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A rare Oregon gem | Grant's Getaways

We can finally enjoy the taste of a sweet Oregon spring this weekend, and life could not be grander on a getaway that lets you poke around Western Oregon.

SALEM, Oregon — Salem’s Capitol Mall is a rare Oregon gem: A free state park meant for strolling and where a sweet Oregon spring’s in full swing!

You will find colorful blooms as you stroll the easy paths that also offer memorial markers for each of Oregon’s 36 counties, along with the dates they became official.

Glance skyward and see that the Capitol Mall is off to a stunning start as winter shakes off its grey-shaded coat and pink-tinged cherry blossoms steal the scene.

Park Ranger Mike Hoffmann called it a “highly detailed landscape” that offers thousands of varied plants and trees for visitors to enjoy:

“It’s planted to offer good color starting in spring and going thru the summer. as one of a handful of urban Oregon state parks, we are conveniently located and easy to find. It’s a beautiful place this time of year and — for me — a pretty great office to work in. I enjoy it.”

Click, hold and drag white dot to see a close up photo.

Nearby, enjoy a heavenly ribbon of asphalt in Yamhill County — leave the Willamette Valley behind and discover the Nestucca River National Scenic Byway.

The Nestucca River sings on its way to the sea and along the narrow winding roadway that follows it you may hear its song.

Be prepared to spend some time and savor the road that threads through the heart of these mountains.

It’s a place where milky white clouds wisps dance above giant Doug fir trees or tiny wild iris bunches burst to life close to ground.

It is a back road so significant that the Bureau of Land Management designated eleven miles of it a National Scenic Byway.

You certainly won’t worry about getting lost on this scenic byway because right at the very start — at Dovre Campground — there’s a huge wooden map to show you the way — plus, it identifies several different campgrounds that invite you to make a longer stay.

The byway’s campgrounds — like Dovre Campground — are sheltered under a cool canopy of big leaf maple and alder.

There are a dozen campsites tucked away at Dovre, plus a larger covered picnic site for a possible family gathering.

But don’t get too comfy in the campground!

Sometimes the campgrounds are but a starting point that can launch you onto side trips like the short hike up Dovre Creek where you can enjoy the Dovre Creek Waterfall.

It’s a stunner of a cascade style waterfall in spring and summer — and offers cool respite when the day heats up.

There is so much unmatched rugged beauty on this byway.

As you continue your drive west on the byway, keep in mind that the road parallels an ancient river marked by 40-million-year-old basalt rock formations that  — even on cloudless days — are drenched from seeping groundwater.

The water drips and drops across the lush moss and water-loving wildflowers that hang from the rock walls.

Soon, you will reach Fan Creek Campground and it is the place to be for more riverside fun — towering trees set this site apart that also offers larger RV sites for the motor home crowd.

Stop in at Alder Glen Campground for a whopper of a waterfall.

You may be drawn to the wildflowers that grow right next to even more shoreline campsites — in fact, one in particular rests just across from the namesake falls. It is a dandy campsite for the falls will lull you to sleep at night.

The byway is perfectly suited to a day when sunbeams light up the scene and lady slipper orchids wave you along as the river rolls on its ageless song in a place that connects with another sweet surprise.

High in the coast range hills in the Nestucca River basin of the Siuslaw Natl Forest is a trail you’ve likely missed. Where the wet is measured in feet, not inches, as you reach a namesake falls that will surprise you.

It's a little-known fact that Oregon owns its own Niagara Falls.

It's not been borrowed from a distant state, but round a bend and see that signs fooled you, for here are two falls for the price of one hike!

The first is Pheasant Creek and tops out at 112 feet.

The second is Niagara Falls, a close second at 107 feet.

“Today’s light is perfect because it’s overcast,” noted visitor Mike Horodyski. “This is a great time of year because there’s not a lot of foliage on the trees so you really center your shots on the waterfalls.”

If you decide to travel this way, watch your step for it is slick and wet and steep. So, wear proper footwear and rain gear because you never know when something wild and windy could blow in.

A foot of rain has drenched the heart of the Oregon coast range the past four weeks so the forest, the creek and the falls are wringing wet. So, get here soon and then slow down.

Directions: Drive Hwy 101 south from Tillamook to Beaver, Oregon.

Then travel east on Blaine Road for 6 miles. At Blaine junction travel east on Upper Nestucca River Road for 5.8 miles to forest service road 8533. Go south 4.3 miles to forest service road 8533-131. Turn right at the junction and travel 0.7 miles to trailhead parking. 

Be sure to watch the weekly half hour program of Grant’s Getaways. The show airs each Saturday and Sunday at 4pm on KGW. 

For something different, you can follow my Oregon adventures via the Grant’s Getaways Podcast: Each segment is a story-telling session where I relate behind the scenes stories from four decades of travel and television reporting.

You can also learn more about many of my favorite Oregon travels and adventures in the Grant’s Getaways book series, including: 

The book collection offers hundreds of outdoor activities across Oregon and promises to engage a kid of any age.

You can reach me: Gmcomie@kgw.com

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