US97 in Oregon

US97 traverses the center of Oregon on the east side of the Cascades from the Columbia River to the California state line.  The northern section runs through open country consisting of agricultural land.  Moro provides limited services for travelers but also offers an award-winning museum of local history that makes for an interesting break.  Further south, the town of Shaniko is emerging from ghost town status and offers hotel, restaurant and fuel services as well as an interesting stroll for travelers interested in the past.

Central Oregon is a rapidly growing area seeing much growth in the cities of Madras, Redmond, Bend and La Pine.  There is a good selection of traveler services available at these locations along with a number of places of interest.  Smith Rock State Park and the High Desert Museum are among several attractions in this area.

The Crooked River National Grasslands are in the area between Madras and Redmond with the Ochoco National Forest located to the east.  The Deschutes National Forest is to the west and south of Bend, and the Klamath National Forest covers and extensive area in southern Oregon adjacent to US97.

Further south there are a number of small communities along the highway where there is a good choice of places to eat and fill up tanks.  The choice in motels is limited between Central Oregon and Klamath Falls.

Klamath Falls is the largest city in southern Oregon on the east side of the Cascades.  The area around Klamath Falls forms part of the Pacific Flyway where a variety of birds stop over on their migrations.

Much of Highway 97 covers high desert country so it is advisable to check road and weather conditions, especially between late fall and early spring.  The web sites published by the Oregon Department of Transportation and the National Weather Service are excellent resources.

There are several web sites that will be helpful for visitors interested in the outdoors.  These include the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, Oregon State Parks, Travel Oregon and the Oregon Historical Society.

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