THE LOST SIERRA’S LUXE BASECAMP

Cycling, hiking or just exploring — Nakoma Resort is your basecamp for a Lost Sierra adventure.

Guests at the Inn at Nakoma have exclusive access to Altitude, our family friendly center with pool, climbing gym, theater, Bistro + Bar & more.

Crater Lake fills the horizon like a giant blue sapphire. As soon as I spotted the mountain-ringed gem from Mazama Village, I gasped and widened my eyes. The deepest lake in America and the prettiest I’ve seen makes an unforgettable impression. Breakfast gave the scenic treasure a run for its money, though.

Among perpetually-famished hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), every mini-mart makes hearts race and restaurants provide cause for celebration. Then there are a few next-level eating experiences that we anticipate for weeks.

Crater Lake Lodge is one of those. PCT hikers fill its rustic dining room for an allyou-can-eat breakfast buffet. Tourists enjoy their hearty meal like normal people. PCT hikers demolish a double portion on their first round, and then revisit the buffet for multiple sequels, before stuffing muffins into their pockets for later. Down 15 pounds since my hike started, I gorged myself for an hour on the best $25 I ever spent.

Hikers say that the trail provides. In Oregon, I would find out for myself.

Thick “forever forests” create a green tunnel effect here, concealing mountains far and near. I learned that fire threatens those countless trees just as in my native California.

A “nobo,” or northbound hiker, first enters Oregon near Interstate 5 near Ashland. A shower and bed at Ashland Springs Hotel did me a world of good. So did seeing my brother Dan, who drove Matt