Oregon Travel Guide

Oregon is an American state in the Pacific Northwest. It features rugged rocky coastlines, dense forests, fun cities, western mountains, and even a desert in the southeastern part of the state. Note: If while there, you pronounce the state (ORIgone), people will immediately know you are a tourist from the east coast. The correct pronunciation, used in the state and across the Pacific Northwest is (ORIgun). The wrong pronunciation is also irritating to the people who live there as it shows lack of knowledge about the region, which is understandably frustrating.

Oregon Travel Guide - Regions

* High Desert -- Central and Eastern Oregon: cattle, timber and sage country
* Cascade Mountains -- Numerous wildernesses, thick forests, fresh air and water which divide western Oregon from Central Oregon
* Oregon Coast -- spectacular and rugged coastline, modest and affordable accommodations
* Willamette Valley -- Oregon's breadbasket
* Columbia Gorge -- Wind and Beauty

Oregon Travel Guide - Cities

* Aloha -- Home of the Jenkins Estate and The Reserve Vineyards & Golf Course.
* Ashland -- home of the annual Shakespeare Festival
* Bend -- Home of the Deschutes Brewery
* Estacada (Oregon)-- Christmas Tree Capital of the World
* Gladstone -- Home of the Cha-Tauk-Was Festival
* Grants Pass -- It's the Climate
* Gresham -- Home of the annual Jazz Festival (Also known as 'The Ham')
* Joseph -- Beauty in the shadow of the Wallowa Mountains
* Klamath Falls -- Home of Running Y Ranch Resort
* Lincoln City -- Home of the Kite Festival
* Madras -- Home of Billy Chinook lake
* Medford -- Great Red Lobster
* Myrtle Point -- Home of the Coos County fair and rodeo
* Newport -- Home of the Oregon Coast Aquarium
* Newberg -- Home of one of the very few Drive in Theaters
* Portland -- the state's largest city
* Reedsport -- Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area
* Roseburg -- Home of Roseburg Forest Products-lumber
* Sunriver -- Major vacation destination resort
* Warrenton -- Home of Fort Stevens State Park

Oregon Travel Guide - Other Destinations

* Crater Lake National Park -- Deepest lake in the world above sea level, Oregon's only national park
* Mount Bachelor -- skiing and snowboarding (November through May)
* Mount Hood -- snowboarding & skiing (lift serviced year round), snowshoeing, alpine slides, hiking, backpacking, camping
* Tillamook State Forest
* Willamette National Forest -- Offering numerous outdoor recreation activities including hiking, sailing, and camping at Waldo Lake.
* Wallowa Lake -- One of Oregon's finest lakes. Beautiful scenery, camping, boating, fishing, hiking, eating, and lodging in the quiet town of Joseph.

Oregon Travel Guide - Getting There

By plane

The three largest commercial passenger airports in Oregon are:

* Portland International Airport (PDX) in Portland
* Mahlon Sweet Field (EUG) in Eugene
* Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport (MFR) in Medford

Portland International is served non-stop by most major airlines and by several international carriers; it is the only international port of entry for Oregon. Mahlon Sweet Field and Rogue Valley Airport are served non-stop by feeder lines to Portland and other regional hubs such as San Francisco, Seattle, and Salt Lake City.

By car

Oregon has two Interstate Highways:

* Interstate 5 connects Medford, Eugene, Salem, and Portland, running north to the Canadian border of British Columbia, and south through the Willamette Valley all the way to San Diego, California, therefore connecting Canada and Mexico via 3 west coast states.
* Interstate 84 connects Portland, The Dalles, and Pendleton, running east to Boise, Idaho and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Federal and state highways effectively serve the remainder of the state, arranged in a grid-like lattice, but warped by mountain ranges:

* Highway 101 winds along the Pacific coast and goes through the main street of most every town along the way
* Highway 99 is the predecessor to I-5, but goes through many towns in the Willamette Valley. At Junction City (just north of Eugene), it splits as 99E and 99W which meander along the respective sides of the Willamette River; both terminate in Portland. South of Eugene, it is the same as I-5.
* Highway 97 is the main Central Oregon north/south route. When I-5 is closed by winter storms, this is usually a good alternate as it is east of the Cascades and subject to much less precipitation.
* Highway 26 goes from the northern coast through the coast range, through Portland then over the south flank of Mount Hood then generally follows an east-west path tracing the north Oregon border 50-75 miles south almost to the Idaho border at Vale.
* Highway 20 goes from the north central coast in Newport to the eastern border roughly midway through the state.

