Klamath Falls

Klamath Falls (sometimes called Klamath by locals) is a small Southern Oregon city found in the eastern foothills of the Cascade Range. Klamath Falls is at the southern end of Klamath Lake in the large Klamath Basin. Klamath enjoys quite spectacular views. Snow-covered Mount Shasta, one of the most prominent peaks in the United States, can be seen on the southern horizon, and the outlying areas are filled with acres of farmland. Popular with outdoor enthusiasts, birdwatchers, history buffs, and fans of rural America, Klamath is a place many people are glad they didn't miss.

Understand

Klamath Falls is surrounded by two lakes and two rivers. It was founded as Linkville in 1867 at the mouth of the short Link River, which drains Klamath Lake into Lake Ewauna. In turn, Lake Ewauna is the source of the Klamath River, one of only two rivers that flow across the Cascade Mountains, a distinction shared with the great Columbia River. Linkville changed its name to Klamath Falls in 1893 and was incorporated in 1905.

Locals like to joke about tourists and other outsiders naively asking, "Where are the falls?" The fact is, Klamath Falls got its name from rapids on the Link River. The average person seeing these rapids today might wonder who on earth would call them "falls," especially now that a small hydroelectric dam on the river has dropped the water level, making the whitewater at the rapids less remarkable. Although this is probably what most locals mean when they joke, "Where are the falls?", a few are truly clueless and may just be flaunting their ironically naive understanding of "the truth"—in which case, the joke's on them!

Klamath Falls is on Pacific Time. Standard time is UTC−8, and daylight saving time is UTC−7. This is three hours behind New York, and typically eight hours behind London.

Visitor information

Get in

By plane

The closest airport with commercial service to Klamath Falls is Rogue Valley International–Medford Airport (MFR IATA), 1000 Terminal Loop Pkwy, Medford, ☏ +1 541-772-8068.  This airport, Oregon's third busiest, is a 78 mi (126 km) drive west of Klamath Falls. Klamath-bound passengers arriving in Medford can take the Klamath Shuttle, which drops off at the Amtrak station and the Klamath Shuttle office, or rent a car and drive east via Highway 140.

  • 🌍 Crater Lake–Klamath Regional Airport (LMT  IATA), 3000 Airport Way (5 mi (8.0 km) southeast of downtown Klamath Falls), ☏ +1 541-883-5372. There are no commercial flights out of Klamath Falls as of Sep 2018. The airport has free parking (up to 30 days) and coffee for outgoing passengers, as well as WiFi. This airport is part of Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base. Kingsley Field is an alternative landing site for a space shuttle. 

By car

, sometimes called The Dalles–California Highway in Oregon, a major north–south highway in the western US, is the main highway through Klamath Falls. Highway 97 provides connections to Weed, California to the south, and to Bend, central Washington, and Osoyoos and further points north in British Columbia, Canada.

Crater Lake Pkwy comes to Klamath Falls from the southeast, connecting to Merrill and northeastern California. It brings traffic in from Reno, Nevada via Susanville, California.

, also known as the Green Springs Highway, winds through the Cascade Mountains between Klamath Falls and Ashland.

The Southside Expressway runs east–west through the southside of Klamath Falls. Its western terminus is White City, near Medford in the Rogue Valley. It runs east to Lakeview and northwestern Nevada, bringing visitors to Klamath Falls via Winnemucca, Nevada from points east like Salt Lake City, Utah.

Klamath Falls can be accessed from Interstate 5 (I-5) by four different routes:

  1. From Eugene and points north, take Oregon Route 58 east from Eugene at I-5 Exit 188, and then drive south on Highway 97.
  2. From the northern Rogue Valley, leave the Interstate near Central Point or Medford and take Highway 140 from White City.
  3. From the southern Rogue Valley, take Highway 66 from Ashland at I-5 Exit 14.
  4. From Weed and points south, take Highway 97 north from Weed at I-5 Exit 747.

