Wildlife · 39 min southeast
Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge
A driving tour along marshes that fill with huge flocks of waterfowl in migration, with bald eagles in winter.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (best October to April)
- Free
Day Trippin' › Oregon › From Klamath Falls
Day trips from Klamath Falls
Klamath Falls sits on Upper Klamath Lake: Lake of the Woods is under 45 minutes away, Tule Lake's bird refuge and the Lava Beds caves just over the California line within about an hour, and Crater Lake and Mount Shasta each under an hour and a half. The best day trips from Klamath Falls, by drive time.
47 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Klamath Falls
- Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge 39 min southeast
- Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges 40 min northwest
- Lake of the Woods and Mount McLoughlin 44 min west
- Lava Beds National Monument 1 hr 7 min south
- Ashland 1 hr 19 min west
- Crater Lake National Park 1 hr 21 min north
- Mount Shasta 1 hr 26 min south
- Burney Falls 2 hr 14 min south
- Sundial Bridge 2 hr 22 min south
- Smith Rock State Park 2 hr 39 min north
Within an hour from Klamath Falls 3 spots
Lake · 44 min west
Lake of the Woods and Mount McLoughlin
A mountain lake with swimming, boating and a volcano view.
- Half day · Easy
- Summer (day-use sites about late May to mid-Sept)
- Day-use fee (federal passes not accepted)
Wildlife · 40 min northwest
Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges
Huge flocks of migrating birds and wintering bald eagles on a drive-through route.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Fall-spring
- No pass or fee needed
1 to 2 hours from Klamath Falls 16 spots
Town · 1 hr 19 min west
Ashland
A theater town with Lithia Park and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- None; theater tickets extra
National park · 1 hr 21 min north
Crater Lake National Park
The deepest lake in the US, impossibly blue, inside a collapsed volcano.
- Full day · Easy to moderate
- Rim Drive about July-Oct; snow most of the year
- NPS entrance fee
Town · 1 hr 26 min south
Mount Shasta
A small mountain town under the 14,000-foot volcano, where you can fill a bottle at the headwaters of the Sacramento River in City Park.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
National monument · 1 hr 7 min south
Lava Beds National Monument
More than 700 lava tube caves to explore on your own, plus Modoc War history and wide open volcanic views.
- Full day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- NPS entrance fee (per vehicle) or America the Beautiful pass
Wildlife · 1 hr 56 min north
Lava Lands and Lava River Cave
A mile-long lava tube and a drive up Lava Butte in Newberry National Volcanic Monument.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Mid-May to mid-Sept (cave closed the rest of the year)
- Recreation pass; timed cave ticket per vehicle (Recreation.gov)
Trail · 1 hr 26 min west
Table Rocks
Flat-topped mesas with spring wildflowers and views over the Rogue Valley.
- 2-3 hrs · Moderate
- Spring best
- No pass or fee needed
Waterfall · 1 hr 32 min south
Hedge Creek Falls
A short walk in Dunsmuir to a 30-foot waterfall you can stand behind, with a view of the Sacramento River and Mount Shasta.
- 1 hr · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Scenic drive · 1 hr 40 min south
Bunny Flat
Drive the Everitt Memorial Highway up to about 7,000 feet for close-up views of Mount Shasta, with snow play in winter and trailheads in summer.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
2 to 3 hours from Klamath Falls 28 spots
State park · 2 hr 39 min north
Smith Rock State Park
Towering rock walls above the Crooked River, a top climbing spot with river trails for everyone.
- Half day · Easy to hard
- Year-round; summer is hot
- Oregon State Parks day-use parking permit
Waterfall · 2 hr 14 min south
Burney Falls
A 129-foot curtain of spring-fed water pours over mossy basalt all year; many call it California's most beautiful waterfall.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- California State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)
Landmark · 2 hr 22 min south
Sundial Bridge
A glass-decked footbridge over the Sacramento River in Redding that works as a giant sundial, linked to miles of river trails.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Town · 2 hr 10 min north
Bend
A mountain town on the Deschutes River with breweries, river floats and Pilot Butte.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Viewpoint · 2 hr 38 min north
Peter Skene Ogden and Crooked River Gorge
A 300-foot-deep gorge spanned by highway and railroad bridges.
- 30 min · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Cave · 2 hr 44 min south
Subway Cave
A self-guided walk through a lava tube about a third of a mile long, cool and pitch dark.
- 1 hr · Easy to moderate
- Open about late April to October
- Free
Wildlife · 2 hr 56 min northwest
Wildlife Safari
A drive-through park with cheetahs, bears and giraffes.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
Scenic drive · 2 hr 20 min north
Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway
A high loop past Mount Bachelor, Sparks Lake and a string of alpine lakes.
- Half day · Easy
- Summer-fall (closed west of Mt. Bachelor about mid-Nov to late May)
- Recreation pass at some trailheads and day-use sites
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 97601 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.