Day Trippin' › Oregon
138 places worth the drive, from the coast to the Wallowas, region by region. Want to know what's within 2 hours of home?
Enter your ZIPTown · Clatsop County
An old river port with Victorian houses, the Astoria Column and the Columbia River Maritime Museum.
Town · Clatsop County
A walkable beach town with the 235-foot Haystack Rock and tide pools at low tide.
Viewpoint · Tillamook County
A giant sand dune above a sandstone cape, with dories launching off the beach.
State park · Tillamook County
A trail through old forest out to the tip of a long headland, with whale watching in season.
Viewpoint · Tillamook County
A short lighthouse on a cliff and the strange Octopus Tree.
State park · Clatsop County
Forested headland trails with big views of the coast and Haystack Rock, plus Indian Beach for surfers.
History · Clatsop County
A replica of the fort where Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1805-06.
State park · Clatsop County
The Peter Iredale shipwreck on the beach, old gun batteries and miles of bike paths.
Beach · Clatsop County
A beach with a waterfall, sea caves and an old wagon road cut into the rock.
Wildlife · Clatsop County
Roosevelt elk graze in the meadows, best seen in fall and winter.
Town · Tillamook County
A quiet beach town with a long, uncrowded beach under Neahkahnie Mountain.
Waterfall · Tillamook County
The tallest waterfall in the Coast Range, a short walk from the parking area.
Trail · Tillamook County
A steep climb to one of the best views on the north coast.
State park · Tillamook County
A sand spit between the bay and the ocean, good for biking, crabbing and watching seals.
State park · Tillamook County
A short forest walk to Short Sand Beach, a sheltered cove loved by surfers.
Trail · Clatsop County
A steep summit hike with wildflowers and a view from the Pacific to the Cascades.
Town · Clatsop County
A classic boardwalk town with the Prom, an aquarium and a wide sandy beach.
Scenic drive · Tillamook County
A slow coastal loop past Cape Meares, Cape Lookout and the dune at Cape Kiwanda.
Museum · Tillamook County
Historic aircraft inside a giant wooden blimp hangar from World War II.
Food · Tillamook County
The big cheese and ice cream factory, with a self-guided tour and tastings.
Town · Coos County
Sea stacks on the beach, an old town on the harbor and cranberry bogs inland.
State park · Coos County
A sheltered swimming cove and, down the road, seals and sea lions on the offshore rocks.
Viewpoint · Curry County
The westernmost point in Oregon, with a lighthouse and wild, windy beaches.
Viewpoint · Lincoln County
Thor's Well, the Spouting Horn and a stone shelter view from the highest point on the coast road.
Wildlife · Lane County
A boardwalk through a bog of carnivorous cobra lilies.
Town · Lincoln County
The "world's smallest harbor" and a town known for whale watching from shore and boat.
Viewpoint · Lincoln County
A collapsed sea cave where waves churn at high tide.
Trail · Lincoln County
A forest trail to a suspension bridge right over a 75-foot falls.
Town · Lane County
An old town on the Siuslaw River at the north end of the big dunes.
Town · Curry County
Jet boat trips up the wild Rogue River from the coast.
Waterfall · Coos County
Two tall falls deep in a coastal canyon east of Coos Bay.
State park · Curry County
Sea stacks, tide pools and Oregon's largest coastal island near Brookings.
Museum · Lincoln County
Oregon State's visitor center with touch tanks and a giant Pacific octopus.
Viewpoint · Lane County
A much-photographed lighthouse on a headland above a sandy cove.
Town · Lincoln County
A long beach town known for glass floats hidden on the sand and the D River wayside.
Town · Lincoln County
A working bayfront with sea lions, and one of the best aquariums on the West Coast.
Viewpoint · Douglas County
Sand dunes up to 500 feet tall, with an overlook and trails to the ocean.
Town · Curry County
A tiny harbor town where boats are lifted in and out of the water by crane.
Scenic drive · Curry County
Twelve miles of arches, coves and Natural Bridges viewpoints on the south coast.
Wildlife · Lane County
An elevator down into a huge sea cave where Steller sea lions gather.
Beach · Lincoln County
A short walk to a rocky beach with tide pools and harbor seals.
State park · Coos County
Big waves on sandstone cliffs and a formal garden that's lit up for the holidays.
Trail · Lane County
A creekside trail on catwalks to a series of falls in the Coast Range.
Viewpoint · Douglas County
A working lighthouse with a red-and-white beam and a small museum.
