West Cascades Scenic Byway
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The West Cascades Scenic Byway is a 220 mi (352 km) National Scenic Byway in the U.S. state of Oregon. The route is designed to provide a tour on the west side of the Cascade Range along the east side of the Willamette Valley.
The route is roughly north-south, from Estacada southeast of Portland to Oakridge on the Willamette River southeast of Eugene. Much of the route is very sparsely populated, passing through timber regions in the Cascades.
From Estacada the route follows the valley of the Clackamas River upstream on Oregon State Route 224 into the Mount Hood National Forest, then south along the Breitenbush River to Detroit on the North Santiam. It follows Oregon State Route 22 along Detroit Lake to the junction of U.S. Highway 20, then east a short distance on U.S. Highway 20 to the junction of Oregon State Route 126. It follows OR 126 south, then cuts through the mountain south to Oakridge, where it ends at an intersection with Oregon State Route 58.
The route provides views of old growth fir trees and jagged volcanic peaks. The driving time is approximately 7-9 hours.
