8 Playfully Peculiar Towns In Oregon
Between Washington State and sunny California, the majestic yet rugged state of Oregon possesses a vast amount of small towns. Each of these quaint northwestern towns has a plethora of great attractions, including state parks, specialty museums, and historic sites and monuments. Yet some of these same picturesque small towns are playfully peculiar due to a unique attraction that may be considered odd, bizarre, or even straight-out eccentric. Whether you wish to check out Gravity Hill in Klamath Falls or visit Thor’s Well in the town of Yachats, these eight playfully peculiar towns possess just a few of the many different odd attractions scattered throughout what is affectionately known as the Beaver State.
Yachats
Situated along the western coast, the town of Yachats is most famous for Thor’s Well. Located off the shore of Cape Perpetua, just south of town, Thor’s Well has been attracting outdoor enthusiasts for years. Once the entrance to a massive sea cave carved out by the force of the ocean into the volcanic rock, Thor’s Well is a natural phenomenon that was nicknamed by locals as “the drainpipe of the Pacific.” Two other natural attractions in Yachats: Yachats State Park and Yachats State Natural Site. Both the state park and the natural site provide some stunning views of the mighty Pacific Ocean and Yachats Bay.
McKenzie Bridge
With less than a thousand permanent residents within the quaint town of McKenzie Bridge, this peaceful small town is relatively near several phenomenal waterfalls, including Proxy Falls, Sahalie Falls, and Koosah Falls. Each of these majestic waterfalls are popular among outdoor enthusiasts and nature hikers, yet Proxy Falls is constantly seen on coffee cups, calendars, and other waterfall merchandise.
Proxy Falls is also rather unique, as it cascades a stunning 235-foot drop and then seems to vanish right into the ground. Though this illusion is actually caused due to porous lava being prominent in the area, Proxy Falls draws in thousands of visitors every summer. Plus, Proxy Falls Loop, which is around a mile and a half total, passes by both Upper Proxy Falls and Lower Proxy Falls.
Cannon Beach
About 25 miles down the coast from the city of Astoria, the tiny town of Cannon Beach is best known for some unusual attractions, like Haystack Rock and Crescent Beach. Haystack Rock, a 235-foot monolith just off the Oregon coast, provides some awesome photographic opportunities, as it was a backdrop in the movie “The Goonies.”
Also home to Ecola State Park and Hug Point State Park, this picturesque town of about 1,000 people is an awesome getaway for those who wish to welcome nature. Ecola State Park offers miles of great trails and some awesome scenic vistas of the Pacific while Hug Point State Park has a large beach, sea caves to explore, and even a small waterfall.
Jacksonville
Five miles west of Medford, the small town of Jacksonville, with 3,000 residents, is considered to be the home of the only true Bigfoot Trap. This 10-feet-by-10-feet structure is 15 miles south of Jacksonville, situated along the Collings Mountain Trail. If you are planning to stay closer to town, Jacksonville has several nearby vineyards and wineries, like Red Lily, Cricket Hill, and Cowhorn, as well as several fine tasting rooms. Jacksonville is also home to Jville Market, a phenomenal farmers market that is open from nine to two every Sunday during the summer, offering artisan crafts, delicious local produce, some tasty food concoctions, and toe-tapping live music.
Cave Junction
Not far from the California border, the tiny town of Cave Junction is home to a peculiar attraction named the Out-n-About Treesort, a magnificent way to escape while still enjoying luxury. This eccentric structure, situated on Page Creek Road in Cave Junction, is well worth a visit, as they offer horseback riding, some great spelunking at nearby Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve and exhilarating, white-water rafting on the Illinois and Rogue rivers in Southwest Oregon.
Cave Junction also offers a variety of great outdoor attributes, including Oregon Caves National Preserve and the Great Cats World Park. Oregon Caves is situated to the east of town, while Great Cats is to the south of town, just above the Laughing Alpaca Campground. The Great Cats World Park, with over fifty different large cats, is ideal for almost any age to experience.
Mitchell
Located in the middle of the wilderness of Oregon, just above the Ochoco National Forest, the tiny town of Mitchell is relatively near a couple of bizarre attractions, the Shoe Tree and the Painted Hills. While the Shoe Tree is to the southeast of town, and may be a slight bit of a drive, as it is down Route 26, the Painted Hills, which is “one of the seven wonders of Oregon,” can be found around ten minutes to the northwest of town. The quaint town of Mitchell is home to the Lucky Strike Mine and the Lucky Strike Gift Shop & Museum. While the Lucky Strike Mine itself, situated just outside town, lets visitors search for “thundereggs” right from the ground, the museum and gift shop showcase the history of the mine.
Government Camp
Another quaint town within Oregon, the town of Government Camp is perhaps best known for Timberline Lodge. This fabulous get-away offers a plethora of awesome attributes. From dining at either the Cascade or in the Ram’s Head Restaurant, to staying in luxurious rooms & suites, to utilizing a phenomenal wedding venue, the Timberline Lodge is the perfect escape.
Government Camp is also home to Trillium Lake, 10 minutes to the south of town, and Little Crater Lake, which is slightly under 20 minutes farther south. While Trillium Lake offers swimming, boating, and even fishing opportunities, as well as a campground nearby, Little Crater Lake connects to the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs for 2,650 miles from the US-Mexico border to the US-Canada border.
Klamath Falls
The picturesque town of Klamath Falls, just south of Upper Klamath Lake, is home to several natural attractions, including Badger Run Wildlife Rehab, which safely returns wounded animals and birds to the wild after they have been healed. At least two museums also call this town home, Klamath County Museum and Baldwin Hotel Museum. Beginning as a hardware store in 1906, Baldwin Hotel Museum has even been reported by some to be haunted.
Klamath Falls is also home to one of several phenomena around America and the world that are named gravity hills. This strange attraction allows visitors to the area to experience gravity working opposite of what may be considered to be normal. This particular one, Old Fort Gravity Hill, is located on Old Fort Road, to the east of downtown Klamath Falls.
While there are bizarre phenomena and eccentric occurrences within the major cities of Oregon like Portland and Salem, lesser-known towns also possess their own share of wondrous yet curious attractions. From Old Fort Gravity Hill in the town of Klamath Falls to Thor’s Well in Yachats, and from the Bigfoot Trap in Jacksonville to the Out-n-About Treesort in the town of Cave Junction, these were only a few of the fabulously strange natural sites and playfully peculiar man-made structures throughout the small towns in the state of Oregon.
