Growing up in the Midwest, we had very distinct seasons: Spring began mid-March and wrapped up by Memorial Day. Dry summer days lasted until we went back to school. Fall lasted from early September through Halloween, and winter began with cool crisp days in early November until the cycle would start all over again. Living in the Northwest, however, means the traditional seasons mean nothing. I went for a hike last week (late May), and we had to abandon our hike because of dangerous snow. In May! (Editor’s Note: Today is June 5th and I wore my puffer coat to walk the dog.) (Author’s Note: I am both the author and editor. -Laura)
In planning my epic roadtrip (I still don’t have a good name for it yet, pls submit suggestions), I deliberately wanted my trip to happen in May. May is before school is out and families trek en masse to national parks across the country. May is not yet blazing hot, drought ridden, wildfire weather. May is springtime sunshine, cute day dresses, perfect hiking weather.
However, that was Midwest Laura thinking. May is different on the West Coast. May is still winter. PNW Laura has still not entirely wrapped her head around this.
In the mountains, home to most of the parks we visited, there is only winter and summer. There is no in between. It is winter until the snow mostly melts off, then there are a few short months of bluebird-sunny days. (Note: in Seattle, we have more than two seasons. Winter lasts from October-April, May is false summer, June is gloom, July-August is summer, and September is spider szn.) Every park we visited had restrictions on what was open, both due to Covid and winter. That was especially evident at Oregon Caves, in Cave Junction, Oregon.
I primarily wanted to visit Oregon Caves because an old high school friend is a park ranger there. The fact that I could get a national parks passport stamp I otherwise would not have may have helped. I am nothing if not predictable. Since the execution of Epic Road Trip 2021 was fairly last minute, Ranger Jamie wasn’t sure if she’d be able to meet up with us. The park was getting ready to open for summer, and she wasn’t sure if she’d have service to get our texts to head down the mountain to see us. She would also be leading a training in a nearby town the rest of the week.
Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve is located in Cave Junction, Oregon, and covers 4500 acres. Cave Junction is about 40 minutes from Grants Pass, but it’s VERY important to know that Oregon Caves is about thirty to forty minutes from Cave Junction itself, 20 miles up a twisty mountain road. Despite all of my reading, I well and truly missed that OCNMP was located a thirty minute drive outside of town until the day before we went. It wasn’t until Ranger J mentioned that she wouldn’t be able to come down the mountain to meet us for lunch that everything clicked. She meant that literally. Read the internet and plan ahead.
Visiting OCNMP in Spring Winter
First, stop for coffee and breakfast in Cave Junction. We got both at a hole-in-the-wall called CJ’s Coffee (25870 Redwood Hwy, Cave Junction, OR), and the breakfast burritos were delicious. Stop to eat at the picnic tables at Cave Junction Jubilee Park (307 S Junction Ave).
Then head to the Illinois Valley Visitors Center (201 Cave Highway, Cave Junction, OR), in the heart of Cave Junction. This regional Visitors Center doubles as the Oregon Caves Visitor Center, and has friendly rangers, stamps for your passports, restrooms, water bottle filler, and a gift shop! The gift shop theme is BATS, and it’s adorable. The rangers there can let you know what is open at the top of the mountain, book cave tour tickets (when open), and give you a map. When we visited, the visitor center at the top was unstaffed and not yet open. Cell service at the top if also sketchy, so it’s important to bring a map with you. If you are reading this post in the future, the historic visitor center in the park should be open. Since bats are vitally important at OCNMP, rangers will verify that if you are going into the cave, you are not bringing equipment, gear, shoes or clothes worn in other caves. This prevents the spread of White Nose Disease in bats.
Next, drive the forty minutes up the very windy twenty-mile road. You’ll run out of cell signal, so download that Spotify playlist or Office Ladies podcast ahead of time. At the top of the mountain, there are restrooms, the historic Chalet (closed for renovation), and the historic Visitors Center. Stretch your legs and walk around to take in the view. Have a small heart attack when you see a mountain lion lounging on top of the kiosks. Get your vision checked when you realize it’s a statue, and realize the NPS has a weird sense of humor.
In the winter, the thing to do in Oregon Caves is hike because everything else is closed. The visitor center and cave tours are open late spring through fall. Oregon Caves has several miles of trails, ranging from the sub-mile Nature Trail, to the 8-mile Mt. Elijah Loop trail to the main peak in OCNMP. Oregon Caves is at about 4000 feet, so it does receive snow in the winter, but roads remain open as long as they are passable. We had Trusty Pup with us, so we chose to “hike” the Nature Trail up paved road from the lower parking lot, around the closed gate, and up to the Visitors Center, then to the cave. The cave itself was closed by a gate, but we could peer into it. We could also see other vents from the cave on the trail itself.
If you do happen to visit in the summer, the Rogue River area is near Grants Pass, and is a popular summer destination for hiking and kayaking. We were just a little too early in the season to go kayaking (peep the puffer coat above). If you do go, Nuggets Falls has Class IV rapids that you can raft (af link). (P.S. Did you know Hi Friends It’s Julia was a professional rafting guide????? It’s true!)
Where to Stay near Oregon Caves
Ideally, you would be able to stay in the historic Historic Oregon Caves Chateau the heart of Oregon Caves, one of the “Great Lodges” of the National Park system. Unfortunately, the Chateau is closed while it undergoes renovations. 2 Travel Dads visited OCNMP several years ago and were able to stay there. Check it out to add to your bucket list when it reopens.
Until then, I would recommend staying in Grants Pass and making a the caves a long day trip. Cave Junction is a small town, with few accommodations as far as I could tell. We stayed in a weird AirBnb* nearby, but you’re better off making Grants Pass the focal point of your stay.
Grants Pass is in the Rogue River area, with a ton of outdoorsy activities including hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and more. Book a kayaking trip on the Class IV rapids and let me know how fun it is! Grants Pass had lots of hotels and places to stay as well. GP, as the locals call it, is 40 minutes to CJ (Cave Junction), and then another 40 to the top. With a few hours in the park, plus lunch and breaks you could do the trip in about six hours total.
Overall, if you are visiting Oregon Caves, the time of year you visit is everything. OCNMP is one of the least-visited parks in the country, so even a summer visit won’t be too crowded. Base your trip out of Grants Pass to take advantage of the activities there, do a day trip to Oregon Caves, then head down the Redwood Highway into Crescent City to check out Redwood National and State Parks (what we did). Crater Lake National Park is a 2.5 hour drive from Oregon Caves, if you are heading back north.
*Our AirBnb was the studio/garage of a house in the woods off Caves Highway/46. The shower was in the bedroom and the toilet was off the kitchen. You read that right. If you want to stay in Cave Junction, maybe this treehouse paradise would be better?
Oregon Caves at a glance
- Base your trip out of Grants Pass – VRBO has some pet-friendly rentals (affiliate link).
- Book Oregon Caves tour tickets ahead of time
- Leave gear that’s been in other caves at home
- Stop at the Illinois Valley Visitors Center and say hi to Ranger Jamie
Resources
- Oregon Caves National Parks Site Page
- 2 Travel Dads went with kids several years ago
- American Southwest Dot Net has hiking information
- Rogue River has plenty of hiking and rafting trips to book to augment your visit to Oregon Caves
