Our Oregon travel reporters’ best trips of 2024

What do a haunted vineyard, a glacial lake and a tiny house have in common? All were among some of our favorite trips through Oregon this year.

Our reporters covered a lot of ground in 2024, driving out to the coast, up into the Cascade Mountains and out through eastern Oregon. Along the way, we found plenty to love about our state.

Where else can you stumble upon a series of stunning waterfalls just off the highway? Or find a town that has more monarch butterflies than people? Or go on a light-up nighttime kayaking tour in the mountains?

Oregon is just a special kind of place. Here are our best trips from around the state in 2024:

Elkton

About 150 miles south of Portland and 35 miles east of Reedsport, the tiny town of Elkton — a community of about 200 people — is home to 12 vineyards and six wineries.

There’s no hotel in Elkton, but visitors can stay overnight in a yurt on the property of Bradley Vineyards. It’s a cozy, peaceful retreat with no wifi or television, but a large stack of vintage vinyl records to play.

The town’s other claim to fame is the Elkton Community Education Center, which is home to a butterfly raising program that releases more than 500 monarch butterflies each year. The 43-acre education center is also a worthy tourist stop, home to a replica 1830s trading fort, library, café, gift shop and native plant gardens.

— S.S.

Gold Hill

October is a great time for a trip to one of the state’s spookiest small towns: Gold Hill, in southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley. The tiny town is home to the Oregon Vortex and House of Mystery, a roadside attraction where objects seem to roll uphill and people’s heights appear to change.

And it’s where you can visit the supposedly haunted tasting room at Del Rio Vineyards.

If you visit near Halloween, you can also stop by the “Goonies”-themed haunted house run by the Gold Hill Historical Society. That building is also said to be home to a resident ghost.

Top off this haunted getaway with an overnight stay at Oregon’s oldest continually operating hotel, the Wolf Creek Inn & Tavern, just 35 miles north near Grants Pass. Throughout October, the hotel is awash in skeletons, scarecrows and pumpkins. The decor adds to the already-eerie ambiance of the 141-year-old hotel, which was even a filming site for a 2017 episode of the TV show “Ghost Adventures.”

— S.S.

North Bend/Coos Bay

The towns of North Bend and Coos Bay are so close, they’re worth including together for a trip to the southern Oregon coast.

In North Bend, you’ll find the Itty Bitty Inn, a quirky sci-fi and 1970’s-kitsch motel where each room has a different theme. The most popular booking is the Star Trek room, designed to replicate the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. Other rooms are tributes to tiki lounges, disco and the Oregon Trail.

Grab breakfast in nearby Coos Bay at So It Goes Coffeehouse, a place that owner John Beane described as “an old school, used books, really bad poetry readings, punk rock music and late nights” kind of coffeeshop that serves as a “generator of ideas and creative energy.”

And Beane himself brings lots of creative energy to the coastal town. He directed a Shakespearian parody of “Anchorman” at the historic Liberty Theatre, which celebrated its 100th year in 2024.

—S.S.

Broken Top Loop

My favorite backpacking trip this year was over the course of three days this past August along Broken Top Loop trail. The 24-mile trail, located a short drive from Sisters, offers countless mountain peak views, emerald lakes, creek crossings and sunshine.

This Central Oregon loop trail can be broken into an ideal two-night trip, with excellent established campsites.

Listen: How to spend 3 days backpacking Broken Top Loop: Peak Northwest podcast

—V.C.

Rogue Umpqua Scenic Byway

Oregon 138 is now my go-to route when traveling from Portland to Crater Lake. Known as the Rogue Umpqua Scenic Byway, or even as southern Oregon’s highway of waterfalls, the highway has countless stops to stretch your legs and give your eyes a treat.

If you are short on time, like I was during my late summer trip, be sure to at least stop at Toketee Falls, Watson Falls, Whitehorse Falls and Clearwater Falls. All of these waterfalls are easily accessible either by a short trail or a walk from the parking lot.

—V.C.

ROCKAWAY BEACH

I’ve been sleeping on Rockaway Beach for years. While I had driven through the north Oregon coast town plenty, stopping by for the occasional fish and chips or pirate festival, I hadn’t done a proper overnighter since I was a toddler.

That changed this past spring, when my partner and I spent a full weekend in town, determined to get a good feel for the place. An afternoon walking the beach, eating corn dogs at The Original Pronto Pup and hiking to the Rockaway Big Tree was a great start. And after popping into every shop in town, we discovered a true gem, Oregon Du Drops, which makes art out of recycled lightbulbs and collected rain.

Our verdict? While Rockaway Beach isn’t quite up to par with bigger north coast destinations like Cannon Beach or Astoria, there really is a lot to love here. It’s certainly more than just a drive-through town.

Listen: What to see, eat and do in Rockaway Beach: Peak Northwest podcast

— J.H.

ANOTHER TRIP TO JOSEPH

Somehow, without realizing it, I have traveled to Joseph six times in the last eight years. Something about this corner of Northeast Oregon keeps calling me back, season after season.

At this point, I feel like I’ve done it all, from the Wallowa Lake Tram to a tour of Hells Canyon. But what’s so incredible is that I always find something new to do out there. This last trip I joined a nighttime light-up kayaking tour of Wallowa Lake, met the folks behind the fascinating M. Crow general store, and hiked along the old Wallowa River Railroad. The Kokanee Inn, my basecamp for the trip, immediately became my new favorite lodging option in town.

So have I finally reached the end of my northeast Oregon bucket list? Not even close. I still haven’t done a railriding tour, for example. There are still some spots I’d love to hike in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. And can I really say I’ve done Joseph if I haven’t played mini golf at Matterhorn Village? I’ll have to go back.

Listen: Light-up kayaks, railroad hikes and more to do in Joseph: Peak Northwest podcast

— J.H.

TINY HOUSE WITH A TINY BABY

My partner and I took our new, tiny baby on her very first overnighter: a trip to a tiny house on the slopes of Oregon’s tallest mountain. Incredibly, we managed to pack everything she would need – though we did forget a few very important items for ourselves. New parenting is a trip.

Our time at the Mt. Hood Tiny House Village was cramped but cozy. In the night, we cooked dinner in the tiny kitchen, then went outside to make a fire and do some stargazing. The next day we did some quick autumn adventures on Mount Hood, including a stroll along the forested, paved pathways at the Wildwood Recreation Site, and a stop at Timberline Lodge to drink mochas by the fire.

We also learned some great lessons about traveling with a baby, like the difficulty of carrying a sleeping infant up the precarious ladders used inside those tiny houses, and the struggle of strolling up an icy hill in the snow.

Listen: A little trip to a tiny house off the slopes of Mount Hood: Peak Northwest Podcast

— J.H.