Getting Oriented

Oregon's coastline begins in the north in the town of Astoria, which lies at the mouth of the Columbia River on the Washington state line. It is a 363-mi drive south along U.S. Highway 101 to reach the small town of Brookings at Oregon's southwestern corner, just 6 mi from the California border. The Oregon Coast is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the left and by the Coast Range on the right. Farther east across the Coast Range is the Willamette Valley, which includes the larger Oregon communities of Portland, Salem, Corvallis, and Eugene.