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Virtual Travel

A Smithsonian magazine special report

Take a Photo Tour Through Oregon’s Rugged Landscapes

Travel through Oregon’s scenic backcountry with our reader-submitted photos

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon. Some of the area is over 40 million years old. Photograph by Laetitia Béraud, Eugene, OR
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The Milky Way over Crater Lake, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. Photograph by John Eklund, Portland, OR
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Rock formations on the beach in Bandon, Oregon. Photograph by Tracy Fawns, North Bend, OR
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A full moon rises over a snow-clad Mt. Hood. Photograph by Troi Anderson, Portland, OR
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Low Tide at Gold Beach, Pistol River State Park, Oregon. Photograph by Debra Vanderlaan, Lake Worth, FL
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Mount Hood, taken from Lost Lake, Oregon. Photograph by Dane Vandewiele, Eagle Creek, OR
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Highway 126 from Florence, Oregon to Eugene, Oregon. Photograph by Brian Hunter, Salem, OR
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Toketee Falls, Umpqua National Forest, Oregon. Photograph by Timothy Burke, Portland, OR
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Columbia River Gorge, Oregon. Photograph by Socheat Tauch, Troutdale, OR
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Sunrise in Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon. Photograph by Natalie Mikaels, New Hope, PA
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Sparks Lake, Oregon. Photograph by Thomas Reiman, Woodburn, OR
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Painted Hills, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon. Photograph by Lois Parshley, Portland, OR
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Ramona Falls on the the Timberline Trail circumnavigating Mount Hood. Photograph by Brian Broom-Peltz, Santa Fe, NM
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Multnomah Falls, located in Columbia River Gorge, in early fall. At 620 feet, the falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the United States. Photograph by Howard Snyder, Seattle, WA
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Oregon seascape. Photograph by Lynne Kelman, Surrey, BC, Canada
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Silver Falls State Park, Oregon. Photograph by Mitch Carlson, Portland, OR
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Thor's Well, Cape Perpetua, Oregon. Photograph by Josh Myers, Victor, ID
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The variety of natural beauty in Oregon can make it the perfect place to plan a camping or road trip. Oregon is home to hundreds of waterfalls, 19 volcanoes, colorful fossil beds and a 382-mile Coast Trail that guides visitors past ancient sea stacks, deserted beaches and rocky tide pools. 224 state parks, recreation areas and scenic viewpoints offer visitors opportunities for exploration and solitude. Take a five-mile hike in Silver Falls State Park past ten waterfalls, drive around the rim of sapphire blue Crater Lake, located in the caldera of a collapsed volcano, or visit Thor's Well, a naturally occurring fountain powered by the ocean tides. In the meantime, take a look through these remarkable shots submitted by readers to our annual photo contest.

Erin Corneliussen is a multimedia intern at Smithsonian.com.

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