The Ultimate Oregon Road Trip Itinerary

Oregon has some of the most beautiful and unique landscapes you will ever see! From forests to beaches to craters, you will be in awe of this amazing destination! There are so many stunning overlooks and hikes for exploring Oregon. One of the best ways to explore Oregon is a road trip! This blog gives you a full-week itinerary of the best places to visit!

Related Post: 12 Must-See Stops Found Along the Pacific Coast Highway

Things You Will Need:

Car – obviously you will need to rent a car for the trip. We used Enterprise and they were great, it was $400 for the entire week. Depending on the type of car you get, the gas will be around $200 for the week.

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Camera – make sure your camera is fully charged because you will not want to miss a single shot of this beautiful destination! We use the Panasonic GH4 and love it! A GoPro is a great option for the more adventurous traveler!

Apparel – the essentials include hiking boots, rain pants, sweatshirts (for the cooler evenings), and maybe even a hat (for the possible rain and wind).

Snacks – Of course, you will want to make a stop at the grocery store to stock up on goodies for the long driving hours or packed lunches!

Day 1

The journey begins at the Portland airport, and from there it is around a 2-hour drive to the first stop – Astoria! Located by the Columbia River and west of the Rocky Mountains, it is the perfect coastal town. Head towards the Astoria Column for a great overlook of the Pacific Ocean and the Astoria-Megler Bridge! (No fee to get in, just $5 to park).

Another great place to visit in Astoria is the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. This is where Lewis and Clark stayed for the winter before reaching the Pacific Ocean! Learn more about their expedition and the Native Americans that assisted in their journey!

Continue to the Fort Stevens State Park where you can find the Wreck of the Peter Iredale. A ship that ran ashore in 1906. Also, if you enjoy camping pick your own spot and enjoy a night in the outdoors!

Day 2

The first stop of the day is Ecola State Park, you will need your hiking boots today as you explore the stunning Pacific coast! An eight-mile segment of The Oregon Coast Trail (OCT), also part of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, is in Ecola State Park.  From the parking lot, you have the option of either hiking south to Crescent Beach, or north to Indian Beach. Keep in mind these hikes are steep and slippery, but the views are rewarding!

Haystack Rock is the icon of Oregon, located in Cannon Beach, which is the next stop on this road trip! Just a 5-minute drive away, Cannon Beach is the perfect location for a hike, soaking up the sun rays, and getting those sunset pics!

Day 3

Start the day by driving about an hour from Cannon beach to the Tillamook Cheese factory! Experience their fresh products for breakfast or lunch! Tour the farm and learn how their cows are cared for, then head to the viewing gallery to see how the farm-fresh milk transforms into huge blocks of cheese. The best part? All tours are free!

Driving about 2 hours south along the coast, you will find yourself in Newport. Another small, but amazing coastal town! Cobble Beach is the perfect location to relax and watch the waves roll in. Named for the thousands of smooth, round cobblestones that lie where sand should be.

If you are up for an adventure, we highly recommend a sand dune tour! Race down the Pacific Ocean beach and experience the shifting sand at high speed! Sandland Tours offers tours for around $35 per person for 30 minutes or $65 for an hour.

Day 4

This is the highlight of the trip! If you visit anything in Oregon, let it be Crater Lake! ‘Deep Water in a Sleeping Volcano’ Crater Lake is a stunning masterpiece of nature!  A violent eruption caused the collapse of a tall peak. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the USA and one of the cleanest! Its pristine waters are fed by rain and snow and can boast of being the clearest blue.

How to get there: There are three separate entrances to the Crater Lake national park, but only the Park Headquarters is open year-round.

Fees: The park is free to enter; you just pay one time for parking and that is good for 7 days. $25 in the summer (May 22-October 31), $15 in the winter (November 1-May 21).

Things To Do: If you only have 3 hours or less and want to see those stunning views of the lake, consider driving the Rim Drive. A 33-mile road that surrounds Crater Lake has more than 30 overlooks for those panoramic shots!

If you have more than 3 hours consider hiking Wizard Island! There are three different boat tours, depending on what you want to do. Choose from encircling Wizard Island to relax on the island, to hiking to the top of the crater! With each tour, you will be amazed by the pure beauty of Crater Lake.

Did you know you can also have a chance to see the Milky Way? At Crater Lake the sky can be the darkest in the USA, on a moonless night you will see meteors, satellites, planets, and possibly the Milky Way itself!

Day 5

On the second to the final day of this amazing Oregon road trip, was a 2-hour drive to the unassuming town of Bend, Oregon. There are so many wonderful things to do in this darling place, we will just name our favorites!

Newberry National Volcanic Monument – south of Bend this park is over 54,000 acres of waterfalls, lava flows, peaks, and lakes. Explore Lava Buttes and The Big Obsidian Flow (volcanic glass formed as a rock). To see a majestic panoramic view of the park, head over to The Summit Paulina Peak. You will see for miles as the elevation is almost 8,000 ft!

Paulina Creek Falls – Travel even further into Newberry National Volcanic Monument and you will find more waterfalls! To get there, turn onto Paulina Lake Road and drive towards the ‘day use’ area, there will be a $5 fee for parking. The hike is a moderate one, and the views are stunning!

Day 6

Around a 2-hour drive north of Bend, Oregon is Mount Hood! Mount Hood is a stratovolcano, which is a volcano built up of alternate layers of lava and ash, but not likely to erupt. The elevation is between 10,000 to 12,000 ft and skiers come from all around to race its slopes. A full day here can include hiking, tubing, skiing, or just enjoying the views!

As you make your way down the mountain, drive west toward Portland, and be sure to stop at Multnomah Falls! A 611-foot-tall fall is another icon in Oregon.  Just a five-minute walk from the parking lot, experience the falls from below or from the picturesque Benson Bridge.

Oregon is a beautiful state and there still is so much to explore! Hopefully, you have gotten just a taste of what it has to offer and start to plan a West Coast trip soon!

If you have any specific questions about visiting Oregon, please be sure to leave a comment below or contact us!

Until the next destination!

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