Enhance your autumn getaway with festivals, fall-foliage hikes and harvest bounty for the whole family.
As the days grow shorter and nights turn crisp, there are even more reasons to travel to Southern Oregon. By mid-September harvest is in full swing, and outdoors on the trail, you’ll see the leaves turning brilliant hues of yellow and orange. Kiddos can spend hours in a pumpkin patch or make art at various festivals throughout the region, and adults can partake in groundbreaking new theater and seasonal craft brews. Here are some of the ways to make your fall getaway to Southern Oregon even more special.
Enjoy Music, Art and Halloween Festivities
Visiting Southern Oregon in September? Enjoy fall in Southern Oregon’s glorious wine country, or raise a frosty mug at the Klamath Basin Oktoberfest in Klamath Falls (Sept. 21, 2024).
Music lovers should spend the day at the Greater Medford Multicultural Fair, where acts and makers from all over the world show off their stuff in Medford, with global eats and kids’ activities, too (Sept. 28, 2024).
In October the spooky season begins. Watch for Halloween happenings from Roseburg to Ashland. Two fun options are navigating your way through the annual haunted house in Roseburg (check the website for this year’s theme and dates) or taking a ride into the spirit world on Jacksonville Haunted Trolley Tours (for this year’s dates, call 541.899.8118).
If you’re in town for one of the many cultural offerings, be sure to stop by the Art Along the Rogue festival in Grants Pass (Oct. 4-6, 2024). Live music and hula performances — plus face painting and more for the kids — make seeing artists and makers even more delightful. For a very special event for theatergoers in Ashland, book ahead to see new talent come to life at the annual Ashland New Plays Festival at Southern Oregon University (Oct. 16-20, 2024). Four plays presented as dramatic readings welcome audience discussion at the end of each presentation.
Fresh Vegetables and More Harvest Fun
There’s no better time to buy fresh food than during autumn’s harvest season. From pumpkins to kale to apples, farmers markets throughout the region absolutely shine this time of year. In downtown Grants Pass, choose from a range of healthy greens and root vegetables at the Growers’ Market on Saturdays. In the Applegate Valley at Lindsay Lodge, enjoy live music at the weekly Applegate Evening Market as you buy local pears or cabbage. It takes place each Wednesday through mid-October.
For a market operating all week, try Norm Lehne Garden and Orchards’ new farmstand in Roseburg. Stay up to date on what is available on the farm’s Facebook page, including fall specialties like sauerkraut or fresh apple cider.
Prepare for cute overload as you gather up the whole family for an outing to Pheasant Fields Farm’s pumpkin patch through the end of October. Take photos of your crew with the perfect jack-o’-lantern or winter squash after trekking the corn maze, taking a cow train or hay ride, or visiting with farm animals.
Peep Colorful Leaves on Fall-Foliage Hikes
With cooler temperatures and the music of rustling, brilliantly colored leaves, you’ll enjoy hikes or strolls even more in fall. Some favorites include two kid-friendly trails. In Grants Pass, enjoy views as you hike the relatively easy Skycrest Trail at Cathedral Hills, a 2-mile loop of a larger 10-mile system that has some switchbacks and steep hills. On the Rogue River Greenway Trail, with a trailhead in the nearby town of Rogue River, you can walk, roll or cycle through John F. Fleming Veteran’s Memorial Park to the Valley of the Rogue State Park. The entire 8-mile paved trail makes for a lovely outing any time of the year, but you’ll find some spectacular colors traversing the 4-mile portion along the Rogue River.
For a more challenging hike, head for Roxy Ann Peak Trail in Medford. This 5.1-mile loop hike circles the mountain’s summit and affords wonderful vistas and great views of Mt. McLoughlin, as well as the changing hues of all the surrounding forests.
Up for a short but pretty route filled with deciduous native and landscaped trees in a huge range of colors? Many of the paths are paved at 93-acre Lithia Park — Ashland’s flagship green space — which makes it perfect for walkers, wheelchairs and strollers, and a great way to revive after a performance or leisurely shopping excursion downtown. See this guide for some of the best leaf-peeping tips.
