The Journey Through Time Scenic Byway is a tour through Oregon history – both natural and human. In addition to the natural wonders, the trip passes by ghost towns, logging operations and the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site, one of the Pacific Northwest’s best museums showcasing local Asian-American culture.
Touring one of Oregon’s more overlooked mountain ranges, the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway rolls by the pastoral hills south of the Columbia River, past Heppener (where you should get gas) and through the Umatilla National Forest to Granite. There, you can hook up with the Elkhorn Drive Scenic Byway, which makes a full loop through Baker City.
A relatively short 66-mile journey along the Cascade Lake Scenic Byway takes you past a number of beautiful alpine lakes in the central Oregon Cascades. For this trip, bypass popular Paulina Lake at the Newberry Volcano in favor of the bigger lakes west of Bend. With views of Mount Bachelor and Broken Top, the road takes you past Sparks Lake, Devils Lake, Elk Lake, Little Lava Lake and more.
One coast, one highway, one spectacular sight after another. Running the length of U.S. Route 101 in Oregon, the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway starts in Astoria and ends south of Brookings, passing by natural wonders galore: Tillamook Rock, Ecola State Park, Cape Perpetua, the Oregon Dunes, Arch Rock, Harris Beach and so much more. Consider pairing it with a tour of the Oregon coast’s 11 lighthouses.
Running from Crater Lake through Klamath Falls into northern California, the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway passes by evidence of eons of volcanic activity, from eruptions and lava flows to cinder cones and plains of pumice. The byway includes a complete tour of Crater Lake National Park, circling the 33-mile Rim Drive.
Stare into Hells Canyon, the deepest canyon in North America at 7,993 feet deep (the Grand Canyon is only 6,093 feet deep), along the snaking Hells Canyon Scenic Byway that runs between La Grande and Baker City. While Hells Canyon gets the name of the route, the Wallowa Mountains and town of Joseph are equally gorgeous, worth a few side trips on your way.