Viewpoint · Lincoln County
Oregon's tallest lighthouse, tide pools and seabird colonies.
Park · Multnomah County
Miles of forest trails in the city and a historic mansion with a view of five volcanoes on a clear day.
Garden · Multnomah County
A walled classical Chinese garden with a teahouse in Old Town.
History · Clackamas County
The end of the Oregon Trail, a free municipal elevator and a view of the big Willamette Falls.
Farm · Multnomah County
Farms, U-pick berries, pumpkin patches and river beaches minutes from downtown.
Park · Multnomah County
The Japanese Garden, the Rose Test Garden, the zoo and Hoyt Arboretum in one hilltop park.
History · Marion County
Where Oregon's first government was voted in, with river trails and bike paths.
Lake · Linn County
A spring-fed lake so clear you can see a drowned forest below; rowboats for rent.
Town · Benton County
A riverfront college town with covered bridges nearby.
Lake · Linn County
A long reservoir in the Cascade foothills for boating, swimming and camping.
Town · Lane County
A college town with the Saturday Market, riverside trails and Skinner Butte.
Museum · Yamhill County
The Spruce Goose and a space wing, plus a water park with a plane on the roof.
Scenic drive · Linn County
A country drive past historic covered bridges east of Albany.
Waterfall · Linn County
A thundering falls and a loop past Koosah Falls on the clear McKenzie River.
Town · Marion County
A Bavarian-style town with a hilltop abbey and the September Oktoberfest.
Garden · Marion County
Eighty acres of themed gardens and a Frank Lloyd Wright house next door.
Waterfall · Lane County
A short loop through lava to a lacy falls in an old forest.
Town · Marion County
The Capitol with its gold pioneer statue, a riverfront carousel and Bush's Pasture Park.
State park · Marion County
The Trail of Ten Falls, including a path behind 177-foot South Falls.
Trail · Linn County
A forest trail to an unbelievably blue spring-fed pool.
Food · Yamhill County
Rolling vineyards around Dundee and McMinnville, famous for Pinot noir.
Farm · Clackamas County
Forty acres of tulips with Mount Hood behind on clear days.
History · Multnomah County
Fish ladders with underwater windows, a hatchery and Herman the giant sturgeon.
Waterfall · Multnomah County
A short trail down to a two-step falls in the Gorge.
Town · Hood River County
A small river town at the Bridge of the Gods, with sternwheeler cruises.
Trail · Hood River County
A cliff-side trail to a falls pouring into a round emerald pool.
Farm · Hood River County
Orchards, farm stands, cideries and wineries with Mount Hood in view.
Waterfall · Multnomah County
A short walk to a falls dropping over yellow-green lichen-covered basalt.
Lake · Hood River County
A lake with Mount Hood across the water, rowboats and an easy loop.
Trail · Clackamas County
A short forest hike to a lake that mirrors Mount Hood.
Trail · Wasco County
A car-free stretch of the old highway through two tunnels with river views.
Train · Hood River County
Vintage train rides from Hood River up the valley through orchards.
Waterfall · Multnomah County
Oregon's tallest waterfall, 620 feet in two tiers, with a bridge across the middle.
Waterfall · Multnomah County
Horsetail Falls right by the road, and a trail behind Ponytail Falls.
Viewpoint · Hood River County
A hilltop view over the Hood River Valley orchards to Mount Hood.
Trail · Clackamas County
A forest loop to a wide falls that spills like a curtain over mossy basalt.
Viewpoint · Wasco County
A loop road and plateau with spring wildflowers above the eastern Gorge.
Trail · Hood River County
A creekside hike to a falls you can walk behind.
Town · Wasco County
Murals, the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and dry-side sunshine.
Historic lodge · Clackamas County
A 1930s stone and timber lodge high on Mount Hood, with year-round snow above.
Lake · Clackamas County
A small lake with the classic reflection of Mount Hood and an easy loop trail.
Viewpoint · Multnomah County
A stone observatory high above the Columbia River at the start of the waterfall road.
Trail · Multnomah County
A short canyon hike to a two-tier falls in a mossy box canyon.
Trail · Multnomah County
A loop climbing past several waterfalls between Wahkeena and Multnomah.
Town · Deschutes County
A mountain town on the Deschutes River with breweries, river floats and Pilot Butte.
Trail · Deschutes County
A flat riverside walk to a churning rapid on the Deschutes.
Scenic drive · Deschutes County
A high loop past Mount Bachelor, Sparks Lake and a string of alpine lakes.
State park · Jefferson County
A lake where three rivers meet, ringed by canyon walls.
