Oregon in September

[kiteipix]

I'm going to Oregon in September. Plans for now are to do it right after labor

day. I should have about 6 full days to shoot. I'm thinking 3 days on the coast

and three up in the mountains/high desert around Sisters. First question.

Does that sound like a reasonable plan. Does early September sound like a

good time. Most important. What should I not miss. I'm shooting medium

format and I'll be with folks shooting medium and large format so wildlife isn't

the focus. Landscapes, seascapes, and if something flies or walks into the

frame, we'll shoot that too. I'd love to hear from someone who knows the area

how they would spend 6 days. Or how they have spent their time and whether

it was successful.

 

Mike Kitei

[david_henderson]

Having spent much of last September on the Oregon coast (following previous visits in 1998 and 2001) I'm seriously thinking of doing the same this year. I've also photographed in the interior from Hood River down to Crater Lake. To my mind there is no comparison- it's the coast that defines Oregon and with only six days I wouldn't split it.

 

My ideal might be a couple of days based in each of Brookings, Bandon and Yachats.

[awahlster]

Don't plan on being in the woods here in Oregon this Spet. chances are with the current conditions if a LOT of rain doesn't happen this summer they will close a LOT of the woods due to fire damger It is going to one of the worst on record if things don't change fast.

 

I used to be in a Pool of Fire bus drivers and they normally would contact drivers in about mid May to early June. They called me last week after not having worked for them for five years to ask if I was available these people have provided old school buses and drivers to the forest service and state for over 40 years they know what they are doing I talked to one of the guys from theor shop and he told me they were putting together 12 more buses for this year and hoped having 30 total would be enough!..

[blknwhtfoto]

I've lived in oregon all my life. The mid-the northern coast is what you should focus on, it'll take about a 2.5-3 hour drive to get there from portland. and then don't miss the gorge, drive down the Historic George Highway and skip I-84, its gross. The Historic(or histeric depending on how fast you like to drive on curvy roads) Hwy'll give you beautiful sun rise/set stuff, lots of lush forest shots etc. Also, you could go down to hood river and check out the best windsurfing in the country. Then check out the dessert. I've never been too impressed with that, maybe you'd wanna check out the Rainforest in tillamook(its near the coast) hmmm...whatelse. There is a Nature Conservancy park called Cascade Head outside of Lincoln City on the coast. It is absolutely beautiful. About a mile hike up, to a grassy meadow, with the last remaining silver spot butterflies on the west coast. It is absolutley beautiful. Rain is part of our landscape! Don't be afraid of it, it'll go either way at the beach, rain or shine, no in betweens. Email me if you'd like more information.

Mike Perrault

[greg s]

"Does early September sound like a good time."

 

For the coast, that's a great month. I think you may have to play it by ear with regards to inland photography. Example: Sometimes the visibility in the Columbia Gorge can be fine that time of year, and some years there is significant haze due to wildfires, dust, etc. I'm refering to sweeping Gorge scenic view photography. For the waterfalls this is less important. As mentioned, this is shaping up as a historical dry season.

 

The Sisters region is very nice... you may want to drive down to Crater Lake if you haven't been there before, again depending on conditions. Something to keep in mind is the opportunity to drive north to the Olympic Peninsula (a couple hrs) as an option if needed.

 

Cheers, -Greg-

[tri_tran3]

Silver Falls State Park by Salem is another alternative for waterfalls shots. I agree that the Oregon's coast is one of the most beautiful. Ecola State Park next to Canon Beach is a good location to start with, there are many more along Highway 101.

Have fun

[macgregor_anderson]

Here is a link to a site that may have some good info for you.

 

http://pacificnw.naturephotographers.net/

 

Check out the forum.

 

I live near Sisters. If you have any specific questions feel free to email me and I'll try to help you out.

 

Mac

[john_demott]

September normally has great weather with warm temperatures and clear skies. As an earlier poster mentioned, snowpacks are extremely low at this time and it is likely to have a big impact on stream flows, etc., later in the year. Certainly, you always have the possibility that you will have to change your plans if a particular area is experiencing fire conditions.

 

You could easily spend more than 6 days either on the coast or in the mountains, so how you divide your time is just a question of preference. Sisters is a great location with access to a number of wonderful hikes, etc. in the mountains. You might also consider the Sunriver area, which gives you access to the Three Sisters area in the mountains and the mountain lakes of Century Drive, but also has more access to high desert areas and the Deschutes River, and is closer to Crater Lake if you're inclined to visit that National Park.

