OREGON

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.

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.

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, www.oregonstateparks.org). 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.

Oregon Trail landmarks
Two of the first landmarks encountered by travelers on the Oregon Trail, which in western Nebraska paralleled the route of modern US-26, were the lumpy Courthouse and Jail rocks, which lie four miles beyond the likeable little town of Bridgeport, 36 miles south of Alliance. Fourteen miles west, along Hwy-92, the much-painted and photographed Chimney Rock rises almost 500ft above the North Platte River. Although this phallic outcrop's nineteenth-century stature may have been chipped away by erosion and lightning, it remains one of the most recognizable and memorable landmarks in the West. The twin towns of GERING and SCOTTSBLUFF, 25 miles further west, are the commercial center for the farmlands of western Nebraska. Southwest of Gering, the rugged 800ft rampart of Scotts Bluff National Monument (summer daily 8am–7pm; rest of year daily 8am–5pm; $4 per car) stands like a Nebraskan Gibraltar. Known to the Sioux as Me-a-pa-te ("hill that's hard to get around"), it earned its anglicized name in 1828 after fur trader Hiram Scott was mysteriously found dead at its base. Treks (by foot or shuttle bus) to the top are rewarded with a magnificent view, and the entrance fee includes the absorbing Oregon Trail Museum, which relates the experiences of the early emigrants. Just outside Gering, to the southwest, the spiky Wildcat Hills hold some delightful vistas and hiking terrain.

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