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Travel and Lifestyle Blog by Rachel Iverson Breece

Oregon Road Trip

Featuring Crater Lake National Park

Hello Everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve posted, so I’m more excited than ever to share details from my most recent road trip with you all. If you have visited my blog previously you probably know that my husband and I made a pact to visit all of the US National Parks- together. Even though I have already visited Crater Lake National Park, my husband had not. So CLNP was next on our list and since the entire state of Oregon is unlike anywhere else, we decided to plan an Oregon Road trip to see basically the entire state.

Okay, let me first say…Oregon is the hidden gem of the PNW, especially for the outdoor enthusiast..like myself :). The first thing I noticed when visiting was that Oregon has a law where you can’t pump your own gas so an attendant does it for you….amazing right?!?! For a second I thought it was 1995 again in the tiny town I grew up in but I realized quickly this was the case throughout the entire state. Can it get any better than that? Alright, let me share more details from the trip before I get carried away.

Crater Lake

Northern Oregon

Portland

The first stop on our road trip was Portland. I could write an entire post on Portland itself because there is so much to do and see, especially if you love food, craft beer, and entertainment. But for the sake of time I’ll just quickly share a list of some of my favorites in Portland.

  • McMenamins Crystal Ballroom – Great entertainment
  • Eat Donuts- Blue Star Donuts or VooDoo are both amazing 🙂
  • Shopping downtown- Powells City of Books is a must
  • Pittock Mansion
  • Tour Downtown on Bike
  • Portland Japanese Graden
  • Food Tours – I recommend Forktown Food Tours- https://forktown.com/

Columbia River Gorge

Our second stop was Columbia River Gorge. This is a prefect day trip as it’s only 45 minutes from Portland and a giant outdoor playground- perfect for hikers and sightseers. You can also visit one of the many breweries in the area. There is nothing like a good craft beer after a long day hiking. Here are the best stops for hikes in the gorge.

  • Multnomah Falls (great for everyone)
  • Bridal Veil Falls (short hike)
  • Punchbowl Falls (longer hike and you have to get wet)

While the Oneonta Gorge/Ponytail Falls hike is still closed due to the fire in 2017, I would also recommend this if its open during your visit.

  • Bridal Veil Falls
  • Multnomah Falls
  • Multnomah Falls

Cannon Beach

Next we visited Cannon Beach. We both fell in love with Cannon Beach thanks to the amazing views, wild beach, and tide pools where aquatic life thrives. I recommend this place for a relaxing weekend visit and you cant miss the following things to do.

  • Haystack Rock
  • Ecola State Park
  • Hug Point State Park (Theres even a waterfall here)
  • Cannon Beach Distillery
  • Walk through the downtown shops
  • Cannon Beach
  • Tide Pools

Southern Oregon

On day three we headed to Crater Lake National Park, but first we stopped at Umpqua National Forest. Even though it rained a little on the trip, by the time we arrived at our first stop, the sun was shining and it was beautiful. Within Umpqua National Forest, I recommend taking a short hike to see Toketee Waterfall. It’s one of the most unique waterfalls I have seen and most of the trail is very easy. When you reach the end of the trail, there is a lookout that is fenced in with a pretty decent view, however, the best view requires climbing down the cliff to the water. I would only recommend this for experienced hikers as it is very dangerous, however, once you get down to the bottom you will see why it was all worth it and one of the best photo ops ever.

After the hike to Toketee falls, head over to the Umpqua Hot Springs trailhead. A short hike later and you can relax, cliff-side in one of the many natural hot springs. This is a nude hot spring so if you are comfortable with that you dont even need to bring your swimming suit. 🙂

Crater Lake National Park

Finally, our last stop was Crater Lake National Park. Here we relaxed for night in the Crater Lake Lodge, did some hiking (of course), and enjoyed many cups of coffee and glasses of wine overlooking the blue lake. Here are my recommendations when visiting Crate Lake National Park:

  • Stay at Crate Lake Lodge- you wont regret it.
  • Visit Wizard Island by Boat
  • Watch the Sunset
  • Dine at the Crater Lake Lodge Dining Room
  • Have some wine on the terrace over looking the lake
  • Crater Lake/Wizard Island
  • Crate Lake Lodge
  • Crate Lake

Oregon Coast

The last part of our road trip, we drove the southern coast of Oregon. When planning the trip, we almost skipped this part but Im sure glad we didn’t. This part of Oregon seems to operate a little slower which is perfect for a relaxing road trip. Here are the places we stopped that we loved:

  • Brookings – We Stayed at the Beachfront Inn and it was very affordable with great views.
  • Samual H Bordman State Park
  • Sister’s Rock State Park
  • Sea Lion Caves

Well that wraps up our exciting trip to Oregon. If you ever have a chance to visit this gorgeous state, be sure to go. Thanks for reading along and, as always, comment with your Oregon experiences.

