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Summary: Best Oregon road trip, complete road trip itinerary, sunrise and sunset locations. *I use affiliate links and may receive a small commission on purchases. Thanks for your support!
Oregon was my first taste of the Pacific Northwest, and I’ve been smitten ever since. Most of these places I’ve learned about over the years or from passing through. I wish I would have done all of these in one epic Oregon road trip, so here ya go!
I recommend this road trip in the Summer time or the Fall, but it is possible to do during the Winter and Spring. Just be sure to check road closures and park closures when snow is a possibility!
The Route to the Best Oregon Road Trip!
I recommend Portland, Oregon as your starting and stopping point. This also makes it very convenient to fly into the Portland airport and start your adventure! I will link more information about where to stay in detailed blog posts about each spot.
Need to condense your trip? A lot of these spots are close enough where you can cover multiple locations in one day. As a photographer, I typically go to a new spot for sunrise and sunset!
Let’s Hit the Road!
1. Multnomah Falls
Oregon has 238 waterfalls, and this is the tallest at 620 feet. Pretty mind blowing. View the Forest Service website HERE for latest updates. This spot does require reservations during the busy season! Check out more information on that and 15 other waterfalls on my Oregon Waterfall Guide!
2. Rowena Crest
This drive-up spot is pretty breathtaking. To the left of this horse-shoe road view is a view of the Columbia River Gorge. We went just before sunset as we were running from the rain!
3. Painted Hills
The drive in to the Painted Hills is, in my opinion, more beautiful than this little walkway. The striations of colors in the hills is stunning around golden hour and I imagine the same at sunrise!
This photo was taken at the Painted Cove Trail, maybe 30 seconds away from the parking lot. The entire trail is only .3 miles. See more details on AllTrails.
4. Smith Rock
Smith Rock State Park makes me believe dinosaurs once existed. This place feels very random, jutting out of the land with nothing else like it around. This is a climber and hikers haven! Check out my full blog post on what hikes to do and nearby camping: SMITH ROCK: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO VIEWING THIS OREGON WONDER
5. Tamolitch Falls Blue Pool
Tamolitch Falls, or more famously known as Blue Pool, is a short hike through a douglas fir forest and old lava flows. The end reveals an incredibly blue basin of frigid water. Read all about how it was formed, nearby camping and cabins, and photo tips for this spot in my blog: FAMOUS TAMOLITCH BLUE POOL IN OREGON: AN ANCIENT TURQUOISE GEM
6. Sparks Lake
This is a favorite of mine! There is something incredibly special about sunrise here, and I recommend sunrise because of the crowds. This is a drive up spot and is just outside of Bend, Oregon. Read all of my photo tips, camping advice and more on blog: SPARKS LAKE PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE: FREE CAMPING & SUNRISE
7. Umpqua Hot Springs
I mean, who doesn’t love a hot springs trip! This is a very crowded and fragile spot, so I STRONGLY recommend you read my entire blog post about it have the best visit possible. Blog: UMPQUA HOT SPRINGS IN OREGON: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
8. Toketee Falls
On the same road as Umpqua hot springs, this is a stunning waterfall featuring Basalt cliffs and blue water. The trail is .9 miles round trip. Get more details at AllTrails.
9. Crater Lake National Park
My visit to Crater Lake was brief, but this view was worth the stop. Did you know Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the USA at 1,943 ft?! Drive up to the Crater Lake Lodge and hang out near the fire. Just down the parking lot is this view!
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10. Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor
There are so many incredible places to see along this scenic stretch. Natural Bridges, Secret Beach and Whaleshead beach are among my favorites. Check out my full blog for all the details: 6 BEST PHOTO SPOTS ON THE SOUTHERN OREGON COAST
11. Sharkfin Rock at Gold Beach
This place was a happy accident for me. It was sunset, so I pulled off to the nearest beach access to watch the sun go down, and this spot was stunning. I love the rock formations on the Oregon Coast. This location is linked in the blog post 6 BEST PHOTO SPOTS ON THE SOUTHERN OREGON COAST
12. Face Rock State Scenic Beach
Speaking of weird rock formations, this place wins in my opinion. Get a view from up top, or take the stairs down to the beach to see all of the wild rock formations. Detailed information in my blog 6 BEST PHOTO SPOTS ON THE SOUTHERN OREGON COAST
13. Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area
Running down dunes takes me back to my childhood. The Oregon dunes are one of the largest areas of coastal sand dunes in the world! Get more details on my Blog post: 5 THINGS TO DO IN BANDON, OREGON FOR A WEEKEND
14. Oswald West State Park
I LOVE the dramatic cliffs on this coastal spot. Use AllTrails to find some incredible places to explore for the day.
