US101 in Oregon

The Astoria-Megler Bridge that connects Astoria to Washington forms the northern end of US101 in Oregon where the highway is also known as the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway.  Parts of the new Lewis and Clark National Historical Park are in Washington and Oregon and in close proximity to the bridge.  The Lewis And Clark National And State Historical Parks are a joint venture, currently in development, between the National Park Service and the state parks departments of Oregon and Washington.

Astoria is an active port city with a long and interesting history.  The Columbia Maritime Museum, the Flavel House, Heritage Museum, the Uppertown Firefighters Museum and the Lightship Columbia WLV604 attest to this history and its maritime heritage.  The Astoria Column (photo left) set on top of Astoria's highest hill provides visitors with panoramic views taking in Astoria, the Columbia River, Young's Bay and a vast forested area inland to the east. The highway south of Astoria remains close to the coast along most of its route as it

passes through Seaside, Cannon Beach and Rockaway Beach where it turns inland through Tillamook County.

The Oregon Coast Trail Guide indicates points of interest and has useful maps for sections of US101 to assist with travel planning along the Oregon Coast.  US101 in Oregon is often referred to as the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway.

The Three Capes Scenic Loop provides a diversion from the main highway at Tillamook to follow the coast past Cape Meares, Cape Lookout, and Cape Kiwanda to Pacific City before reconnecting with US101.  

US101 then follows the coast through Lincoln City, a popular destination with a large selection of hotels.

Depoe Bay and Otter Rock, to the south of Lincoln City, offer good locations to watch whales during their north and south migrations.  For more information on this activity go to the Whale Watching Spoken Here web site.

Yaquina Head, north of Newport, has a much-photographed lighthouse and is another vantage point for watching whales during their annual migrations. Newport has several attractions with nearby historic Nye Beach and the Yaquina Bay Bridge.

Seal Rock is a popular stopover between Newport and Florence where visitors have an excellent opportunity to view colonies of seals in a natural habitat.

Waldport also has a bridge of historic interest and the Alsea Bay Bridge Interpretive Center where visitors can gain an appreciation of the bridge and ecology of the bay.

After passing through the attractive coastal town of Yachats the highway offers an excellent view of another distinctive lighthouse at Heceta Head.

The highway continues to the south through Florence, another active fishing port, with a popular and attractive riverfront.

The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area in the Siuslaw National Forest stretches along the coast between Florence and Reedsport.

North Bend and Coos Bay are further south on Coos Bay where there is a small port for ocean-going vessels.  The Coos Bay McCullough Memorial Bridge is another historic bridge connecting North Bend with the northern shore of the bay.  OR240/ The Cape Arago Highway runs to the west and south from North Bend to Cape Arago where three state parks are located.

The highway runs inland for a short distance but returns to the coast at the town of Bandon with its popular golfing facilities and scenic shoreline before another stretch inland.  There is a short road along this second section to Cape Blanco, which also boasts a lighthouse.

Port Orford reconnects the highway with the coast and is the location of the historic Battle Rock noted for a conflict between white settlers and natives.

The coast is close to the highway for the remainder of the route to Gold Beach and Brookings, the largest town on the southern stretch of US101 in Oregon, which is a short distance north of the California state line.

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