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Oregon is full of great things to do outdoors. You’ll find amazing hikes throughout the state, clean lakes, big waterfalls, hot springs, and loads of rivers too. You’ll also find caves and interesting landscapes like painted hills, volcanoes, and calderas scattered about the state. National Parks and Monuments in Oregon give a great idea of what you can expect exploring Oregon.
The National Park Service keeps busy in Oregon even though there is only one national park. There are four more national monuments and a handful of historic sites too, all ran by the National Park Service, and all offering a unique and different perspective of Oregon.
Looking for more travel tips and places to explore in Oregon? We were both raised in Oregon and have spent about half our lives in Oregon. Check out our Oregon Travel Guide for more insider travel tips!
Oregon National Parks
Crater Lake National Park | South-Central Oregon
- Google Maps | Find Crater Lake Here
- Learn More | Crater Lake National Park Website
Established in 1909, this Oregon National Park is home to the deepest lake in the United States. Crater Lake is considered to be the cleanest lake, or rather water, in the world! This national park offers great winter activities like snowshoeing and snowmobiling, but is also a gorgeous place to visit in the warmer months too!
If you’re a cyclist, cycle around the entire rim of the lake, a whole 33 miles, or if you’d rather enjoy it by car, circumnavigating the entirety of Crater Lake on Rim Drive!
With the lake so far beneath the actual rim of the caldera, there are times when you cannot see the lake at all due to fog, rain, or blizzards!
We’ve been up before to snowshoe, and were in a complete snowstorm the entire time, so be sure to check the webcams for an accurate view of the weather conditions at Crater Lake before driving up there!
National Monuments In Oregon
Oregon Caves National Monument | Southwest Oregon
- Google Maps | Find The Oregon Caves Here
- Learn More | Oregon Cave Website
The Oregon Caves, established in 1909, are a hidden gem in Oregon. Although they’re becoming more and more popular by the year, these caves are great for exploring. With multiple tours a day through the caves and great hiking around the Oregon Caves, you can spend an entire day here!
Be sure to book your tour in advance to ensure you get a spot and bring your own food as there is no food at this national monument
Oregon Cave tours can be booked one day in advance, and some spots are left available for guests who show up without a tour booked – better to play it safe and book a tour here if you know you’re visiting the caves on a certain day!
Traveler’s Tip…Taylor’s Sausage in Cave Junction is a fantastic spot to load up on some protein to fill your day, or pop in after your day of exploring and grab some delicious grub!.. They even do live music on the weekend to enjoy!
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument | Central Oregon
- Google Maps | Find John Day Fossil Beds Here
- Learn More | John Day Website
This is the last of the national parks/monuments in Oregon that we visited… even though it was established as a national monument in 1974. The John Day National Monument, more popularly known as The Painted Hills of Oregon is full of gorgeous colorful hillsides, and loads of science-based learning through fossils and more!
The paleontology learning center here has some great reviews and is a well-known place for scientists to visit!
The weather at the painted hills can be quite hot in the summer, so be sure to pack lots of water, or rather plan your visit in the spring or fall!
Newberry National Volcanic Monument | Central Oregon
- Google Maps | Find Newberry National Monument Here
- Learn More | Newberry National Monument Website
Established in 1990, this national monument in Oregon is new to the bunch, but is one not to be missed. With a waterfall, multiple lakes, hot springs, and lava tubes to explore, the Newberry Caldera and surrounding area is a great place to spend a weekend!
If you plan to camp at Newberry National Volcanic Monument, we suggest camping on Paulina Lake in the Little Crater Campground. You can walk to the Paulina hot springs from the campground, and the campsites are right along the water!
There is one more campground available with over 100 sites, East Lake Campground, at the end of the road through the national monument, and even an RV resort too, (which is the only place to get a shower).
Cascade Siskiyou National Monument | Southern Oregon
- Google Maps | Find Cascade Siskiyou National Monument Here
- Learn More | Cascade Siskiyou Website
Okay, talk about some gorgeous scenery in southern Oregon! The Siskiyou National Monument, established in 2000, is a hiker’s paradise! We visited this bit of Southern Oregon for some hiking without knowing it was an established national monument, and are so happy to see this land is all protected land now!
Hiking in Southern Oregon will leave you speechless no matter where you hike, but try hiking up Pilot Rock for some great views and a killer scramble at the end to the tiptop!
