Umpqua River & Waterfall Highway

Oregon

We started out early, determined to finish Oregon’s southern coast—but didn’t get very far. Just past Coos Bay, heading toward Bandon and Face Rock, the phone rang. It was Bish’s RV in Junction City, a Thor service center. They could see us Tuesday morning to look at Bessie’s diesel leak. That meant one thing: time to head inland for a few days instead of continuing south.

After Bandon, we turned east on Route 42S, a quiet backroad that wound toward Roseburg and the legendary Highway of Waterfalls—Route 138, part of the Umpqua Scenic Byway. From the first mile, we knew we’d made the right choice. The road snaked through rolling farmland and green valleys dotted with apple trees, vineyards, and white-fenced ranches. The Umpqua River shimmered alongside us, framed by blue-gray mountains. It was one of the prettiest drives we’ve taken—peaceful, fluid, full of small surprises at every bend.

The Highway of Waterfalls is a dream for wanderers—sixteen marked trailheads where you can pull off and hike to cascades just a short walk from the road. Some are dramatic plunges; others spill gently over moss-covered rock. Late in the day, we found ourselves at Steamboat Inn, a rustic lodge tucked beside the river. We splurged on a cabin—the Spencer Cabin, unplanned and absolutely gorgeous—and stayed the night. Dinner on the porch with the river murmuring below was the perfect kind of detour.

The next morning, we decided to go big. Crater Lake National Park was only forty minutes away. We wound higher through forest and snow patches until suddenly the world opened into that famous deep-blue crater. We made it to the Crater Lake Lodge just before sunset, watched the light fade across the rim, and then drove back to Steamboat Inn for one last dinner beside the river—a day that felt like pure Oregon magic.