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Southern Oregon is full of great things to do! With both of us being from Southern Oregon, we’ve been working on this list of things to do in Southern Oregon long before we even had the idea to write about it. While deciding what to do in Southern Oregon is totally up to you, we reckon if you’re visiting Oregon, you’re here to get outdoors and explore! We’ve got quite the list of epic outdoor adventures for you!
Many of these ideas are in fact free things to do in Southern Oregon, but you’ll notice some paid-for experiences too, all of which are very unique to the area.
Please remember, when experiencing Oregon’s beautiful outdoors, be respectful of nature and those visiting after you. Pack out what you pack in (including used toilet paper), practice the leave no trace principle (leaving the place as you found it), and be aware of fire restrictions + wildlife such as bears and cougars.
Free Things To Do In Southern Oregon
Float the Rogue River
One of the very best things to do in Southern Oregon is to access many of the rivers in the area. Grants Pass offers so many places to float the Rogue River. There are paid-for experiences like going down the river with rafting companies out of Merlin, or you could simply find a place to float the river on your own, using a kayak, tube, or paddleboard!
If you don’t have much river experience, we’d suggest taking a guided tour down the Lower Rogue with a company like Orange Torpedo. Otherwise, if you’re into just a simple float (which can be done in pool floaties for the brave), we suggest floating Chinook to Shroeder Park.
Learn more about the Rogue River and places to swim and float on the Rogue here.
Hike Table Rock
Both Upper and Lower Table Rock offer killer 360 views of the Rogue Valley for less than 4 miles of round-trip hiking. Both trails have bathrooms at the trailhead, though no amenities at the top or any water, so be sure to pack out what you pack in, and bring plenty of water and snacks for your hike.
Springtime brings gorgeous wildflowers into bloom, while summertime brings in the Rattlesnakes. Be aware that dogs are not allowed on these trails, and wildflower picking is prohibited due to some flowers growing here and nowhere else in the world!
Swim on the Applegate River
The Applegate River flows right out of Applegate Lake on the border of California and Oregon and runs all the way to the Rogue River in Grants Pass. With a much less swift current than the Rogue River, the Applegate is great for swimming and wading in the water.
While there aren’t many large swimming holes on the Applegate River, there are a number of nice small ones.
Stargaze at Mt. Ashland
Mount Ashland will always be near and dear to our hearts as we got married just above the Mt. Ashland ski lodge. We recently went up to Mt. Ashland and stayed at their free campground, and were amazed by the stars and even got to see the comet NEOWISE from the top of Mt. Ashland.
If stargazing isn’t your thing, head up to Mt. Ashland for some great mountain biking, hiking, and even free camping with awesome views down into California.
Watch More | Our Complete Mount Ashland Campground Review
Backpack the Rogue River Trail
The Rogue River Trail is a backpacking trail that takes you down along the lower part of the Rogue River, 37.1 miles past Grave Creek. It’s a difficult trail, though a gorgeous one, and is a great backpacking trail in Southern Oregon.
If you can shuttle cars, or arrange a ride to pick you up at the end of the trail, this is a free thing to do in Southern Oregon. However, if you can’t arrange your own ride, you’ll have to arrange a shuttle with the rafters going down, making it around $150! An insane fee!
The Rogue River Trail is not for those afraid of heights, and don’t expect to be on the water much, as you’re actually up higher than the water and in the sun for quite a bit of the trail. But it’s a great hike to do and one we totally recommend.
Walk Around Historic Jacksonville
Jacksonville is such a cute historic town. In fact, it reminds us of what we would stumble across in many places throughout Europe. GoodBean is a fantastic coffee shop in Jacksonville, and there are many cute shops and tasty restaurants too!
In the summer, you can find many events going on at the Britt, and even when there aren’t concerts happening, the Britt Gardens is a great place to relax at, take a hike, or even run through too! Lots of trails with great views to explore there!
Snorkel at the Illinois River
The Illinois River is probably our favorite river in Southern Oregon. With emerald green waters, deep clear swimming holes, and calm waters, it’s a great place to spend a day snorkeling or even scuba diving too!
Read more about the Illinois River, and find the perfect Illinois River swimming hole for you here!
Hike a Section of the Pacific Crest Trail
Have you heard of the PCT? It’s a trail that goes all the way from Mexico to Canada, spanning the entire length of the Pacific Coast. While hiking the entire Pacific Coast Trail would take months and a lot of preparation, you can hike portions of it in Southern Oregon.
Head out to Pilot Rock just outside of Ashland, and jump on the PCT for a great hike with killer views of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
LEARN MORE | All The National Parks + National Monuments in Oregon
Visit the Oregon Coast
Jay and I went back and forth about including a visit to the Oregon Coast in this post on things to do in Southern Oregon, however, I suppose technically the Southern bits of the Oregon coast are arguably Southern Oregon.
By far, our favorite bit of the Southern Oregon Coast is the Samuel H. Boardman scenic corridor.
The Oregon Coast is a great place to get out and escape. Visiting the Oregon Coast always clears our minds and gets us refocused and leaves us feeling refreshed.