15. Cannon Beach
Cannon Beach is classic, and an awesome way to end your epic Oregon Road trip. I definitely recommend viewing Haystack rock as seen in the picture and relaxing with a picnic on the beach.
More Nearby Destinations!
If you’re looking for more Pacific Northwest Adventures check out these other guides:
Conclusion:
I hope this gives you some road trip inspiration! There are endless places to explore in Oregon. This road trip itinerary requires a decent amount of time, but really allows you to see the most of Oregon. If you’re looking for shorter trips, check out some of my guides linked above or in the Oregon section of the Destinations Tab!
What’s on your Oregon Bucketlist?
Pin for Later!
I love a good road trip article, especially a USA one. After reading your post, I really want to go to Oregon and see some of that beautiful scenery. i’ve pinned this for some future travel planning.
Thanks so much! Oregon is one of my favorite states to explore in the USA!
I use to live in PDX…. and let me just say that I hope anyone who’s looking for the ultimate Oregon road trip find your blog! I was so happy to see Umpqua on the list, the place is just magical.
Ahh that means so much!! There are endless things to explore in Oregon!
I’m planning a trip to Oregon for my 50th birthday. Approximately how long is this road trip? I’m starting in Washington and driving down the Oregon coast.
It can definitely be flexible. If you were to hit ALL of these spots I’d recommend a bit over a week. But it can absolutely be squished down.
Thanks for your blog about the road trip to Oregon. We have 7 days next week July 7- 14th vacation. We plan to take highway 5 from Sacramento to Oregon and 101 coastal route back. Do you think it is doable? What town do you recommend to stay overnight? We already book a cabin for our 1st night at Manzanita lake of Lassen National Park. Our bucket list has Mt Shasta, some falls, Crater Lake, Klamath Falls, Redwood National state parks, Redwood sky Walk, Astoria. Thank you very much!
Hey!! I hope your trip is starting off good! Astoria will make for a lot of driving, but it is beautiful! It may be tricky to do the coast and cut inland for the falls on that timeline. Let me know if you make that happen!
Wowza! My husband has been trying to sell a trip to Oregon to me for the longest time and I never took it seriously BUT I will now! The waterfalls and seaside cliffs look like something I have to see in real life! Thank you! My husband will be very happy, you converted me with your stunning photos
I love that!!! Well I hope if you go, you have the best time!
OMG! This is the perfect itinerary for Oregon! I only managed to visit Eugene and Portland during a quick 2 day trip there. I’ve always been meaning to go back.
I hope you get the chance to!! There’s an absurd amount of places to explore in Oregon!
Melissa, can you tell me what towns you would suggest we stay in without staying every night. I prefer a two night stay as a base camp and then go out and hit these places on your itinerary.
Hi, how many days would you recommend to complete this loop?
Hello! If you did sunrise and sunset per spot it would be about a week minimum. That’s what I did with this loop. But it could easily be expanded to 2 weeks!
How many days did this take you? Sorry if it was mentioned, I did not see it. Thanks in advance!
Hello! Great question. I did this at a VERY fast pace of sunrise at one location and sunset at the next. I’d say a week is a great place to start at a faster pace. But you could absolutely trim down some of the spots that are a bit more out of the way. I think 2 weeks would be the most ideal to really get to enjoy everything for longer periods of time
Would you recommend this trip to do as female solo trip?
Great post, as I just started planning our Oregon road trip! This is bookmark and I shall be returning for more tips!
You should really go over to Eastern Oregon, that is the best part of our state honestly. It’s STUNNING over there. The gorge, Wallowas, John Day, etc.
I so wish I had a list like this last time I was in Oregon in 2005, granted I had to finish up my fathers affairs so it wasn’t exactly a pleasure trip where I could just go wherever in the week I was there, but I’ve always made it a point to do a mini road trip anytime I’m up there to explore what I can’t usually enjoy (being I live in Texas!). I will definitely keep this for whenever I am finally able to get back up there so I have a new path to take compared to my past trips. Thank you so much for putting this together!