Bike Brice Creek Trail
This 10.5-mile loop of single-track interspersed with paved road snakes its way along trails used by miners working the Bohemia Mining District in the early 1900s. The trail offers technical challenges such as slippery moss-covered rocks, tree roots, rocky cliffs, and poison oak. It passes through dense forest and follows a rushing creek. Mountain bikers can cool off in the many rocky pools and waterfalls that line the trail. To get there: from Interstate 5, take Exit 174 for Cottage Grove/Dorena. Head east toward Dorena Reservoir. Continue on Row River Road, passing Dorena Reservoir and driving through the small communities of Dorena and Culp Creek. Keep an eye on your odometer as you pass the Culp Creek Post Office; it is 4.2 miles from this landmark to the junction of Layng Creek Road and Brice Creek Road. Stay right onto Brice Creek Road; follow it for 3.3 miles. Park in the pullout on the left at signed Brice Creek Trailhead (just before a bridge over the creek).

Drop a Fly for Steelhead
Summer steelhead runs on the North Umpqua River are unbelievable, and considered one of the best on the West Coast. Also expect winter steelhead, fall and spring chinook salmon, coho salmon, and sea-run cutthroat trout. Anglers from all over the world descend on the North Umpqua in search of the ultimate fishing experience in this beatific setting amidst dogwood, willow, and vine maple. During the autumn, willow turns golden and dogwood ignites into a fiery red. Expect stiff competition from the local mergansers -- these diving, fish-eating ducks are equipped with narrowly serrated bills perfect for clamping down on juvenile salmon and steelhead.

Hike Parker Falls
Parker Falls Trail is a 1-mile journey through a forest of mature Douglas fir and leads to a spectacular series of waterfalls, pools, and cascades. The narrow trail, though short, is difficult because of several steep and rocky stretches near the rock bluffs. Access to the trailhead: 29 miles southeast of Cottage Grove; from Cottage Grove, exit 174 on Interstate 5, take Row River Road #2400 east 17 miles to the junction of Layng Creek Road #17 and Brice Creek Road #2470. Bear right on Road #2470 and continue for 10.4 miles to the trailhead northwest of the bridge. Park on the road's shoulder leaving room for fire truck access to Brice Creek.

Nordic Ski Pizza Connection
Umqua offers nearly 100 miles of cross-country ski trails, some of which are even groomed. Pizza Connection is an easy 2.5-mile groomed trail with superb views of Diamond Lake and Mount Bailey -- extra cheese please, but hold the anchovies. The trail is located in the South Diamond Sno-Park which is located 0.2 miles west of the junctions of Highway 230 and Highway 138 (about 85 miles from Medford on Hwy. 230, and 85 miles from Roseburg on Hwy. 138).

Raft the North Umpqua
If you put-in at Boulder Flat, 68 miles upriver from Roseburg, the next 12 miles offers class 2 and 3 rapids with names like Lunch Counter, Cardiac Arrest, and Toilet Bowl. You'll pass another put-in at Horsehoe -- the next 4 miles offers five separate class 3 rapids. Another put-in at Apple Creek sets you up for the class 4 Pinball, where the rocks are situated like the bumpers in a pinball machine. You'll pass put-ins/take-outs at Gravel Bin, Bogus Creek, Wright Creek, and Susan Creek as you hurtle toward class 5 Deadline Falls.

Take a Roguish Road Trip
Load the kids up in the station wagon and take them on this 172-mile scenic drive from Ashland through Medford and historic Jacksonville (one of only eight cities designated a National Historic Landmark) to the edge of the azure waters at Crater Lake and beyond. The drive follows Highway 138 through the Umpqua national forest and snakes its way along the North Umpqua River.