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Territory
Wonders of Oregon
  Highlights
Oregon can be proud of its special natural beauty. Mighty rivers cross the mountainous landscape through magnificent ravines and canyons and the frequent rain has created countless waterfalls. In the lush forests grow trees of incredible size and at the sea can be observed unusual landmarks – blowholes including the somewhat mysterious looking Thor’s Well.
Man-made heritage in Oregon is less impressive. There are rather few archaeological monuments, including scattered petroglyphs. In the state are located several very impressive bridges, and there are also some interesting architectural monuments including the first major structure in Post-Modern style.
Map with the described wonders of Oregon
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Top 25 wonders of Oregon
Geological wonders
Crater Lake (Oregon)
Klamath County
Round, beautiful lake in the caldera of Mount Mazuma volcano. The caldera is 655 m deep and formed geologically recently: 7,700 years ago when the volcano collapsed. The lake is 594 m deep – the deepest in the United States.
Multnomah Falls
Multnomah County
Very tall waterfall with three main drops, 194 m tall. A picturesque bridge is below the tallest drop.
Oregon Caves
Josephine County
These beautiful show caves were discovered in 1874. Caves have formed in marble and through the cave system flows a river – River Styx. The total length of passages is around 4,600 m. The cave contains valuable fossils including remnants of a grizzly bear, jaguar, and others.
Smith Rock
Deschutes County
Spectacular, vertical cliffs at Crooked River. A popular site for climbing, the cliffs are up to 180 m high.
Borax Lake
Harney County
A thermal lake that is fed by hot springs. The temperature of the lake’s surface is between 16 and 38 degrees C and also higher. Lake water contains a lot of borax, arsenic, and lead. Nevertheless, here lives a unique fish – Borax Lake chub (Gila boraxobius).
Toketee Falls
Douglas County
Waterfall of unusual beauty. It has two closely located cascades with a total height of 37 meters. The lower plunge falls over a columnar basalt cliff.
Columbia River Gorge
Located in Washington State as well
Gorgeous canyon of Columbia River, up to 1,200 m deep. The canyon is some 130 km long and has numerous very impressive waterfalls. Microhabitats along the canyon contain unique, endemic species of plants.
Thor’s Well
Lincoln County
Hole in the rocks at the sea that looks as if the ocean is drained in it. This is a 6-7 m wide hole, also 6-7 m deep. It is at its most impressive approximately one hour before the high tide. At high waves, it creates some meters-high splashes.
Sea Lion Caves
Lane County
A system of enormous sea caves with up to 38 m tall ceilings. Here lives a group of Steller’s sea lions – during the winter there are hundreds of them. Discovered in 1880.
Tumalo Falls
Deschutes County
Impressive, 27 m tall waterfall. The waterfall is comparatively wide and has a single plunge.
Little Crater Lake
Clackamas County
Impressive, deep blue spring lake. The lake is 14 m deep and could be formed as a maar: due to groundwater explosion caused by the volcanic heat.
Latourell Falls
Multnomah County
Beautiful, 76 m tall waterfall. It falls with a single plunge over a basalt overhang. In the basalt are well-visible columnar formations.
Hole-in-the-Ground
Lake County
Large, circular maar – a volcanic explosion crater. Its diameter is some 1,600 m, the floor is around 150 m below the surroundings but the rim around the crater is 35 to 65 m high. This maar formed some 13.5 – 18 thousand years ago.
Mickey Hot Springs
Harney County
Geothermal field with thermal springs and mud pots. The hottest springs are boiling. Here have existed also intermittent springs.
Painted Hills
Wheeler County
Spectacular outcroppings of colored rocks over a larger area. There are red-colored laterite outcroppings, dark-colored layers of lignite, and grey-colored mudstone, siltstone, and shale layers. Rocks contain many fossils of early horses, camels, and other animals.
Salt Creek Falls
Lane County
Beautiful 87 m tall waterfall. It hits the rock in the upper part but then falls freely through the air over the rock overhang.
Crack in the Ground
Lake County
Unusual volcanic formation – some 3.2 km long and up to 9 m deep crack. It formed by the sinking of an enormous block of the ground after a volcanic eruption. It is possible to walk on the base of this crack.
Elowah Falls
Multnomah County
65 m tall waterfall with a single plunge. It falls over a rock overhang.
Pumice Desert
Klamath County
Here a very thick layer of pumice and ash has created a dry area where the water permeates the ground too fast to sustain the vegetation.
Biological wonders
Doerner Fir
Coos County
The tallest coast Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) in the world. Height 99.8 m, diameter 3.54 m, volume 237 m3. Some time ago was 100.3 m tall.
Architecture wonders
Astoria – Megler Bridge
Pacific County
The longest continuous truss bridge in the United States. This 6.55 km long bridge was constructed in 1962-1966 across the Columbia River. The longest span is 376 m.
St. Johns Bridge
Multnomah County
This beautiful steel suspension bridge was constructed in 1931. The bridge towers have unusual Neo-Gothic forms. The bridge is 630 m long, the main span is 368 m long.
Elsinore Theatre
Marion County
This theatre was constructed in a mix of Art Deco and Neo-Gothic styles in 1926. After lengthy attempts to save the theater, it was restored in 2004.
Hawthorne Bridge
Multnomah County
Historical truss bridge, constructed in 1910. It has a vertical lift that operates up to this day, rising a section of bridge from 15 m to 48 m above the river. This operation is repeated some 120 times per month.
Recommended books
Oregon’s Ancient Forests: A Hiking Guide
Dripping coastal forests of giant Douglas-firs, high desert groves of massive ponderosa pines, and lush mixed conifer forests surrounding jagged Cascade peaks–Oregon’s ancient forests are one of the region’s most precious treasures, providing not only vital habitat for fish and wildlife but also some of the most amazing hiking experiences in the state. Author Chandra LeGue of Oregon Wild wants you to know and love these incredible places and guides you to them with 91 awe-inspiring hikes that reveal the very soul of Oregon.
The Other Oregon
The Other Oregon: People, Environment, and History East of the Cascades is a multidisciplinary work that ranges widely through a diverse and often under-appreciated land, drawing on the fields of environmental history, cultural and physical geography, and natural resources management to tell a comprehensive and compelling story.