READ MORE | Things To Do On The Oregon Coast
READ MORE | 11 Things To Do In Brookings, Oregon
Paid For Things to Do in Southern Oregon
Take A Boat Tour Down the Rogue River
Hellgate Jetboats offer a classic jet boat trip in Southern Oregon that actually ranks as the best boat trip in the Pacific Northwest. With fun drivers, killer views, bald eagle spottings, and even an all you can eat & drink restaurant on some of their tours, it’s a fun outing for all!
Enjoy the fresh wind in your face as you are guided down through the Hellgate Canyon hearing of the history of the Rogue River and surrounding area, while having the ride of a lifetime!
Visit the Oregon Caves
If you’ve got a 4th grader that goes to school in Oregon, their entry to the Oregon Caves is free. Likewise, if you have a National Parks Pass, cave tours are free for you and a couple of guests as well. Otherwise, there’s a small fee to pay with a great cave tour waiting for you — a great way to escape the summer heat as temperatures in the caves are constantly cool.
The Oregon Caves National Monument is one of five national monuments in Oregon and offers one-of-a-kind marble cave tours. The caves are typically open the end of March through November 1st each year. But be sure to check their website for updated opening times and to schedule your cave tour.
Go Wine Tasting in the Applegate Valley
One of our all time favorite things to do in Southern Oregon is go to a winery and do a sample flight of wine. We’re now to the point where we have favorite wines at different wineries, and will actually just buy an entire bottle to enjoy while relaxing and enjoying the views of the Applegate Valley.
Wine tasting is a great way to get outdoors, and most places in the Applegate Valley allow kids to join at wineries, and also let you bring in your own food making wine tasting a great family outing! Making it a rather cheap outing when you consider a flight of five to six tasters of wine is $10.
Be Perplexed at the House of Mystery
Growing up, we’ve always driven by the House of Mystery billboard on i5, however, always thought it was one of those gimmicky tourist attractions, and never made the time to visit. It wasn’t until this last year we visited The House of Mystery for the first time, and boy were we wrong!
We were just as excited and intrigued by the House of Mystery and Oregon Vortex as the kiddos surrounding us were. There’s something strange going on at this place, and it makes for a fun day out connecting with your inner child!
Go on a Safari
Yes, you read that right. In Southern Oregon, you can go on a Wildlife Safari where you will encounter ostrich, bears, giraffes, elephants and more!
Drive through Wildlife Safari and encounter the wildlife up close and personal, even feed them straight from your car! Be sure to check on Groupon before heading to Wildlife Safari, as they tend to always have deals on getting discounted rates, or two for one drive through prices!
Stand in Awe at Crater Lake National Park
Home to the deepest freshwater lake in the United States, Crater Lake National Park takes visitors’ breath away on a daily basis!
It truly is awe-inspiring being along the rim of Crater Lake staring down into the pristine blue waters below. While many people go and just stand in awe, there are also loads of outdoor activities to do at Crater Lake.
Crater Lake Rim Drive offers a great 33 miles cycle all the way around the entire lake. There’s amazing (although cold) swimming after a tough hike to the water, snowshoeing in the winter, and great star gazing at night! A bit of everything for everyone.
If visiting Crater Lake, make a stop at Oregon’s natural bridge along highway 62, and watch a river flow underground in a natural bridge that the water formed.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
While I’m not 100% sure we can recommend the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to you all, since Heather fell asleep during her 5th-grade field trip to a Shakespeare play, it is a very well-known festival in Oregon.
Held in Ashland, Oregon, the Shakespeare Festival brings in people who travel from far and wide to witness the plays. In all reality, the shows held at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival are surely phenomenal! Please, if you’ve been to one, let us know below!
Places to Stay in Southern Oregon
AirBnB | AirBnB is a great option for finding a place to stay in Southern Oregon. With many people offering entire homes for rent on AirBnB, you could have a whole home to yourself. This is a great option for saving money on food and being able to spend more on adventures!
If you’re hoping to stay with a local, don’t worry, AirBnB offers local stays too! What a great way to find out even more about the local area and even other places you may be traveling to!
Hotel Stays | If staying in someone else’s home doesn’t tickle your fancy, search for hotels in Southern Oregon here. The major towns in Southern Oregon like Medford, Grants Pass, Ashland, and Roseburg have some great hotel options. There’s even a casino in Southern Oregon called 7 Feathers that offers fantastic rooms and a killer spa!
Camping | Camping is a great money saver and memory maker! Southern Oregon isn’t short of places to camp! There are free campsites, paid-for campsites, and campgrounds run by the state, all offering a place to stay for under $20 USD.
Getting To And Around Southern Oregon
Flying | The “international” airport in Southern Oregon is Medford International Airport. Look for flights from your location to MFR (or Medford, Oregon), although fair warning prices for flying into Medford are a bit more than Portland, though Portland is a 4 hour drive north.
This is the search engine we use when booking flights. You could also look into flights to Eugene, Oregon. There are sometimes random good deals into that airport!
Rental Cars | If you’re not from the area or don’t have your own car, you’ll want to rent a car to get around Southern Oregon. Public transportation in Oregon is a joke, so renting a car is certainly your best bet!
Training | Klamath Falls, Oregon offers the only train stop in the area with the Amtrak trains. You can train to Klamath Falls from places all up and down the west coast and then rent a car from there to explore Southern Oregon.
