4-7 Day Backpacking Trip w/8 yr old Recommendations

[BassMasterK]

I have a son who will be 8 in a few weeks and one of his favorite things is backpacking. He has excellent endurance so I have to keep reminding myself that he is still a kid when planning trips because moderate mileage for an adult isn't a problem for him (8-10 mile days). Every year for his birthday he asks to take a backpacking trip and we just load him with next to nothing to carry, just a couple of pounds, and he is happy as can be as soon as we are in the wild.

Edit: (Took out some paragraphs on two trips I'm no longer considering)

I started looking for other trips and found the Bonney Crossing to Badger Lake trip which wouldn't be quite as epic for him but he would be happy as long as we are in the wilderness. Does anyone have any other suggestions for 20-50 mile trips that would be appropiate for us that avoids dangerous water crossings or extreme exposure and preferably miss major bug season? I was trying to keep it close to pdx but am also considering heading out east to the Eagle Cap area even though we would lose two days in driving.

We can take a trip anytime from late June through end of August. Any advice or suggestions on the above would be greatly appreciated.

[retired jerry]

Late August Sandy River crossing can still be difficult

Trail around Three Sisters has few stream crossings, that would be pretty epic. A number of variations.

[BassMasterK]

Thank you Jerry, I was already leaning against that trip and your experienced opinion has helped me decide. I will look into the Three Sisters trip for sure. I really appreciate your input on this.

[drm]

20-50 miles any time in the summer with the only requirement being no touch water crossings or height exposure - that leaves a ton of options. You might take a look at the recent trip report from Enchanted Valley in the Olympics. That's a little closer than Eagle Cap. Lewis River might be good too and that's even closer. That trail is about 16 miles long and there are trailheads at both ends.

[BassMasterK]

Late August Sandy River crossing can still be difficult

Trail around Three Sisters has few stream crossings, that would be pretty epic. A number of variations.

This looks like an amazing trip. Thank you for the suggestion. I saw a post where someone referenced a write up you did where you recommend going in the clockwise direction. Can you share about your reasons for preferring that direction?

[BassMasterK]

20-50 miles any time in the summer with the only requirement being no touch water crossings or height exposure - that leaves a ton of options. You might take a look at the recent trip report from Enchanted Valley in the Olympics. That's a little closer than Eagle Cap. Lewis River might be good too and that's even closer. That trail is about 16 miles long and there are trailheads at both ends.

Thank you for the recommendation Dean. I will definitely look into those!

[retired jerry]

clockwise is somewhat arbitrary, that's just what I put in the field guide - click "field guide", then "central oregon",...