For nineteenth-century pioneers, driving in covered wagons over the mountains and deserts of the arduous Oregon Trail, the Willamette Valley was the promised land. Rich and fertile, it became the home of Oregon's first settlements, and the valley is still the heart of the state's social, political and cultural existence. Portland , the biggest city, has a cozy European feel; Salem , the state capital, maintains a small-town air; and Eugene , at the southern foot of the valley, is a likeable college community.

East of Portland, waterfalls cascade down mossy cliffs along the Columbia River Gorge , south of which the twisting path of an old pioneer road leads through more beautiful scenery around Mount Hood . Central Oregon, and its increasingly popular recreation hub, Bend , is located on a high chaparral desert with sage and juniper trees, with close access to the southern Cascades, as well as numerous lakes and rivers dropping into striking canyons. Further south, around Grants Pass the major rivers drain to the Pacific, carving steep gorges and making for some excellent whitewater rafting, while the liberal hamlet of Ashland offers a splash of culture with its annual Shakespeare Festival.

Several highways link the Willamette Valley to the rugged coast, whose most northerly town, Astoria , enjoys a magnificent setting strewn with imposing Victorian homes. South along the coast, wide and protected expanses of sand are broken by jagged black monoliths; white lighthouses look out from stark headlands; and rough cliffs conceal small, sheltered coves. With its sand dunes, dense forests, and sheer variety, the coast is every bit as appealing as its Californian counterpart, albeit not as warm.

The rugged deserts and lava fields of Eastern Oregon are more remote and were only settled on any scale once the prime land in the west had already been taken. The settling process involved not only ferocious "Indian campaigns" but also the bitterly violent range wars between sheep-farmers and terrorist "sheep-shooters" (associations of cattle ranchers). Sheep and cows now graze in peace, and some small towns still celebrate their cowboy roots with annual rodeos.  TOP

Local bus companies serve communities north of Lincoln City in sporadic fashion, but the coast is also excellent for cycling , if a bit windy. There are many great opportunities for hiking , though having your own vehicle can make it easier to access the more remote spots. Hitchhiking , inadvisable anywhere in the US, is illegal in Oregon.  TOP

Central and Eastern Oregon
East of the Cascades, Oregon grows warmer, drier and wilder; green valleys give way to the high desert with sageland, juniper trees, bare hills and stark rock formations broken up by the occasional tract of pine forest. The volcanic landscape has cracked lava flows, abrupt cone-like hills, and high craters such as beautiful Crater Lake in the south. The east, though seldom visited, can be surprisingly beautiful: the John Day Fossil Beds along US-26, and the remote, snowcapped Wallowa Mountains - overlooking the deep slash of Hells Canyon - are both overwhelmingly dramatic landscapes, and not to be missed if you have a lot of time to drive around the outback from one isolated sight to another.

Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood
Due east of Portland along the I-84 interstate, the Columbia River Gorge is a striking, almost forbidding setting with gusty winds, craggy rocks and incredi ble views resembling the heroic landscapes of Albert Bierstadt. Scoured into a deep U-shape by huge Ice Age-era floods that also carved up Eastern Washington, the gorge is a nationally protected scenic area, where foamy waterfalls tumble down its sides and fir and maple trees turn fabulous shades of gold and red in the fall. Much more rugged in the nineteenth century before the arrival of modern dams, this was the ominous final leg of the Oregon Trail, where many pioneers met a dark end negotiating perilous rapids on flimsy wooden rafts.

The most dramatic part of the gorge, between Troutdale and the town of Hood River, is just north of snow-capped Mount Hood. The ideal way to explore it is by driving along the narrow, winding Historic Columbia River Highway (accessible at exits 22 or 35 off I-84), which boasts several excellent vistas, particularly Crown Point - a marvelous WPA structure perched high above the gorge about ten miles east of Troutdale. Further east, some highway sections are now closed to automotive traffic due to the road's difficulty in handling modern traffic loads, and are designed more for hikers and cyclists.

