The Monument's six-story tall Lodge was built in 1935 during the heydays of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps)... It's now called "The Chateau." It has a high-class gift shop, and is open for lodging and dining. Truly it's one of the least- known of the Northwest's historic "Great Lodges." Unlike Timberline Lodge, the Chateau closes during the winter season. Just 4 1/2 miles away, the Siskiyou Mountains crest at 7,055 foot Greyback Mtn. Such nearby high peaks are the source of the icy cold, crystal-pure waters tumbling into the reflection pool in front of the main lodge..... 47 air miles to the west, across the rugged crest of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area, lies Brookings, Oregon's famed "Banana Belt," and the blue Pacific Ocean.... As Oregon Wilderness areas go, the Kalmiopsis is medium-sized at 76,900 acres. It is one of Oregon's older Wilderness areas, signed into Law on 9/10/1946.

Below is the general setting of the Oregon Caves National Monument, which is perched midway up the slope to a ridgeline of 6,000-7,000 foot peaks. The entire area is clothed in a dense and highly varied forest of conifers and deciduous trees and shrubs. Pictured is a showy madrone tree, with the Monument's main parking lot and a visitor's center visible to its right. It was a typical hot, sunny Southern Oregon summer day when we visited the Caves. Of course, inside the caves themselves, the temperatures remain very cold year-round, with scarely any fluctuation hour to hour or season to season.