Half the fun of visiting the Oregon Coast is the journey. No matter your route, you will almost certainly head past old-growth forests and rushing rivers, across rolling hillsides and through colorful wildflower displays in between small towns across the Oregon Coast Range. In all, the mountain range runs about 200 miles from north to south — beginning at the state’s northern border and extending south to the Middle Fork Coquille River near Roseburg — and offers plenty of fun wherever you decide to cross.
As you make plans for your next visit, take time to enjoy the family farms, hiking trails and homestyle eateries along the way. Here’s how to make the most of your road trip on several routes crisscrossing the Oregon Coast Range.
Highway 30
Portland to Astoria
The trip to Astoria on Oregon’s North Coast via Highway 30 begins in Northwest Portland and hugs the Willamette and Columbia rivers for most of the trip, offering views of shipping traffic on the water and several bridges as it goes through small, historic communities like Scappoose, St. Helens and Clatskanie.
You won’t leave city limits before coming to Portland’s iconic St. Johns Bridge, which spans the Willamette River. Pack a picnic lunch for Cathedral Park at its base, and savor iconic views of the teal, gothic-inspired bridge above.
Farther west, see where some of your favorite films were shot in the community of St. Helens, which hosts two stops on the Oregon Film Trail — one for the 1998 film “Halloweentown” and one for the 2008 smash hit “Twilight.” Nearby Mister Goose Sandwich House dishes old-school, Midwest-inspired steamed sandwiches inside a comfortable, wood-paneled pub.
Highway 26
Portland to the North Coast
This route, the most common for reaching Seaside and Cannon Beach, follows what’s known as the Sunset Highway. The thoroughfare was named for the Army’s 41st Infantry Division, also known as the Sunset Division, since many of its first troops in the early 1900s came from Oregon. Forests of cedar and Douglas fir line most of the drive, with occasional trailheads, eateries and attractions offering a break to stretch your legs.
On a summertime drive through the Oregon Coast Range foothills, you can pick up to eight varieties of blueberries and kick back with farm-grown produce or cold beer from Public Coast Brewing Co. There’s also live music at the brewery’s Public Coast Farm near Banks.
In the heart of the Coast Range — about 20 miles west of Banks — stretch your legs with a 3-mile round-trip hike to Bloom Lake. The little-traveled footpath ascends 675 feet through a forest of Douglas fir, western hemlock and vine maple. Keep an eye out around Bloom Lake for beavers, ducks and herons.
Afterward, head just 7 miles west and refuel at the family-friendly Camp 18 Restaurant and Logging Museum. The restaurant dishes heaping portions in a massive log-cabin-like space, complete with a stone fireplace, and hosts a walk-through exhibit of vintage logging equipment just outside.
Highway 6
Portland to Tillamook
Highway 6 begins as an offshoot of Highway 26 near Hillsboro, passing farms and wetlands before winding its way through the regal Tillamook State Forest. Keep an eye out for Roosevelt elk mingling in roadside meadows.
Just west of where Highway 6 splits from Highway 26, you’ll find the 21-mile Banks-Vernonia State Trail. The paved biking and walking trail heads between Banks at its southernmost point and Vernonia in the north — and is the state’s first rails-to-trails park. Highlights along the path include more than a dozen bridges and sweeping views from atop the 80-foot-tall Buxton Trestle.
Closer to the Coast, the Tillamook Forest Center hosts interpretive hiking trails, educational exhibits and other attractions that showcase the history of the Tillamook State Forest. The museum is open March through November.
Highway 18
McMinnville to Lincoln City
From the northern Willamette Valley to Lincoln City on the Central Coast, Highway 18 travels through wine country communities of McMinnville, Dayton and the lands of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. It takes just an hour if you drive without stopping.
Just 7 miles southwest of McMinnville, the centerpiece of Erratic Rock State Natural Site is a 90-ton rock that arrived in the Willamette Valley more than 12,000 years ago. Today the display shows how natural forces have shaped the region for millennia.
Roughly 11 miles southwest of Erratic Rock, Willamina Merchants brings together the many makers of the Willamette Valley with locally made arts and crafts, bottles of regional wine and creative truffles from the Brigittine Monastery in nearby Amity.
Farther west, dive into the history of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde at Chachalu Tribal Museum and Cultural Center, which hosts cultural artifacts, interpretive panels and works of art.