 

If I were spending three days along the coast, I would focus on either the northern portion of the coast, say from Astoria to Newport, or the southern section from Florence south to California. Both have lots to offer and I don't see a reason to prefer one over the other photographically. The northern portion is more heavily populated. Astoria has some interesting spots in town with decaying fishing wharves, old Victorian style houses, etc. In the south there is the Oregon dunes area. Both the north and south coasts have areas of rocky headlands, lighthouses, beaches, tidal pools, etc.

 

If this is your first visit to Oregon, you should at least consider traveling through the Columbia River Gorge to see the waterfalls, although stream flows will be low at that time of year. Do a search on Oregon here on photo.net and I think you will find a number of other threads with suggestions on photo locations. Oregon is a big state with lots of wonderful scenery so you will find plenty to do and things to photograph by just picking an area and exploring.

[rosswordhouse.com]

If you want to see what is around central oregon, please visit my site. Almost every

nature image is about an hour from Bend.

 

You might hit a little hidden jem called Opal Creek, it just down the highway from

silver falls. This is a secret little local spot, well, not secret any more. :-)

 

If you find yourself in Bend then drive up the cascade lakes highway and take the

green lakes trail head. There about 5-6 falls going up one trail between brokentop

and south sister. You might hit it with a lot of color. If you find yourself in bend, stop

on by my gallery on Minnesota street in downtown bend. i'll fill you in on what's going

off in central oregon.

 

www.rosswordhouse.com

[don_baccus]

I've lived in Oregon forever ... I was at Champoeg, actually (OK, a little inside joke/exaggeration for my fellow Oregonians in this thread) ...

 

September's a bit early for the best colors in the Cascades (where the best colors tend to be in otherwise ugly clearcuts anyway) or the drier eastern mountains (where you get nice aspen stands).

 

Regardless ... with only six days, if you plan to go to the coast, spend ALL your time at the coast. Otherwise, you'll spend too much time driving, too little time shooting.

 

If you're going inland ... skip the coast. For a first time visitor wanting to photograph over six days, though, I think the coast offers more low-hanging fruit. I'd personally start Tillamook and head south, shooting and stopping whenever something catches my eye, and at the last minute shoot back to PDX to catch my plane if I were in your shoes. Keep it simple and keep it flexible and stick to the coast for this visit.

 

Just IMO of course!

[mark cohran]

I would agree with most of the posters that you want to spend most of your time at the coast - Ecola Point, Canon Beach, the driftwood at Cape Mears, the lighthouses (Heceta Head, Yaquina Point, and Cape Mears), as well as some of the coastal forests and waterways. Newport Bay is great for seaport scenics and there are several nice waterfalls in the Tillamook forest. If you do decide to go inland, the most accessible waterfalls are in the Columbia River Gorge or in Silver Falls State Park.

[mike f]

As a resident of Oregon for over 50 years - all of the above. Whatever Don Baccus says is gospel. I love Bandon when it has a good sunset. There will be little water in the falls this year due to the dry winter. The Steens mountains can be wonderful but too far for you to do them and the coast. Check out "photo opps" on my web site for some more ideas. But, if it is a first trip, I would say the coast will make you come backagain and again.

 

http://www.ordata.com/~lmforbes

[Mike D]

There are places with a lot of fall color in Oregon around September/October. Several years ago I visited a little park called Lithia Park in Ashland. Absolutely beautiful.

 

http://mdougherty.com/100-THEPHOTOEXPERIENCE/110-LOCATIONS/00-lithiapark/00-LithiaPark-00-intro.htm

[greg s]

Seems like you're generaly being directed to the coast. Two parks that are a 'must' on the north Oregon coast are Ecola SP and Oswald West SP. Be sure to stop at the large roadside parking lot at Oswald, then take the trail down to the beach. Looking out you will see a dramatic bay with Falcon Point to the north. Walk the trail out to Falcon Point for at least a mile or so. You will be walking through an old growth spruce forest... it's beautiful and there are good opportunities for forest photography (big trees & native ground cover). It's a freebie too, no entrance charge. -Greg-

[kiteipix]

A big thank you to all of the photographers who responded to my question

about my upcoming Oregon trip. As usual the answers were pertinent and

valuable and I will take all of your input into consideration.

 

Thanks again

 

Mike