Enterprise, Oregon

Beautiful Wallowa Lake has fishing, boating, swimming, hiking and breathtaking scenery. The village just outside the campground has 3 mini golf courses, go-carts, horseback riding, arcade, candy stores, 2 ice cream shops, restaurants, and the tram to the top of the mountain for more hiking, lunch and nature walks. The nearby (6 mile drive) town of Joseph, OR is friendly, welcoming, and has a Museum of Black Loggers, art galleries, beautiful public art, restaurants, grocery store, and history and culture of the local native Americans who recently gained a large chunk of their land back.

Negative experiences: One year a a group put up a confederate flag as their tent door (you do not normally see confederate flags in Oregon) – the other white people take care of them. Campers and staff gave them such a bad time about practicing this freedom of speech, they removed the flag and were gone before I woke up in the morning. Several more came by and expressed anger and sadness that our families had to experience this. Strangers stopped by to check in on us. It was actually heart-warming.

Another year one kid on the playground called my son the N-Word. That kid got punched in the mouth by another white kid who had befriended my kids. Out of 8 years of weeklong+ camping trips these are the only two negative racial experiences we have had.

The drive: Small towns in Oregon on the 6 hour trip from Portland to Joseph, OR have been incredibly friendly to our families year after year. In summary, highly recommend a roadtrip to the Wallowa Mountains, Joseph, OR, Hell’s Canyon and Wallowa Lake State Park if coming to Oregon and you love nature.