Oregon Roadtrip Bucketlist for Outdoor Enthusiasts
Oregon is easily one of my favorite states I’ve ever visited. It’s packed full of outdoor activities whether you like empty beaches, snowy maintains, thick forest trails, or towering waterfalls. You’ll never find a shortage of things to do here!
& the best way to see it? Road trip! Since things are pretty spread out, it’s best to explore the state by car. A car also allows you to go at your own pace & gives you allll the freedom to visit any of the spots you want.
How to Get There
I’d suggest flying into Portland airport and renting a car directly from there. We combined our Oregon trip with Washington in which case you should buy a flight into Portland and out of Seattle (or vice-versa). Just make sure you add a different drop off location to your rental car.
If big rental car companies aren’t your thing, you can often get lower prices using a car-sharing app like Turo. I’ve used it a number of times & have had great experiences!
When To Go?
The timing of your trip can play a very important role in what you are able to do and see in Oregon. For example, if you are looking to hike trails around Mount Hood, these aren’t often open until June at the earliest! The Oregon Coast maintains moderate temperatures during the winter (hovering around 40-50 degrees) but experiences a heavy amount of rain.
In general, June to August is probably your best bet if you are looking for the warmest and driest weather and don’t mind the summer crowds! Shoulder season of late spring or early fall could be best if you’re looking for less people and still decent weather.
There really is no right or wrong time to visit, just make sure you plan your trip accordingly.
How Many Days?
This also depends on how much you want to see and how quickly you want to jump from place to place! We spent 7 days in Oregon and covered 70% of my list below. But we also only had 1-2 days in each area and often spent 3-4 hours a day in the car driving. I think 7 to 10 days would be an ideal amount of time to hit most of the highlights below. If you wanted to do ALL of them, you’d probably need 2 full weeks to do it comfortably.
For shorter trips, try to pick one or 2 neighboring areas to visit instead of trying to conquer the whole list. For example, you could easily spend a 4 day weekend exploring Portland and the surrounding area of Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge.
Places to Visit:
Oregon Coast
Portland & Surrounding Area (Columbia River Gorge, Mount Hood)
South & Wetsern Oregon
For More Oregon Cotent:
Heading to Willamette National Forest in your road trip? Check out my comprehensive guide on the area! It includes exact locations of hot springs, waterfalls, lava tubes, and the famous blue swimming hole!!
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