Best driving roads in Oregon

Five roads spanning the Columbia River Gorge to the Willamette National Forest: the Historic Columbia River Highway is America’s first planned scenic roadway, McKenzie Pass and Santiam Pass combine into one loop with very different characters, and Aufderheide Drive runs 58 miles with no gas or cell service. Several close for winter — check current conditions before a trip.

5
Roads: 204
Miles: 461
Counted bends: 4
Areas

The roads

McKenzie Pass · OR 242McKenzie River · 36.5 mi37 miles of Oregon Route 242 between Belknap Springs and Sisters, crossing McKenzie Pass through a 65-square-mile lava flow. Narrow and winding, with the Dee Wright Observatory at the summit and one of the longest seasonal closures of any road in this catalog.
Historic Columbia River Highway · US 30 HistoricColumbia River Gorge, Oregon · 23.7 mi24 miles of the original 1913–1922 Historic Columbia River Highway from Troutdale through the waterfall corridor — Latourell, Shepperd's Dell, Bridal Veil, Wahkeena and Multnomah Falls among them — toward Dodson. America's first planned scenic roadway, now a narrow two-lane road shared with heavy tourist and cyclist traffic.
Larch Mountain RoadColumbia River Gorge, Oregon · 14.1 mi14 miles from the fork near Corbett to the Larch Mountain picnic area and trailhead, the highest road in Multnomah County's jurisdiction at 4,055 ft. Narrow in places with limited visibility, and heavily used by road cyclists.
Aufderheide Drive · FR 19Willamette National Forest · 57.6 mi58 miles of Forest Road 19 connecting Highway 58 at Westfir to Highway 126 at McKenzie Bridge, a National Scenic Byway through old-growth forest along the North Fork Willamette and McKenzie Rivers. Minimal traffic and, notably, no gas stations or cell service for the entire route.
Santiam Pass · US 20Santiam Canyon · 71.7 mi72 miles of US 20 between Sweet Home and Sisters, crossing Santiam Pass (4,817 ft) along the South Santiam River. Narrow and winding through Cascadia and the pass itself; corners tighten enough that carrying too much speed puts riders into the gravel shoulder.