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Historic Columbia River Highway Scenic Byway

September 21, 2011
About 14,000 years ago, cataclysmic floods scoured out the Columbia River Gorge. Early visionaries engineered an inspired drive along its towering walls. As America’s first scenic highway and a National Historic Landmark, this 70-mile/113-kilometer route is indeed the “King of Roads.” More
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Mt. Hood & Columbia River Gorge , Cascade Locks , Scenic Drives , Trip Ideas , Scenic Byways ,

Mt. Hood Scenic Byway

The glacier-caked summit of Oregon’s highest peak creates a dramatic centerpiece for this 100-mile/161-kilometer route that skirts the mountain through fruit valleys and thick fir forest. More
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Mt. Hood & Columbia River Gorge , Government Camp , Scenic Drives , Trip Ideas , Scenic Byways ,

Grande Tour Route

Eighty miles/129 kilometers of big mountain views and small ranching communities await on this peaceful tour through the Grande Ronde and Powder river valleys, an easy detour off Interstate 84. More
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Eastern Oregon , Cove , Scenic Drives , Trip Ideas , Scenic Byways ,

Steens Loop Tour Route

Steens Mountain rises up from the sagebrush desert to nearly 10,000 feet. This 59-mile/95-kilometer loop includes the highest road in Oregon, traveling around and up this grand Great Basin landmark. More
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Eastern Oregon , Frenchglen , Scenic Drives , Family Fun , Sustainable Travel , Trip Ideas , Scenic Byways ,

Journey Through Time Scenic Byway

The marks of time are stamped across the landscape on this 286-mile/ 460-kilometer route through prehistoric fossil beds, mining boomtowns and surprising sights like the Painted Hills — one of Oregon’s 7 Wonders. More
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Eastern Oregon , Mitchell , Scenic Drives , Trip Ideas , Scenic Byways ,

High Desert Discovery Scenic Byway

Far off the beaten path, this 127-mile/204-kilometer eastern byway ventures out among Steens Mountain and the Alvord Desert, linking to three other tour routes for an austere and awe-inspiring look at Oregon’s Wild West. More
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Eastern Oregon , Burns , Scenic Drives , Trip Ideas , Scenic Byways ,

Hells Canyon Scenic Byway

America’s deepest river gorge, Hells Canyon, and “Little Switzerland,” the Wallowa Mountains, star on this 208-mile/335-kilometer horseshoe route through the state’s northeast corner, the rich ancestral homeland of the Nez Perce tribe. More
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Eastern Oregon , Wallowa , Scenic Drives , Trip Ideas , Scenic Byways ,

Elkhorn Drive Scenic Byway

Scissor-sharp peaks and ridges define the Elkhorn Mountains of Northeast Oregon, where gold-mining boomtowns have given way to a mother lode of natural beauty on this 106-mile/171-kilometer tour. More
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Eastern Oregon , Sumpter , Scenic Drives , Trip Ideas , Scenic Byways ,

East Steens Tour Route

From an expansive sunbaked playa to a mile-high escarpment, this 143-mile/230-kilometer tour highlights the extremes of southeast Oregon’s basin and range country. Combine it with the High Desert Discovery Scenic Byway to form a loop. More
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Eastern Oregon , Fields , Scenic Drives , Trip Ideas , Scenic Byways ,

Diamond Loop Tour Route

This 145-mile/233-kilometer route “cuts the corner” of Interstate 84 in northeast Oregon, leading through ranching communities up into the forests and wilderness areas of the Blue Mountains. More
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Eastern Oregon , Diamond , Scenic Drives , Trip Ideas , Scenic Byways ,