Trail · Lake County
A narrow volcanic fissure you can walk through, cool even in summer.
Viewpoint · Lake County
A huge ring of volcanic rock rising from the high desert.
Museum · Deschutes County
Indoor and outdoor exhibits on the dry side's wildlife and history, with live animals.
Wildlife · Deschutes County
A mile-long lava tube and a drive up Lava Butte in Newberry National Volcanic Monument.
Scenic drive · Deschutes County
A stone lookout in a sea of black lava with views of the Three Sisters.
Viewpoint · Jefferson County
A full-size river springs out of the ground below Black Butte.
Viewpoint · Deschutes County
A summer chairlift ride to Pine Marten Lodge, about 7,800 feet up, with Cascade views.
Waterfall · Deschutes County
Twin falls, two crater lakes and a glassy obsidian flow inside a volcano.
Viewpoint · Jefferson County
A 300-foot-deep gorge spanned by highway and railroad bridges.
Viewpoint · Deschutes County
A cinder cone in the middle of Bend with a road and trail to a 360-degree view.
Town · Deschutes County
A western-style town under the Three Sisters with a big summer quilt show.
State park · Deschutes County
Towering rock walls above the Crooked River, a top climbing spot with river trails for everyone.
Lake · Deschutes County
A shallow lake with lava islands and South Sister towering above; great for paddling.
Waterfall · Jefferson County
An easy desert trail to a wide falls on the Deschutes River.
Waterfall · Deschutes County
A 97-foot falls a short walk from the parking area west of Bend.
Food · Jackson County
Small family wineries along a quiet river valley.
Town · Jackson County
A theater town with Lithia Park and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
National park · Klamath County
The deepest lake in the US, impossibly blue, inside a collapsed volcano.
Town · Jackson County
A preserved gold-rush town with a summer concert series.
Wildlife · Klamath County
Huge flocks of migrating birds and wintering bald eagles on a drive-through route.
Lake · Klamath County
A mountain lake with swimming, boating and a volcano view.
Waterfall · Jackson County
A short trail near Prospect to a 173-foot falls and the boulder-filled Avenue of Giant Boulders.
National monument · Josephine County
Marble cave tours deep in the Siskiyou Mountains.
Viewpoint · Jackson County
The Rogue River squeezes through a narrow lava gorge and vanishes under a natural bridge.
Trail · Jackson County
Flat-topped mesas with spring wildflowers and views over the Rogue Valley.
Waterfall · Douglas County
A two-step falls over columnar basalt on the North Umpqua.
Hot spring · Douglas County
Rustic hot pools on a bluff above the North Umpqua River.
Waterfall · Douglas County
One of Oregon's tallest waterfalls at 293 feet, a short hike from the road.
Wildlife · Douglas County
A drive-through park with cheetahs, bears and giraffes.
Viewpoint · Harney County
A bone-dry playa under Steens Mountain, so flat you can see the curve of the earth.
Lake · Union County
Alpine lakes under granite peaks in the Elkhorn Mountains.
Town · Baker County
A gold-rush main street and the Oregon Trail center on Flagstaff Hill.
Trail · Grant County
A trail into a blue-green badlands canyon with fossil replicas along the way.
Viewpoint · Wallowa County
A view into North America's deepest river gorge from the Oregon rim.
Museum · Grant County
A fossil museum and lab at the foot of striped Sheep Rock.
History · Grant County
A Chinese herbal medicine shop left almost untouched since the 1940s.
Scenic drive · Malheur County
A narrow canyon of orange honeycombed rock near Lake Owyhee.
Wildlife · Harney County
One of the West's great bird refuges, with sandhill cranes and spring migration.
Museum · Baker County
Real wagon ruts and the story of the trail, on a hill above the Baker Valley.
Viewpoint · Wheeler County
Hills banded red, gold and black, part of John Day Fossil Beds.
Town · Umatilla County
The Round-Up town, with the woolen mill and underground tours.
Scenic drive · Harney County
A long gravel loop to 9,700 feet with gorges and views of the Alvord Desert.
History · Baker County
A giant gold dredge you can climb through, near a restored steam railroad.
Museum · Umatilla County
The story of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla tribes told by the tribes themselves.
Viewpoint · Wallowa County
A steep gondola ride to the top of Mount Howard, 8,150 feet up.
Town · Wallowa County
A glacial lake at the foot of the Wallowa Mountains and an art town with bronze sculptures.
Facts checked against official sites; each spot shows when. Passes and hours change, so check before you go.