Town · 28 min southeast
Ashland
A theater town with Lithia Park and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- None; theater tickets extra
Day Trippin' › Oregon › From Medford
Day trips from Medford
From Medford, Crater Lake is about an hour and a half away, Ashland and Jacksonville are minutes, and the Rogue River's gorge, falls and wild coast are all in reach. The best day trips from Medford, by drive time.
14 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Medford
- Ashland 28 min southeast
- Table Rocks 30 min north
- Lake of the Woods and Mount McLoughlin 1 hr 5 min east
- Mill Creek Falls 1 hr 15 min northeast
- Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges 1 hr 23 min east
- Rogue River Gorge and Natural Bridge 1 hr 31 min northeast
- Oregon Caves 1 hr 55 min southwest
- Wildlife Safari 2 hr 9 min northwest
- Crater Lake National Park 2 hr 30 min northeast
- Watson Falls 2 hr 33 min north
Within an hour from Medford 2 spots
Trail · 30 min north
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
1 to 2 hours from Medford 5 spots
Lake · 1 hr 5 min east
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 · 1 hr 23 min east
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
Viewpoint · 1 hr 31 min northeast
Rogue River Gorge and Natural Bridge
The Rogue River squeezes through a narrow lava gorge and vanishes under a natural bridge.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Spring-fall (site open about April-Nov)
- No pass or fee needed
Waterfall · 1 hr 15 min northeast
Mill Creek Falls
A short trail near Prospect to a 173-foot falls and the boulder-filled Avenue of Giant Boulders.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- None (check)
National monument · 1 hr 55 min southwest
Oregon Caves
Marble cave tours deep in the Siskiyou Mountains.
- 2-3 hrs · Moderate
- Spring-fall (tours about late March to early Nov)
- Cave tour tickets (Recreation.gov or on site)
2 to 3 hours from Medford 5 spots
National park · 2 hr 30 min northeast
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
Wildlife · 2 hr 9 min northwest
Wildlife Safari
A drive-through park with cheetahs, bears and giraffes.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
Waterfall · 2 hr 33 min north
Watson Falls
One of Oregon's tallest waterfalls at 293 feet, a short hike from the road.
- 1 hr · Easy to moderate
- Spring-fall
- No pass or fee needed
Hot spring · 2 hr 51 min north
Umpqua Hot Springs
Rustic hot pools on a bluff above the North Umpqua River.
- 2 hrs · Moderate
- Year-round
- Day-use fee or NW Forest Pass
Waterfall · 2 hr 38 min north
Toketee Falls
A two-step falls over columnar basalt on the North Umpqua.
- 1 hr · Easy
- Year-round
- No pass or fee needed
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 97501 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.