 20 minute wait until our tours started - perfect for a quick lunch of fruit, cheese and crackers...I had to post this picture with the background of "please do not feed the animals". I just had to though - he was way to cute to not feed. Yes, Kashi, feel free to send me some of those amazing whole grain crackers :-)

A living tree room hundreds of feet underground in a pristine environment

The tour is not only worth the cost of admission ($8.50 adults/$6 for kids under 16) but was one of those things I would really put on my must recommend lists. You won't be disappointed. A little breathless from beauty, but certainly not disappointed.

The boys loving the inside of the caves

Additional notes: Because the caves remain a cool 44 degrees inside year-round - bring a jacket and a hat and you'll be fine. They post this on their website, but I'm guessing a lot of people think that during the summer, it will be warmer. It's not. I had a wool blend sweater and a hat and was very comfortable. Others on our tour were not.

It is an hour and a half walk and quite frankly, not for the faint of heart! It is quite a walk uphill with lots of stairs (over 500 to be more exact) along with narrow spots where you will be walking and will have to contort and twist your body to make it through without scraping your head along the cold, damp marble interior. That said, I made it!  Backpacks/purses are not allowed inside the caves, but they have lockers where you can store your things for a quarter (which you get back when you come for you stuff). Neither are dogs/pets, but they won't fit in the lockers :-).

If you make it to the Caves, or have been there, drop a note and let us know what you thought!