Map of Oregon (OR)

Willamette Valley

Between the north–south running Oregon Coast Range and the parallel Cascade Range lies the fertile Willamette Valley, shaped by the Willamette, Oregon's largest river. The valley stretches from Portland in the north to Eugene in the south and is home to most of the state's population. It is Oregon's primary agricultural region and internationally known for its Pinot Noir wines and scenic vineyards.

Eastern Oregon

In northeastern Oregon, the landscape opens into the high desert plains of the Columbia Plateau, a broad volcanic region shaped by immense basalt flows millions of years ago. The plateau extends across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, forming the foundation of much of eastern Oregon's terrain. Eastern Oregon covers nearly half the state's land area but is only sparsely populated. It is a land of open spaces, high desert basins, and rugged mountain ranges, including the Blue Mountains and Wallowa Mountains. To the south and west, the plateau merges into arid valleys and fault-block ranges such as Steens Mountain and the Pueblo Mountains. Along the border with Idaho lies the Snake River Canyon country, home to Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America. The region's economy is rooted in ranching, agriculture, and forestry. Towns such as Baker City, La Grande, and Ontario serve as local centers in this vast, semi-arid landscape.

Southern Oregon

Southern Oregon stretches from the Klamath Mountains near California to the valleys of the Rogue and Umpqua Rivers. It combines forested mountain terrain with fertile agricultural valleys. The region is known for Crater Lake National Park, the Applegate Valley wine region, and historic towns such as Jacksonville and Ashland, home to the renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival .



A road in Harney County leads to Steens Mountain.
Image: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington

Harney Basin

The Harney Basin is a large, landlocked valley in southeastern Oregon, forming part of the state's vast High Desert region. It marks the northwestern edge of the Great Basin, a huge endorheic area that stretches across most of Nevada and parts of Utah, Idaho, California, and Baja California in Mexico. The basin is endorheic, it collects water but has no outlet to the sea. Its floor holds two shallow lakes, Harney Lake and Malheur Lake, which create one of the most important wetland habitats for migratory birds in the western United States. The Harney Basin lies within the northernmost reach of the Basin and Range Province, where faulting and volcanic activity shaped its broad plains and enclosed valleys. It is bordered by the Great Sandy Desert to the west and south, and by Steens Mountain to the southeast. The mountain's long ridge separates the basin from the Alvord Desert, completing one of Oregon's most striking mountain-and-basin landscapes.

Deserts in Oregon

Alvord Desert

Southeast of Steens Mountain and east of the Pueblo Mountains lies the Alvord Desert, a vast dry lake bed at an elevation of about 1,200 m (4,000 ft). It is one of Oregon's largest playas—flat desert basins that temporarily fill with rainwater. When the water evaporates, it leaves behind a crust of minerals and salt. During the dry season, the surface becomes so level that cars can be driven and small planes landed upon it.

Great Sandy Desert

The Great Sandy Desert of Oregon occupies a broad, sparsely populated area of the state's southeast. Unlike the dune deserts of Australia, it consists mainly of volcanic ash, ancient lake beds, and sandy soils derived from weathered basalt. The terrain is covered with sagebrush, bunchgrass, and scattered juniper, forming part of Oregon's High Desert ecosystem. Despite its name, it is a cold desert with long, dry summers and frigid winters.







 

National Forests

Oregon is home to eleven national forests. These forests cover approximately 16 million acres of the state's land - or about 25% of its total area.

The Cascades are home to three national forests. The Willamette National Forest, the vast forest along the western slopes of the Cascade Range comes with eight wilderness areas, including the Three Sisters Wilderness and Mt. Jefferson Wilderness.
The Umpqua National Forest in the southern Cascade Range is home to the deepest lake in the United States, the Crater Lake, formed by the collapse of the Mount Mazama volcano 7,700 years ago.

