Sutherlin, Oregon, Serves Up Recreation and Wine

Sutherlin can be found off Interstate 5 in a bountiful valley between the Coastal Range and Cascades Range. Hunters and fishermen have long known about the great game opportunities there. Now the word is out for oneophiles as well to take advantage of the area’s many award-winning wineries.

Planning a visit? Stay at Highway Haven RV Park.

The North Umpqua River, which rushes through the area’s Douglas fir-choked canyons, lures the fly fishermen, while Cooper Creek Reservoir draws boaters, swimmers and water skiers who maneuver around the bass chasers. The rugged Umpqua National Forest offers hiking on the slopes of the Cascades, and the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway on Highway 138 leads visitors through the towering forest to Crater Lake National Park.

Close to the city, Mildred Kanipe Memorial Park preserves the buildings of an Oregon heritage farm along with 1,100 family-friendly acres, offering miles of trails and stocked fishing ponds. The Rochester Covered Bridge, four miles northwest of Sutherlin, earns its admiration as one of Oregon’s most beautiful covered bridges, with its quartet of beguiling curved cathedral tops on the windows. Golfers can enjoy 18 holes of golf at the former Oak Hills Golf Club in the Umpqua Golf Resort.