Oregon 26 vs 30
 

Have been reading all the great Oregon posts lately as we will be visiting this year also. Seems half the nation will be doing the same. Saw a post that adivises driving Hwy 26 to Astoria from Portland instead of Hwy 30. Atlas says 30 is the scenic route but the post said it is boring. Was the post mixed up or mistaken on its advice? Thanks for the insight.

I love US 30, and taking the Cathlamet ferry,

http://englishriverwebsite.com/Lewis...cathlamet.html
then coming over the bridge into Astoria, but the Cannon Beach crowd prefers US 26.

30 along the river; 26 through suburb/farm/orchard; both through hills and forest. if you want to take in Cannon Beach or Seaside, why not do a loop? 30 to 101 to 26...or vice versa. (beaverton to portland on 26 will be slow at commute hours.)

We always took #26 from Portland to the Coast..the one time we tried #30, it was so boring, so slow, we turned around and went back to the city.

If you just want to get to the coast .. I think #26 is good..the scenery changes as you go but you get to go a little faster..90 min from downtown (unless you get behind a logging truck) :)

The most scenic part of #30 was the farm where the farmstand was and all the goats came running towards us lol

Highway 30 west from Portland to Astoria isn't particularly scenic (certainly not compared to the Columbia River Gorge). There are a few viewpoints: the Lewis & Clark Bridge (aka Longview Bridge), behind which you can get a good look at Mt. St. Helens. On Highway 30 just NW of Portland you'll see the magnificent St. Johns Bridge suspension bridge (which the average tourist wouldn't see, unfortunately). However, some people bypass the part of Highway 30 between Portland and Longview and just take I-5 from Portland through Washington State to Longview, cross back to Oregon at Longview, then 30 out to Astoria from there, since 30 between Portland and Rainer, Oregon (Longview, WA) is a lot of non-descript little towns where the speed limit slows to 30 mph. with traffic lights.

Highway 26 isn't all that scenic but it's miles and miles of beautiful, tall trees - and the smell of the clean forest air if you open your windows. It's about equidistant from Portland to Astoria whether you take 30 or 26, really. I agree with the idea of taking doing the loop. I've really gotten to like Astoria over the last few years - I think it's worth a stop.

The north shore road from Longview (SR 4, WA side) down to the mouth is much more interesting than the south side IMO. There are some very interesting historic towns, a detour onto Puget Island is interesting, and you're closer to the river for more of the distance than you are on the Oregon side.

If you're doing a loop, take 26 to the coast, and 30 back to Portland. With St. Helens and Mt. Hood in the background, 30's more scenic going east.