National Parks And Monuments Near Oregon
Redwood National Park | Northern California
- Google Maps | Find The Redwoods Here
- Learn More | Redwoods National Park Website
When visiting Southern Oregon and driving to the Oregon coast, you have to dip down into California for a bit before crossing back into Oregon on Highway 101. This little dip into Northern California is the only way to the coast, and it’s beautiful.
Right through the Smith River with amazing crystal clear waters and beneath the towering Redwoods of Redwood National Park. This is a free national park to drive through, and even has quite a few free day-use areas too! You’ll honestly feel like the tiniest person alive walking through the Redwoods!
Traveler’s Tip… While you do get to experience the Redwoods just simply driving over to the coast, heading down into California instead of north to the Oregon Coast you’ll find loads to explore, great hiking trails, and trees so wide you have to see them to believe it!
Lava Beds National Monument | Northern California
- Google Maps | Find Lava Beds National Monument Here
- Learn More | Lava Beds National Monument Website
I had no clue the Lava Beds National Monument was actually in California and not Oregon. Visiting this place with friends living in Klamath Falls, we thought we were just driving out in the middle of nowhere in Oregon to explore the Lava Beds… but apparently, we were actually in Northern California!
There are multiple places to walk along trails where historic battles took place and Native Americans roamed, or you can go underground and climb deep into the caves!
If you plan on going in the caves, we recommend bringing a flashlight and a light jacket with you, as it does get chilly the deeper in the caves you explore!
Where To Camp By National Park Service Locations in Oregon
While there are campgrounds within the national parks and monuments in Oregon, there are also other ways to camp while exploring these protected lands. You can camp for free in the national forests surrounding the national parks, on BLM land, and in free primitive campsites scattered throughout Oregon.
To find free campsites in Oregon, head to freecampsites.net and type in your desired location! You’ll find both free and cheap sites all across the state!
READ MORE | How To Find Free Campsites in The United States
Please, do you part and pack in what you pack out, don’t light fires in the fire season and make sure your campfire is completely out when it is legal to have one.
READ MORE | How To Properly Poop Outdoors
And, for the love of everyone traveling there after you, dig a hole for your bathroom use, and pack your toilet paper with you to the nearest actual trash can or toilet!
If camping isn’t your thing, you can search for hotels in the area here!
How To Get to Oregon’s National Parks and Monuments
Flying to Oregon
If flying into Oregon on any major airline, you’ll want to look for flights to PDX (Portland, Oregon). Portland is in the north of Oregon, but is a great hub to begin journeying through these national parks and monuments.
READ MORE | Things To Do In Northern Oregon
If you’re looking to solely head to Crater Lake from Portland, the drive will take you about four hours straight down I5. However, we’d suggest adding in the extra time and going east of Portland to check out some great waterfalls and the painted hills, or taking the coast route down!
Another option is flying into the small international airport in Medford, Oregon. This airport MFR is the closest airport to Crater Lake, and leaves you with an hour and twenty-minute drive to the national park.
Typically speaking, smaller planes fly into this airport, and it’s usually a bit more expensive than flying into PDX, but it definitely makes the drive to Crater Lake the shortest! Flying to MFR is a great choice if coming from San Fran or LA or up in Seattle too!
Check on flight options to Medford using their airport code, MFR.
Rental Cars
There isn’t much public transportation in Oregon, but if you wanted to look for how to get somewhere comparing all modes of transportation, we suggest looking at Rome2Rio. You type in your starting and ending destination, and it tells you all transportation options between the two and gives an idea on price too! It’s a great tool to use while traveling!
Having your own car is by far the best option for exploring Oregon’s national parks and monuments. Obviously, if you’re not from close to Oregon, renting a car will be your best option.
Check out current rental car prices and a comparison of different companies here.
READ MORE | Skip the Expensive Rental Car Insurance with this Credit Card!
Both of us behind ArboursAbroad were raised in Oregon exploring the ins and outs of this beautiful state. Head on over to our Oregon Travel Page to get more insider tips on Oregon!
Traveling through the United States can be a daunting task, so when we took time to explore the southern bits of the US, we made the national parks along the way direct our path.
Check out what other US National Parks listed by state there are for you to explore during your time in the states!