Back on I-84 below, the most spectacular of the waterfalls en route is Multnomah Falls (accessed by an unexpected left-lane exit), whose waters plunge over 530ft down a rock face, collect in a pool, and then drop another seventy feet. Be warned: this is the state's most popular attraction and the crowds can get quite thick. Further east, Bonneville Dam (daily 9am-5pm; tel 541/374-8820) is the Oregon counterpart of Washington's Grand Coulee, a huge New Deal project that generates regional electricity and offers a viewing chamber where you can see salmon making their way upstream - although the numbers dwindle each year.

To the south along Highway 35, Mount Hood is a dormant volcano rising about eleven thousand feet, the tallest of the Oregon Cascades. The Mount Hood Loop - a combination of highways 35 and 26 - takes in both the mount and the gorge, and one of the joys of the area is to explore it by foot along some of the trails. The highest point on the loop at some 4000ft, Barlow Pass is named after Sam Barlow, a wagon-train leader who blazed the first "road" around the mountain, which became the unpleasant alternative to the even more dangerous Columbia River route on the Oregon Trail. Much of the Barlow Road is still followed by the loop, including the steep ridges where wagons frequently skidded out of control and plummeted downhill. You can still see deep gashes on some of the trees where ropes were fastened to check the wagons' descent.

Near the intersection of Hwy-35 and US-26, a turn-off leads to the rough-hewn stone of Timberline Lodge (tel 503/272-3311 or 1-800/547-1406, ; $100-130), a New Deal structure which is part of the year-round Timberline ski resort (tel 503/219-3192; lift tickets $38), and the exterior setting for Stanley Kubrick's The Shining . Two other downhill ski areas - Mount Hood Meadows ( ; $44) and Mount Hood SkiBowl ( ; $39) - offer nighttime skiing from November to April (around $20). There are also many miles of cross-country skiing trails throughout the Mount Hood National Forest.

Oregon Coast
The Oregon coast is as beautiful as any stretch of coastline in America. While the California sun draws off the tan-seeking masses (Oregon summers are generally mild), Oregonians are left to hike and clam-dig along their own secluded four hundred miles, almost all of it public land. State parks and campgrounds abound, and extensive and often isolated beaches offer numerous free activities, from beachcombing to shell-fishing and whale-watching. Although Oregon hasn't escaped commercialism (only lucky travelers find budget rooms without booking ahead in July and August), the state's shoreline could well be considered the least exploited, or developed, in the entire US.

A dozen coastal state parks offer novel accommodation in the form of yurts - Mongolian-style domed circular tents with wooden floors, electricity and lockable doors, as well as bunk beds and a futon ($25 per night for five people; details from the State Park Information Line, tel 1-800/452-5687, ). Alternatively, you can camp for $15-20 at sites on the coast.

For the most scenic transportation along the waves, cycling is always a good option, whether within the state parks, along US-101 (following the coastline to the California border), or on the many smaller "scenic loop" roads. Pick up the Coast Bike Route Map from any major visitor center.

South through the Willamette Valley
South of Portland, I-5 approaches California along a series of inland valleys, bypassing historic Oregon City , the first state capital, at the end of the Oregon Trail. Today, the split-level town consists of a short main street, connected by steps, steep streets and a cliff-face elevator to an uptown area of old wooden houses set on a bluff. The highlight is unquestionably the John McLoughlin House , 713 Center St (Tues-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 10am-1pm; $3.50), the dwelling of an Oregon Trail pioneer that's loaded with many artifacts and details on local history.

The Willamette Valley has a diverse agriculture scene, but is best known for its grapes. Hwy-99 W, the scenic route through wine country, accesses more than two dozen acclaimed wineries , most of which pour superb Pinot noirs, Chardonnays and Rieslings. Pick up a wine-country tour map from any local visitor center (or from ) - and expect the odd traffic delay in little burgs like Dundee , now a well-known draw for vino. The Valley also has some of the best examples of covered bridges , with thirty-four in the state spanning creeks near Scio, Albany and Cottage Grove (check out the directory at ).  TOP