By train
See also: Rail travel in the United States

By bus

The bus station is located a block west of the Amtrak train station at Spring Street and Oak Avenue:

  • 🌍 Southwest Point (Klamath Shuttle), 445 S Spring St (Shuttle office), ☏ +1 541-883-2609. Serves Southern Oregon, including the Medford area, Grants Pass, and the coastal towns of Crescent City, California and Brookings. Transfer to/from Greyhound Lines and the Rogue Valley Airport (for additional airlines) in Medford. Tickets can be purchased by phone or at the Shuttle office or Amtrak station. Bus drivers do not sell tickets. (updated Aug 2015)
  • 🌍 Sage Stage, (base address) 111 W North St; Alturas, CA 96101 (picks up at the Southwest Point bus station at 445 S Spring St (see above)), ☏ +1 530-233-6410. Arrives from Alturas, California, offering connections from Alturas to Redding (Tu only); Susanville, and Reno (M-W-F). Schedules are limited so be sure of the departure and connection times before using this option as they only operate once on Thursdays between Klamath Falls and Alturas. (updated Aug 2015)

Get around

By car

Klamath Falls is fairly easy to navigate by car. Downtown has a small network of one-way streets. Major thoroughfares include Main Street, Klamath Avenue, Oregon Avenue, California Avenue, South 6th Street (one branch of Highway 39), East Main Street, Washburn Way, the Crater Lake Parkway (the other branch of Highway 39), Shasta Way, Homedale Road, and the Southside Bypass (Highway 140).

Some streets have directions (South 6th Street, East Main St, etc.). Numbered streets are divided by Main Street into north and south, but otherwise there is little logic to the system. For example, Main Street extends east to Crater Lake Parkway, but before it gets there, East Main Street branches off and runs southeast, then south, to South 6th Street.

By bus

Basin Transit Service (BTS) provides bus public transit around Klamath Falls. BTS is in service Monday through Friday from 6:30AM to 7:30PM, and Saturday from 10AM to 4:30PM. Bus fare is $1.50 per trip (75¢ for senior and disabled riders), with transfer slips available. A day pass costs $3; it saves money to get one if you know you will take the bus at least twice in the day (or at least four times if you pay discounted fare).

Two mainline routes (1 and 2) run from the Oregon Institute of Technology at the north end of town to the south end. Four feeder routes (3/5 and 4/6) connect with the mainline routes at two transfer stations downtown (7th and Pine) and at the Klamath County Fairgrounds (South 6th and Altamont).

By foot

Downtown is walkable, but the whole city is spread out and not very walkable.

By bike

Numerous bike paths run all over the city, providing a full day's worth of biking. The local buses have bike racks on the front bumper.

By taxi

See

Klamath Falls is one of the gateway cities to Crater Lake National Park, a 60-mile (97 km) drive. Crater Lake is a crystal-clear lake in the caldera of what used to be Mount Mazama, a volcano that violently erupted about 7,700 years ago. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and among the ten deepest lakes in the world, and Crater Lake National Park is Oregon's only national park.

The Klamath Basin is rated #1 in the West on Sunset magazine's list of Fantastic Five birding destinations.

  • 🌍 Klamath County Museum, 1451 Main St, ☏ +1 541-883-4208. Tu–Sa 9AM–5PM. Has many artifacts and relics from pioneer days, along with many Native American items and natural history exhibits. The museum also owns the Baldwin Hotel Museum and Fort Klamath outside of town. 
  • 🌍 Baldwin Hotel Museum, 31 Main St, ☏ +1 541-883-4207. Memorial Day weekend–Labor Day weekend W–Sa 10AM–4PM. Established in 1907 by George Baldwin, an influential businessman and politician, and father of locally prominent photographer Maud Baldwin, whose studio is on the fourth floor. The plumbing and electric conduits can be easily seen throughout the building; electricity and indoor plumbing were still somewhat of a luxury at the turn of the 20th century, and Baldwin wanted to flaunt these amenities. It operated as a hotel from 1909 to 1977. Guided tours are available; the last one of the day starts at 2:30PM. 

Do

Events
  • 🌍 Klamath County Fair, 531 South 6th St, ☏ +1 541-883-3796. Every August. 
  • Snowflake Festival. A two-week winter festival in early December including a tree-lighting ceremony and a parade down Main Street. 
  • 🌍 Third Thursday, Main St between 3rd and 11th. Every summer month on the third Thursday of the month. The 2020 Third Thursday is cancelled until further notice. 

