5 Great Accessible Attractions Around Klamath County
Across Klamath County, outdoor recreation opportunities welcome visitors of all abilities. Want to learn about the region’s industrial past at Collier Memorial State Park’s outdoor logging museum? Enjoy scenic views at Crater Lake National Park? See which birds are hanging out around Agency Lake and Upper Klamath Lake?
You can do it all—and more—at several outstanding accessible attractions across Klamath County. Whether you want to get your heart pumping with an invigorating workout or relax with scenic views, you’ll find plenty of wheelchair-accessible opportunities in the region. Here’s a look at five of our favorites.
Educational Outings, Overnight Stays at Collier Memorial State Park
The Collier Logging Museum showcases the rich history of logging through interactive exhibits and artifacts. Discover Klamath
At the northern edge of the Klamath Basin, where Highway 97 gradually rises toward the heart of the Cascade Range, Collier Memorial State Park offers a variety of wheelchair-accessible activities along the crystal-clear Spring Creek.
Day-use visitors can peruse the park’s outdoor logging museum (one of several history and culture stops in Klamath County), which explores Klamath County’s industrial past through exhibits, vintage equipment, and other interpretive displays; the paved path through the museum is universally accessible.
And if you’d like to spend a bit more time in the park, book a night or two in the park’s campground—open mid-May through September. Of the campground’s 64 sites, three are accessible to campers of all abilities. Amenities include a picnic table and campfire ring at each site, as well as flush toilets and showers throughout the campground.
Historic Exploration at Lava Beds National Monument
The Devil’s Homestead Overlook offers stunning views of Lava Beds National Monument’s unique volcanic landscape. Discover Klamath
You won’t find any accessible caves at Lava Beds National Monument—they’re largely reached via steep stairways—but there’s still plenty of fun for visitors of all abilities.
The national monument’s visitor center, for instance, hosts a fascinating museum that explains the area’s natural and cultural history through artifacts, interpretive panels, and a short film; an engaging bookstore is on-site, as well. (Outside the visitor center, you’ll find wheelchair-accessible parking spots, restrooms, and drinking fountains.)
Elsewhere, visitors can enjoy the surroundings via accessible viewpoints and waysides, savor a meal at picnic areas around Fleener Chimneys and near Mushpot Cave, and spend the night in one of two accessible sites at the park’s campground.
Start planning your visit with our in-depth guide to Lava Beds National Monument—complete with regional history, wildlife overlooks, recommended stops, and more.
Accessible Outings at Crater Lake National Park
The overlooks at Crater Lake National Park, most paved, allow everyone to enjoy the breathtaking views.
Crater Lake National Park sits in the heart of the mountainous Cascade Range—and several trips’ worth of accessible adventures welcome visitors of all abilities.
The 1.1-mile Godfrey Glen trail, recommended for all-terrain wheelchairs with assistance, heads through an old-growth forest and offers views of the park’s pinnacles—all a short distance from park headquarters.
Up at Rim Village, visitors can enjoy sweeping vistas of Crater Lake itself (with low-rise guardrails that won’t impede views) from along a network of paved paths; these are mostly flat, but visitors may want to prepare for the occasional slope.
From there, visitors can circle Crater Lake from along the 33-mile Rim Drive; paved roadside pullouts routinely offer incredible lake views and mostly have room to accommodate vans with wheelchair ramps. (Not up for driving? The old-school Crater Lake Trolley offers two-hour tours with guided narration—and can fit standard wheelchairs on board.)
And if you’re staying the night, Mazama Campground—just inside the park’s southern entrance—hosts four wheelchair-accessible sites.
Ready to visit? Get started with our look at everything you need to know about Crater Lake National Park.
Bird-watching at Wood River Wetland
It doesn’t take much to experience the magic of the Klamath Basin’s annual bird migrations at Wood River Wetland, which sits where the Wood River flows into the northern reaches of Agency Lake (actually the northern arm of Upper Klamath Lake).
There, a one-mile-long (round-trip), wheelchair accessible path heads through a forest of willow and cottonwood before arriving at the shore of Agency Lake—where you may spot wood ducks, yellow warblers, swans, and other species in the surrounding wetlands.
Interpretive panels fill in the blanks if you’re curious about what you’ll see, when to spy the most birds, and what makes the wetlands such a fruitful stopover point for migratory birds. Other (non-avian) species of wildlife at Wood River Wetland include beavers and river otters.
If Wood River Wetland sounds fun, learn more about how to get started birding in Klamath County—why birds love our region so much, where to see the migration at national wildlife refuges, what kind of adventures you’ll enjoy, and more.
Riding the OC and E Woods Line State Trail
The paved path of the OC&E Woods Line State Trail in Klamath Falls, Oregon offers smooth and scenic trail opportunities. Discover Klamath
In recent years, wildfires have closed portions of the 100-mile-long OC and E Woods Line State Trail while crews assess the damage and work to rebuild the rail-to-trail project (which doubles as Oregon’s longest linear park). Nevertheless, a wheelchair-accessible stretch of the path departs from downtown Klamath Falls, affording excellent views of surrounding landscapes.
In all, roughly 15 miles of trail (round-trip) are paved and accessible to wheelchairs. The urban trail affords views of the surrounding city before heading into farmland, largely paralleling Lost River, and showing off vistas of Mount Shasta to the south. One fun feature along the trail is Olene Gap—a naturally narrow opening in the hillsides outside of Olene where the trail can pass. (While mostly flat, note that some stretches feature occasional ascents and descents.) Accessible restrooms are available along the trail.
Want to learn more? Check out our complete guide to the OC and E Woods Line State Trail.