Highway 20
Albany to Newport
Start your trip with a to-go meat-and-cheese board at Grazing Oregon in downtown Albany before driving out to Newport on the Central Coast. Many of the restaurant’s meats, cheeses, fruits and breads are sourced from Oregon-based farms. As you head westward, you’ll soon hit the town of Philomath, where The Dizzy Hen serves creative breakfast dishes and weekend dinners — all using fresh, seasonal ingredients from nearby farms. About seven miles northwest, pick up a bottle of wine for a beach picnic at Lumos Wine Company, whose tasting room is open March to December and resides in a converted barn.
In the heart of the Oregon Coast Range, Blodgett Country Store has been a local institution in Blodgett since the late 1800s and is a must-stop today for hearty deli sandwiches, pizza and snacks. The shop even claims to host the oldest beer cooler in Oregon — where you can grab local craft beers from a meat locker that dates back to the 1930s. Just inland from the Central Coast, the artsy enclave of Toledo is home to an Oregon Film Trail stop and the Yaquina River Museum of Art — which displays works that showcase regional themes.
Highway 34
Corvallis to Waldport
The curving Highway 34 breaks off from Highway 20 just east of Philomath, a rural community in the Willamette Valley, and flows along the Alsea River through the Siuslaw National Forest to Waldport on the Central Coast.
Roughly 13 miles southwest of Philomath, indulge your green thumb at The Thyme Garden, home to more than 650 varieties of herbs across roughly 250 raised beds — good for one of the largest such collections in the Pacific Northwest. Pick up seeds, dried herbs and other items to enjoy back home. Farther west, enjoy lunch at Clemens Park, a quiet outpost along the Alsea River that’s home to a few riverfront picnic sites.
Highway 126
Eugene to Florence
Highway 126 quickly leaves behind Eugene, trading homes and restaurants for marshland and, eventually, the mountains of the Oregon Coast Range. There trees drip with moss as you head toward Mapleton — home to Kentucky Falls, along the Siuslaw River — and Florence.
Just west of Eugene in Veneta, watch for waterfowl on a stroll on the western shore of Fern Ridge Reservoir at Zumwalt Park. Afterward, enjoy scratch-made breakfasts, sandwiches and down-home dishes at nearby Our Daily Bread, all served in a renovated church that’s roughly 70 years old.
East of Mapleton, take a short detour to see the Wildcat Creek Covered Bridge in Walton. The wooden, one-lane crossing was built in 1925 and was once part of the primary road to the Oregon Coast.
Highway 38
Cottage Grove to Winchester Bay
Highway 38 heads west from the southern edge of the southern Willamette Valley to the Oregon Coast, following the Umpqua River through plenty of mountainous terrain. This area is home to some of the oldest farming and logging communities in Oregon, including Drain and Elkton.
Between June and September, stop into the Butterfly Pavilion in Elkton to view native butterflies in a preservation enclosure and garden. Just next door, step back in time at a replica of Fort Umpqua, which stood nearby in the mid-1800s and was the southernmost outpost of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Nearby Tomaselli’s Pastry Mill & Cafe has specialized in homemade baked goods since 1981. Try the wood-fired pizzas and decadent pastries.
Just before you arrive in Reedsport, pull over to spy some of the 60 to 100 year-round residents at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area. Interpretive panels provide background on Roosevelt elk and tips for how to respectfully observe the animals.
Highway 42
Roseburg to Coos Bay
Some of the region’s first farms were plotted around the Umpqua Valley, where this route begins, and you’ll see that tradition remains alive and well today. Pastures, farms and rangeland bookend this trip through the rolling hills of the Oregon Coast Range.
Near the banks of the South Umpqua River in Winston, Brosi’s Sugartree Farms delivers the flavors of the region along the Great Umpqua Food Trail. Between June and December, that means U-pick cherries, peaches, blackberries and other crops suited to road-trip snacking.
Just outside Winston, let Fido get out the zoomies before your road trip at Douglas County Pet Lodge. For a small fee, the Pet Lodge’s Puppy Playground provides a fenced off-leash area with toys, tunnels, ramps and more. Be sure to bring your dog’s immunization records.
In Myrtle Point, Railroad Cafe dishes homestyle fare for breakfast and lunch. Pancakes with syrup made from Oregon-grown marionberries and towering burgers cater to the appetites of the area’s loggers. Farther west, in Coquille, old-school Denny’s Pizza delivers a classic pizza-parlor experience with wood-paneled walls, arcade games and hearty pies. Also in Coquille, take a stroll or pedal at Hundred Acre Wood Trails or stop for a paddle break along the Coquille River Water Trail.
