Wallowa Fall Foliage Signature Excursion – September 26-30, 2024
From
$2250.00
Duration
Tour Type
Overview
This fantastic five-day, four-night All-Inclusive excursion rolls into Oregon’s own “Little Switzerland”, the city of Joseph, for the annual Alpenfest Swiss-Bavarian Festival which has been going strong since 1975. Not only will we be delighted by the Bavarian-themed celebrations, but we will enjoy the history of the region, the views from the top of the gondola into the mountains, and we will ‘cap’ it all off with the Eagle Cap Train Fall Foliage Excursion. Join us for a wonderful celebration in the beautiful, welcoming city of Joseph this September!
Itinerary
Day One – Thursday, September 26: Columbia River Gorge to La Grande
Our Executive Coach will sail our guests into the gorge, with a stop to admire the views on our way to our lunch destination, Arlington, Oregon. While not known as a culinary destination, at least one of the OregonWest crew has had some delicious food along I-84 here. Well fueled up from our stop, we will continue to La Grande to check into our hotel and have a delicious meal on the town. A good night’s rest will set us up for a fantastic day tomorrow! (L, D)
Our Executive Coach will sail our guests into the gorge, with a stop to admire the views on our way to our lunch destination, Arlington, Oregon. While not known as a culinary destination, at least one of the OregonWest crew has had some delicious food along I-84 here. Well fueled up from our stop, we will continue to La Grande to check into our hotel and have a delicious meal on the town. A good night’s rest will set us up for a fantastic day tomorrow! (L, D)
Day Two – Friday, September 27: Joseph, Gondola, and Alpenfest
This morning we will depart for Joseph, with Wallowa Lake and the Areal Tram as our first destination. Ride to the top of the mountain for views of Oregon’s Little Switzerland and the lake below; Joseph may be a small town, but these are some BIG views. We will have time to soak up all of the views before descending back down to town and sitting down to eat and see the signs of the celebrations taking shape around us. The afternoon will be spent in downtown Joseph admiring the beautiful outdoor art installations and enjoying Alpenfest activities. This evening, we will have a leisurely sit down dinner and return to our hotel. (for those that have antsy feet, our hotel is in downtown and only a four minute walk from the Alpenfest entertainment) (B, L, D)
Day Three – Saturday, September 28: Eagle Cap Fall Foliage Train and Alpenfest
After breakfast, we will depart Joseph for Elgin and the departure point of the Fall Foliage Train. There are only three departures in 2024 for the Fall Foliage rides; we will be lucky to see the peak of amazing fall colors along the rivers and on the surrounding mountains as the train follows the short of the Grande Ronde, Rondowa, and Wallowa Rivers. Aboard the train, we will eat a boxed lunch while enjoying the unparalleled scenery. At the conclusion of the trip, we will head back to Joseph to freshen up. The Wallowa County Museum will help fill in some of the historical accounts of the region before we have dinner and then an evening of Bavarian entertainment. (B, L, D)
Day Four – Sunday, September 29: Last Bavarian-Themed Meal and return to the Gorge
This morning we will join our last Alpenfest activity – Breakfast! A Bavarian style breakfast will give us the energy for the day. On our way out of town, we will stop at Sunset Iron to see over 35 antique tractors in a private collection dating back as far as 1835. After viewing the meticulously restored machines, we will be on the road, with a stop for lunch. Our final destination of the day is The Dalles, where we will check into our hotel and eat dinner. There is more to come tomorrow! (B, L, D)
Day Four – Monday, September 30: The Dalles to Home
After a lovely sleep, we need a nice big breakfast followed by a visit to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, the official interpretive center of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, to learn about the region during the ice age, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, indigenous tribes, raptors, renewable energy, and more. Lunch will be in Hood River along with more views of the Columbia River Gorge before continuing on toward home (there may be a stop for some sweets before we get to Tualatin). (B, L)