Xo,

Rachel

Guide to Visiting Great Smoky Mountain National Park

  • Grotto Falls, Smokey Mountain NP

Hi Everyone,

I’m excited for you to read about one of my favorite places- Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Even though this park isn’t on the quiet side when it comes to visitors, there is still plenty of space for solitude and adventure. The amount of hiking trails, waterfalls, wildlife, and accessibility to bars and restaurants is rare for park boasting this much beauty. So, without further ado, here are the best things to do in and near Great Smoky Mountain National Park. 🙂

Hiking

The smoky mountains are home to some amazing hikes, many of which include waterfalls…..and who can say no to waterfalls?? Here is a list of some of my favorites:

  • Gatlinburg Trail
  • Spruce Flat Falls
  • Cades Cove

-Grotto Falls (Easy) – 2.6 miles

-Spruce Flat Falls (Moderate) – 1.8 miles

-Laurel Falls (Moderate) – 2.4 miles

-Abrams Falls (Moderate) – 5.5 miles

-Mt. LeConte by way of Alum Cave (Hard) – 10 miles

-Rainbow Falls (Moderate) – 5 miles

Wine Tasting

When most people think of National Parks, wine tasting isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind. Well, good news for all you winos, there are numerous wineries and even a “wine trail” available very close the the park. The wine trail includes the following wineries:

  • Hillside Winery
  • Apple Barn Winery
  • Apple Barn Cider House
  • Mountain Valley Winery
  • Mill Bridge Winery

Tip: If you plan to do the wine trail, be sure to have a designated driver because you must drive between each winery. Otherwise you can take the shuttle.

Lodging

When it comes to National Parks, I always opt to to stay in the park if possible. However, LeConte Lodge, in Smoky Mountain National Park is a bit different than most national park lodges. First off, the only way to get to Mt. LeConte is by hiking approximately 5.5 miles (one way) as there are no roads. There are many paths to Mt. LeConte, however, I recommend going by way of Alum Cave. Once you reached the summit, it will all make sense why you traveled the difficult path to get there. The views are amazing and you can’t get any closer to wilderness than this. To read more about a hiking trip to Mt. LeConte, click here.

I know that hiking 5 plus miles to your lodge isn’s always an option. So if you aren’t up to hiking to your hotel, here are some other wonderful options that you can drive to :):

  • Dancing Bear Lodge
    • This is in Townsend, TN, which is known as the quiet side of the mountain, and is located right next to Cades Cove Cellar.
  • Cabin rentals (VRBO or Airbnb)
    • Both Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are busy but most cabins are outside of town and offer some solitude while still being close to activities.
  • Greenbrier Campground
  • Dancing Bear Lodge
  • Dancing Bear Lodge S’mores

Other Things to Do

Besides hiking and just enjoying nature, there are a ton of other activities to partake in while visiting Smoky Mountain NP. Here are some of my favorites:

  • Drive (or bike) the Cades Cove Loop
  • Horseback Riding (I recommend Cades Cove Riding Stables)
  • Walk downtown Gatlinburg and explore the great shops and restaurants
  • Go Fly Fishing- Fly Fishing the Smokies offers guided tours and information on permits.
  • Anakeesta Theme Park – This theme park is a bit more special because it offers a gorgeous canopy walk through the woods, great view and a great place to get a beer.
  • Catch a Show at Dolly Parton’s Stampede

As you can imagine, the Smoky Mountains are really something special. I hope I have inspired you to get out there and plan your first (or next) trip to this amazing park!

Xo,

Rachel

Day Trip Guide to Dry Tortugas National Park

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Back in January of 2018, my husband and I decided that our next travel goal was to experience every single US National Park. While I have been visiting National Parks for as long as I can remember with my family, my husband is new to this and has a little catching up to do! 🙂 However, one park that I had not been to (until last weekend) was Dry Tortugas National Park, which is a chain of islands 70 miles off the coast of Key West. Since this is one of the most remote National Parks, and many people aren’t even aware it’s there, I am sharing our experience with you today.

Yankee Freedom

How to Get There

Okay, so there are three ways to get to Dry Tortguas, all of which leave from Key West, including:

We opt to take the ferry as it is the most affordable and let me tell you….it was amazing! We were not only served lunch, but also breakfast and endless coffee and water during the excursion. The staff was extremely helpful and super enthusiastic- which I always appreciate!

Pro Tip: Since the ferry is the most affordable, it commonly sells out so be sure to book your ticket as early as possible.

It takes about two hours, one-way, to get to Fort Jefferson (The fort is on the main island of Dry Tortugas- Garden Key). I will say that the seas were a little high the day of our tour so some people got a little seasick. This is rare as the ferry is quite large and takes waves very well but if you are prone to motion or seasickness, I recommend taking precautions early on to avoid this as it can really ruin your trip.

What to Do

Once the ferry reaches land at Fort Jefferson, you will have about four hours to explore. Here are some ideas of what to do while on the island.

  • Tour the Fort
  • Snorkel
  • Fish
  • Walk to Neighboring Island Bush Key (this can be done only at low tide by a sandbar)

The history at the fort is undeniable and the stories told by the tour guide on the group-led tour are very interesting. Also, as the “Tortugas” name indicates, turtles are plentiful here so I definitely recommend taking some time to go snorkeling as you may get see one of these beautiful creatures.

Pro Tip: The Yankee Freedom provides snorkeling gear so there is no reason to bring your own unless you prefer your own gear

Once the time was up on the island, we started the two-hour long trek back to Key West. During this time you can change into warmer clothes (if necessary) and grab a drink from the bar and just relax. Depending on what time of year you go you may even get lucky and see a sunset.

Overall, this National Park exceeded my expectations and I recommend taking the trip out to Fort Jefferson if you plan to visit Key West at any point in the future.

If you end up visiting the park, comment below on your experience.

Xo,

Rachel

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