Oregon is a fantastic place for road trips and camping - and the best places are NOT at the coast!
One of the reasons I chose Oregon as a place to live when we moved back to the USA in 2009 was because I knew the state was beautiful, and set amid other states with beautiful landscapes, and therefore, it would be a great place to tour by motorcycle and to car camp. Our focus on traveling in Oregon has been road trips by motorcycle or car camping with beautiful but relatively easy hiking from our dog-friendly camp site. Since 2009, we have seen a lot of this state, more than most people who live here. I decided to put all of the Oregon travelogues in one place.
Curvy roads, historic towns, colorful landscapes, forests, mountains, ocean views, lakes, rivers, deserts, sage brush, pastures - Oregon has it all. I put this page together both for people in Oregon and people who might be traveling through the state. Too many motorcycle travelers in particular just travel through Oregon on the Interstate or on the coast - thereby missing the most beautiful parts of the state and the best roads.
Note: our Oregon tours are often in association with a trip to another state, to Canada or to Mexico. That means some of these travelogues linked below start in another state - Nevada, California, Idaho, Washington. Just keep scrolling on these pages linked below to get to the info about Oregon. The names of the roads we took (back roads) are noted, with descriptions as to whether or not they are scenic and/or fun.
My favorite local scenic motorcycle routes for day trips near the greater PDX metro, around Portland, Oregon, up into Northwestern Oregon, mostly Washington County, Yamhill County, Tillamook County and Clackamas County. Includes areas around Forest Grove, Vernonia, Birkenfeld, Jewell, Mount Hebo, Hamlet, Canby, Mount Angel and Astoria.
Cottonwood Canyon State Park in Oregon, September 2018. Near Wasco and Moro, Oregon. Not far from the Columbia River Gorge. A long weekend car camping trip with our dog that started in Washington State.
Review of Camp Wilkerson, Columbia County, Oregon, from June 2018. Great place to camp and hike over a couple of days. West of Portland, not far from PDX, yet you will feel like you are a million miles away from the city. This was a weekend car camping and hiking trip with our dog.
Review of Trask River County Campground, Tillamook County, Oregon, in March 2022. This was a weekend car camping and hiking trip with our dog, and the maiden voyage of the custom square drop camper built by coyotetrips.
North Eastern Oregon. May 2012. Sweet Home, Sisters, Antelope, Shaniko, Fossil, Condon, Heppner, Ukiah, Umatilla National Forest. Motorcycle and camping trip.
Southeastern Oregon: Alford Desert, Fields Oregon, Diamond Craters, McKenzie Pass, September 2012. Part of a motorcycle journey in Northern California & Nevada. Motorcycle and camping trip.
Oregon Outback Scenic Highway in South Central Oregon, including Highway 140 from Denio Junction (amazing), Adel, Paisley, grasshopper swarm, and Willamette National Forest. June 2014. Part of a motorcycle journey that focused primarily on Utah. Motorcycle and camping trip.
Northeastern corner of Oregon. Hells Canyon drive from Oxbow Bridge along the Snake River to the Hell's Canyon dam and then back over Oxbow dam to Cambridge, Idaho. Also Joseph, Oregon, Painted Hills, Oregon, and Little Crater Lake in Mt. Hood National Forest in Oregon. A two-week motorcycle and camping trip mostly in Idaho. 2016.
South Central Oregon: Lakeview, Klamath Falls, Oakridge, Willamette National Forest. On our way back from a motorcycle camping trip throughout Nevada. 2018.
Oregon Lava Tour. Central Oregon. Deschutes National Forest, Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Big Obsidian Flow, Paulina Lake and Fort Rock. Long weekend motorcycle and camping trip. 2019.
Central Oregon Coast. 223 through Kings Valley, Siuslaw National Forest. Alsea, Yachats River Road, Highway 101 from Strawberry Hill Wayside to Beaver, Oregon. Long weekend motorcycle and camping trip. 2021.
Southwestern Oregon, Oregon State Road 140, Hellgate Canyon, Indian Mary Campground & Park, Josephine County, Galice, Bear Camp Coastal Route, Agness, Highway 101 Gold Beach to Reedsport, Oregon State Road 38 / Umqua Highway through Elkton. Part of a motorcycle and camping trip that included Northern California. 2019.
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