Around Mount Hood, a dormant stratovolcano, is the Mount Hood National Forest. The Umatilla National Forest, in the Blue Mountains, is known for its unique Douglas-fir open woodlands, and the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, that includes large areas with diverse forest types.

Mountains

Cascade Range

The Cascade Range runs north–south through Oregon, separating the coastal lowlands to the west from the high plateau to the east. It is part of the larger Pacific Mountain System, which extends along much of the western edge of North America. Together, these mountains form the American Cordillera, a vast chain of mountain systems along the Pacific coasts of both Americas, that also includes the Andes Mountains.

Within the Cascades lies the tectonically active Cascade Volcanic Arc, a 1,300 km (800 mi) long mountain chain extending parallel to the Pacific Ocean from Canada's British Columbia to northern California. The arc includes about 2,300 known Quaternary (relatively young) volcanoes, ranging from small cinder cones to large shield volcanoes. This volcanic arc is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, formed by the subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate beneath the North American Plate.
Major peaks in the Oregon section of the Cascades include Mount Jefferson, the Three Sisters, Newberry Volcano, Bachelor Butte, and Mount Mazama with its famous Crater Lake.

Highest Point in Oregon

The highest peak in the state is Mount Hood (3,428.8 m / 11,249 ft), a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc.

Oregon Coast Range

Between the Willamette Valley and Oregon's 580 km (360 mi) of rugged Pacific coastline, the land is dominated by the Oregon Coast Range, a low mountain range much older than the Cascades. These heavily forested mountains rise steeply from the coast with an average elevation of about 1,000 m (3,300 ft). The range forms a natural barrier against the Pacific's moist air, shaping Oregon's cool, rainy coastal climate.

Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains in northeastern Oregon extend into Washington and Idaho. Named for the blue haze seen from afar, they cover about 39,000 km² (15,000 sq mi) — Oregon's largest ecoregion. The range is a mosaic of forests, plateaus, and river valleys shaped by ancient volcanic and tectonic forces.

Wallowa Mountains

The Wallowa Mountains are a remote, rugged range in northeastern Oregon within the Columbia Plateau. Known as the "Alps of Oregon," they feature high peaks, alpine lakes, and dramatic glacial landforms. Much of the area is protected within the Eagle Cap Wilderness.

Steens Mountain

In southeastern Oregon, Steens Mountain rises dramatically from the Alvord Desert. This 80 km (50 mi) long fault-block mountain reaches a height of 2,968 m (9,737 ft). Its steep eastern escarpment and broad western slopes reveal one of the most striking examples of Basin and Range geology in the Pacific Northwest.

Pueblo Mountains

The Pueblo Mountains lie in the far southeastern corner of Oregon, extending south into Nevada. They are part of the Basin and Range Province and closely related geologically to Steens Mountain.

Rivers

The five largest rivers in Oregon are the Columbia, Snake, Willamette, Deschutes, and Rogue.



Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river system in the Pacific Northwest. The river forms a long section of the Oregon - Washington border with Washington before it flows into the Pacific Ocean.


Snake River
The Snake River forms a section of Oregon's border with Idaho in the northeast. With a length of about 1,740 km (1,080 mi); it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River. The Snake River's watershed covers most of Idaho and a portion of Oregon in the east.


Willamette River
The Willamette River is the largest watershed in Oregon. It originates from the confluence of two smaller streams, the Middle Fork Willamette River and the Coast Fork Willamette River near Eugene. From there, the river flows northward for approximately 300 km (187 mi) through the fertile Willamette Valley and the city of Portland, before it joins the Columbia River. It is a vital waterway for fish and wildlife.


Deschutes River
The river originates in the Cascade Mountains and drains much of the eastern side of the Cascade Range before flowing into the Columbia River. It is known for its clean, cold water. The river received its name from French-Canadian fur trappers in the early 19th century. They called it "Rivière des Chutes," which translates to "River of the Falls."


