5 Natural Wonders of Oregon to Add to Your Bucket List

If your family enjoys traveling to see natural attractions, Oregon is the state for you. A dramatic coastline, America’s deepest lake, a 4,000-foot-deep canyon, natural bridges — you’ll find all these and more in Oregon.

Columbia River Gorge
The 80-mile-long Columbia River Gorge cuts a deep pathway trough the Cascade Mountains, with plunging waterfalls, lush forests and towering cliffs. The most famous of the falls is the long, graceful Multnomah, with a bridge spanning its center. You can hike a paved path to the bridge.

Painted Hills

A sequence of successive climate changes created the stripes of red, black, tan and yellow that paint the hills north of Mitchell. The Painted Hills are also home to a diverse group of animal and leaf fossils dating to more than 30 million years ago. Go in the late afternoon for the most vivid photos.

Oregon Coast
The entire Oregon Coast is publicly accessible without fees, 363 miles of sand beach, dramatic rock formations, giant sand dunes, sculped sandstone cliffs and lighthouses. Watch for whales, puffins and seals, or hunt for sea-worn agates on the beaches. Off the coast at the southern end are the Sam Boardman Natural Bridges.

Silver Falls State Park
Kids will love hiking the Trail of Ten Falls at Silver Falls State Park, where they can walk behind a 177-foot waterfall as they descend through a rocky canyon. A new, shorter North Rim Trail with views of North Falls is ADA accessible. Also at the North Canyon is a picnic area and Nature Play Area for kids.

Crater Lake
A violent volcanic eruption 7,700 years ago caused the collapse of a mountain, and the formation of Crater Lake. The largest in the United States and one of the world’s most pristine, the lake sits atop the Cascade Mountain Range, whose snow-capped peaks provide contrast to the lake’s deep blue waters. Take a two-hour trolley tour with a ranger guide instead of driving the 33-mile Rim Drive.