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Best in the West
The Top Family-friendly Destinations on the West Coast
By Elisa Ast All
The Cove Palisades State Park provides a variety of family lodging. You can bring your own tent or RV for the full service campground or, if camping isn't your thing, you can rent one of the deluxe cabins overlooking the lake. Showers, bathrooms, air-conditioning and kitchenettes are provided; bedding and dishes are not. If you prefer luxury, try one of the houseboat rentals from The Cove Palisades Marina. The houseboats can bunk 10 to 14 people and come with a kitchen, bedrooms and enclosed decks. The Executive, their top-of-the-line houseboat, even sports a hot tub, entertainment system and water slide off the top deck into the lake below.
www.oregonstateparks.org
www.covepalisadesmarina.com
A vacation oasis little-known outside the Pacific Northwest, Black Butte Ranch is a terrific and relatively hidden spot to head to as a family, any time of year.
Located 8 miles west of Sisters, Ore., the working cattle ranch, established in the late-1800s and turned into a family vacation destination about 35 years ago, sits on 1,830 acres in Central Oregon's high desert. Most folks from the Pacific Northwest drive to the ranch; those from out of state might fly into Redmond, Ore., and rent a car for the 45-minute drive west to Black Butte.
Encircling the area are many of Central Oregon's craggy peaks that jut up from the Cascade Range. Many vacationers to the region scale the heights, as well as Black Butte itself, at 6,435 feet.