Hunting and fishing

Klamath Falls is next to Klamath Lake, which is connected to several other lakes as well as the Williamson River and the Klamath River. The fishing is incredible. There are a dozen more lakes in the Klamath Basin as well. The Basin hosts an amazing amount of wildlife. You can hunt for many different species of game during hunting season.

Golf

Buy

While Klamath Falls has a few big box stores like Walmart and Fred Meyer, you can find local alternatives:

Eat

Besides all of the usual restaurants and fast-food establishments you would expect, like Applebee's, Denny's, etc., Klamath Falls has several local venues:

Drink

Sleep

Several chain hotels and motels are located along South 6th Street, around downtown, and on Highway 97 at the north end of town.

The lodging tax is 9% of your room rent (1% from the State of Oregon, 8% from Klamath County). The proceeds benefit the area's tourism promotion and services—which, of course, benefits you!

  • 🌍 Best Western Olympic Inn, 2627 South 6th St. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. They provide complementary breakfast in the morning, soup in the afternoon, and fresh-baked cookies in the evening. Free wifi, pool, and hot tub. $119. 
  • 🌍 Cimarron Inn, 3060 South 6th St, ☏ +1 541-882-4601, toll-free: +1 800-724-2648, fax: +1 541-882-6690. Free wifi, microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, TV, and hair dryer in the room, with a free breakfast buffet. $59. 
  • Crystalwood Lodge B&B, 38625 West Side Rd (a 38-mile (62 km) drive northwest from Klamath Falls along Highway 140, 36 miles (58 km) south of Crater Lake), ☏ +1 866-381-2322, fax: +1 866-294-4213, . Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Free wifi. Pet-friendly. All rooms are nonsmoking. Reserving at least 6 to 12 months in advance is recommended for holidays, special events, and other peak times. $120+. 
  • The Lodge at Running Y Ranch, 5500 Running Y Rd (a 9-mile (14 km) drive northwest from Klamath Falls), ☏ +1 800-569-0029, . $108. 
  • 🌍 Maverick Motel, 1220 Main St, ☏ +1 541-882-6688, toll-free: +1-800-404-6690, fax: +1 541-885-409. Free wifi, microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, TV, hair dryer, iron, and ironing board in the room. Provides free breakfast and a daily newspaper, and laundry and fitness facilities. Children under 18 traveling with parents stay free; 10PM curfew for children. $55. 
  • 🌍 Vagabond Inn & Suites Klamath Falls, 4061 South 6th St, ☏ +1 541-882-1200, fax: +1 541-882-2729, . Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Free wifi and wired Internet. Coffee and tea maker in the room. Free breakfast and a newspaper, air conditioning, and a heated indoor pool. Children under 18 traveling with parents stay free. Pet-friendly rooms available for $20 per pet per night extra. $75. 

Connect

Phone numbers

Back when telephone numbers were often given with exchange names, sometimes the fictitious "KLamath 5-xxxx" was used (in addition to "KLondike 5-xxxx") in the media when a fictional phone number was needed. "KL 5" corresponds to "555" in modern-day fake American phone numbers.

Public Internet access, including wifi, is available at the Klamath County Library.

You can take care of your postal needs at the 🌍 Klamath Falls post office, 317 S 7th St, ☏ +1 541-884-9846, toll-free: +1-800-275-8777, fax: +1 541-884-9225. M–F 9AM–5:30PM, Sa 9AM–noon. 

The area codes 541 and 458 are used. Ten-digit dialing is mandatory. You must dial the area code for all calls, even local calls made on landline phones (541-xxx-xxxx). You might infrequently see an old sign or advertisement with a seven-digit number; it's safe to assume the area code is 541.

Go next
Routes through Klamath Falls
Bend ← La Pine ← Jct W ← Jct W ←  N  S  → Dorris → Weed
END ←  N  S  → becomes → Jct W E → Susanville
END ← Ashland ← Keno ←  W  E  → END


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