Just sixty miles to the southeast of Crater Lake, the industrial town of KLAMATH FALLS makes an easy day-trip – a useful option if the weather deteriorates in the mountains. It’s not particularly pretty, but it does boast the Flavell Museum, 125 W Main St (Mon–Sat 9.30am–5.30pm; $4), housing an extraordinary collection of Native American artifacts, and a large collection of Western (frontier) paintings. Klamath Falls sits in the middle of Klamath Basin, whose low-lying lakes and marshes once formed a vast wetland stretching far beyond the Californian border. Much of the basin has been drained for cattle pasture, but six areas are now protected as national wildlife refuges, with the resident bird population increased to upwards of a million during spring and fall migrations. The town’s visitor center at 1451 Main St in the Klamath County Museum (daily 9am–5pm; tel 541/884-0666), issues detailed maps of the basin and its bird sanctuaries.