For a great family RV Short Stop when traveling through southwest Oregon, take a few moments to stretch your legs at the Winchester Fish Ladder just a few miles north of Roseburg, off I-5 near Exit 129. (Click on RV Short Stops for more information.)
This is an especially free, fun side trip for kids … of all ages. Jimmy and I thought of this place when my cousins Mary Jane Huber and John Winnicki visited us last month from Floyd, Va.
Fall Chinook are said to be making their migration up the ladder until mid-November; with winter Steelhead moving through in December-January.
Directions: pull off I-5 at Exit 129 and head east. Turn right (south) on Hwy. 99. The viewing area parking lot (large enough for RVs) is located on the left, just before the Winchester Bridge.
Photo: Cousins Mary Jane Huber of Floyd, Va., and Julianne G. Crane of Sutherlin, Ore., visiting Winchester Fish Ladder on the North Umpqua River near Roseburg, Ore. (Jimmy Smith)
And, it was great fun just watching how excited you got seeing that salmon making its way home.
I saw a salmon making its way up the fish ladder. I loved it!