Welcome back to Grand Adventure! I'm your host Marc Guido, and in this episode
we're going to travel all across Oregon from one end of the state to the other,
so stick around!
Now while we prepare our rig for an upcoming 4,000-mile road trip, we're
going to spend this week bringing you back to Oregon. Oregon is an incredibly
diverse state, and we're going to share with you
adventures that you can enjoy from end to end. This video is a collaboration
between Grand Adventure and our friends over at Campsite Videos, who lent their
beautiful videography to complement our own photos and videos from across Oregon.
We encourage you to check out and subscribe to their wonderful YouTube
channel -- we'll put a link right here on the screen, and in the video description
down below so you can go over and check out their videos. So without any further
ado, let's get started! Oregon is an incredibly diverse state
for outdoor travelers, with topographies ranging from lush damp coastal forests
to a spine of dormant volcanoes, and even deserts. A desert may not be the first
thing that comes to mind when most folks think of Oregon, but the High Desert
occupies most of the eastern half to two-thirds of the state, with the
exception of the Wallowa and Blue Mountain ranges in the state's far
northeastern corner.
Campers will appreciate the broad swaths of BLM land across the High Desert of
Eastern Oregon's Columbia Plateau. Towns, and even roads can be few and far
between out here, and it can be many miles between gas pumps. One noteworthy
stop is at Painted Hills, one of the three units of the John Day Fossil Beds
National Monument named for the colorful layers of its hills corresponding to
various geological eras when the area was an ancient river floodplain. The
Cascade Mountains that form a north/south-oriented spine through Central Oregon
are the demarcation line between the moist, cool air flowing in off the
Pacific Ocean, and the arid heat of the eastern High Desert. The landscape
changes completely in the span of only a few miles, as colors change quickly from
brown to green, as sagebrush transitions to ponderosa pines.
At the base of the eastern slopes of the Cascades, along the banks of the
Deschutes River sits the charming town of Bend, a rapidly growing town with an
estimated 100,000 residents that's nevertheless the largest city in
Central Oregon. Founded as a turn-of-the-century logging town, Bend is
now a gateway for many outdoor sports including mountain biking, fishing, hiking,
camping, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, skiing, paragliding and golf.
It's also home to many fine restaurants and 23 craft breweries.
The Cascade Mountains stretching from British Columbia to Northern California
are appropriately named. Partially volcanic in origin, they're home to
innumerable waterfalls, particularly in the Mount Hood National Forest.
The Willamette Valley separates the Cascades from the Oregon Coast Range,
influenced by the mild maritime climate of the adjacent Pacific Ocean. Here is
perhaps the most beloved section of Oregon for travellers along the 362
miles of Pacific shoreline, from the California border to the Columbia River.
The Oregon Beach Bill of 1967 ensures free beach access for everyone, and
results in incredibly underutilized stretches of broad sandy beach in many
areas along the US Route 101. There are few boondocking opportunities along the
immediate coastline in Oregon, so if you want waterfront camping you'll be in a
campground. There are unlimited places for dispersed camping a few miles inland
within the National Forest.
Newport is a vibrant fishing village along the Central Coast. It's also home
to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's base for research ships,
the Rogue Brewery and Distillery, an exceptional marine aquarium, and the
charming seaside neighborhood of Nye Beach. It's also the spot along the
Oregon coast to find fresh native seafood, sometimes right off the boat.
When in Newport, we stay at the massive campground at South Beach State Park for
its proximity to a pristine stretch of soft sandy beach.
If you've got the right gear don't miss the opportunity to camp at Oregon Dunes
National Recreation Area. This is a chance to boondock among the largest
expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America.
Yes, we got our Tacoma up and over the dunes to camp out in a remote corner of
the dunes, and we saw some folks who even got their fifth wheels out there,
although we're not really sure that we're ready to try it with our rig.
Boondocking sites are reservable.
Right at the mouth of the Columbia River, in Oregon's far northwestern corner sits
Fort Stevens State Park, home to one of the nicest State Park campgrounds we've
ever come across. Full hookups are available at some sites, and it's a short
walk or bike ride right to the beach where you'll find the wreck of the Peter
Iredale.
So we hope that you've enjoyed this trip across Oregon, and we hope that it
inspires you to head to Oregon for your own Grand Adventures. If you like this
video, please give us a thumbs up down below. Also down below you'll find the
comments section, where we always love to hear from you after each and every video.
If you're not yet a Grand Adventurer, we put out new outdoor travel adventure
videos each and every Wednesday, and we've got a lot of big tours coming up
so we hope that you'll subscribe and share Grand Adventure with your friends,
family, and on social media. Until next week please remember, life is
nothing but a Grand Adventure! We'll see you then!