Oregon is one of two states in the U.S. (along with New Jersey) where, to preserve attendants' jobs, self-serve gasoline stations are not allowed by law. It is one of few states technically without speed limits, though exceeding a posted speed is a case of "guilty until proven innocent", the latter of which is unusual.

By foot

The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (which runs from Canada to Mexico) passes through Oregon along the Cascade Mountains. With almost no civilization along its route and very few highway crossings (four in the northern 150 miles of the trail), it is exceptional for experiencing nature while avoiding civilization.

Oregon Travel Guide - Things To Do

Southern Oregon has the Ashland Shakespeare Festival, Crater Lake, Rogue River, and Oregon Coast.

* Raft the Rogue River, Grants Pass. Spend four days rafting the Class III rapids of the Wild and Scenic Rogue River. Camping and lodge trips are available.
* Enjoy the outdoors by camping at Devil's Lake, Ft. Stevens, Tillamook State Forest or Detroit Lake State Recreation Area.
* Nearly 40 miles of coastline Dunes at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area between Florence and Coos Bay: get sand in your hair by driving ATVs or dune buggies.
* Take a Oregon Coast getaway or extended vacation. Visit the 363 miles of coastline and sandy beaches. Enjoy your stay at one of the most romantic places in the world.

* OHV Riding in Oregon
* Rock climbing at Smith Rock.
* Go Watch a Portland Trail Blazer game.
* Go Watch a Portland Winterhawks game.
* Go to the Oregon Zoo.
* Smell the International Rose Test Gardens for free
* Go Skiing or Snowboarding on Mt. Hood. In August if you want.
* Go Bike Riding on the Spring Water Trail or in downtown Portland.
* Go to the Beach at Lincoln City, Seaside, or Newport.
* Visit Saturday Market in downtown Portland for wonderful local food, arts & crafts and music
* Soak in the natural hot springs at Bagby Hot Springs, Breitenbush Resort, or the edge of Alvord Desert

Oregon Travel Guide - Eat

* Visit one of the three Old Spaghetti Factory restaurants in the Portland area.
* Big Apple Pizza located in Gresham.
* The Refactory for the best Italian food in the northwest, located in southeast Portland.
* Chu's Eatery for some great Chinese food, located in southeast Portland.
* For some excellent Chinese Food in Corvallis, you can always visit China Delight and has great prices.
* Wonderful food located at Rock Bottom Grill in Downtown Portland.
* Four star dining in hiking boots and jeans? This is perfectly acceptable (as are suits and tuxedos) at Timberline Lodge's Cascade Dining Room which offers seasonal northwest cuisine year round. Excellent breakfast, lunch and dinner selections. Dinner reservations are helpful most evenings, but a necessity at holidays and nice summer weekends.
* The Pine Tavern is a sophisticated restaurant serving fine Oregon cuisine. In downtown Bend on gorgeous Mirror Pond, it is the best food for 100 miles in any direction.

Oregon Travel Guide - Drink

McMenamin's has several breweries and pubs throughout the state, including ones in Portland, Bend, McMinnville, and Eugene.

Oregon Travel Guide - Major Cities and Towns

The capital is Salem and the largest city is Portland. Eugene, home of the University of Oregon, is the third largest city, closely following Salem.

Oregon City was the first incorporated city west of the Rockies and later, the first capital of the Oregon Territory, from 1848 to 1852, when the territorial capital was moved to Salem, Oregon. It was also the end of the Oregon Trail and the site of the first public library established west of the Rocky Mountains, stocked with only 300 volumes.

Article Source: Wikipedia