Rogue River
Located in southwestern Oregon, the Rogue River flows approximately 345 km (215 mi) westward from the Cascade Range to the Pacific Ocean. The river is one of the few remaining places in the United States with a water-based mail route.


 

Lakes

Oregon is home to several large lakes, including the largest lake by surface area, the Upper Klamath Lake, and the famous Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States.



Upper Klamath Lake
The Upper Klamath Lake is a shallow freshwater lake east of the Cascade Range in southwest Oregon. It is the largest lake by surface area in Oregon. The lake is fed by the Williamson and the Wood rivers, and is drained by the Klamath River (Link River).


Crater Lake
The Crater Lake is located in the caldera of Mount Mazama, a volcano within the Cascade Range that collapsed after a massive eruption about 7,700 years ago. With a maximum depth of 594 m (1,949 ft), it is the deepest lake in the United States.


Lake Abert
Lake Abert is a large, shallow, and very alkaline lake in the northern Great Basin region. It is Oregon's only hypersaline lake and an important stopover on the Pacific Flyway for migrating birds.


Waldo Lake
Waldo Lake is Oregon's second-largest natural lake, it is only fed by snowmelt and springs. It is known as one of the purest lakes in the world, because it has no permanent inlet to bring in nutrients and sediment. On a clear day, you can see up to 35 m (120 ft) into the depths of the lake.


Harney Lake
Harney Lake is a shallow lake within the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in the Harney Basin, an endorheic basin. The lake occasionally disappears and merges with Malheur Lake during high water.


Malheur Lake
Malheur Lake is one of Oregon's largest lakes, but its size and depth vary drastically depending on the amount of rainfall. Situated in the arid southeastern part of the state within the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, it is a crucial segment of the Pacific Flyway (a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in the Americas), serving as a critical stopover for migrating birds.


Summer Lake
Summer Lake is a large, shallow, and highly alkaline lake in southeastern Oregon. Like Malheur Lake, its size fluctuates significantly with the seasons and rainfall, often shrinking drastically or becoming a dry alkali flat during the summer.

Cities and Towns in Oregon

The map shows the location of following cities and towns in Oregon:


The 10 largest Cities in Oregon

Portland (637,000)
Portland is Oregon's economic hub, home to its largest port, finance, tech, creative industries, and cultural life. The city is famous for bridges, bicycles, food carts, and eccentric vibe.

Salem (180,000)
State capital in the fertile Willamette Valley.

Eugene (179,000)
Oregons third largest city is home to the University of Oregon

Gresham (112,000)
Gresham, is known for its historic downtown, and the proximity to natural attractions like Mt. Hood and the Columbia River Gorge.

Hillsboro (110,000)
Hillsboro is the center of Oregon's "Silicon Forest," home to high-tech companies and vineyards, part of the Portland metropolitan area.

Bend (107,600)
Outdoor recreation hub at the edge of the Cascade Range and the high desert.

Beaverton (98,000)
One of the main suburban cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area, headquarters of Nike.

Medford (86,000)
Commercial hub of southern Oregon's Rogue Valley, known for pears and wine.

Springfield (62,000)
Neighbor to Eugene, with a strong timber heritage and local art scene.

Corvallis (60,000)
College town in the Willamette Valley, home to Oregon State University.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (2023/24)

Other cities and towns in Oregon:
Albany, Ashland, Astoria, Baker City, Bly, Brookings, Burns, Canyon City, Condon, Coos Bay, Enterprise, Florence, Grants Pass, Hermiston, John Day, Jordan Valley, Keizer, Klamath Falls, La Grande, Lakeview, Madras, McMinnville, Newport, North Bend, Ontario, Pendleton, Port Orford, Prineville, Redmond, Reedsport, Roseburg, Seaside, St Helens, The Dalles, Tillamook, and Vale.

Airports

✈ Portland International Airport (IATA code: PDX - www.flypdx.com)
The largest airport in Oregon.

Other major airports are:

✈ Eugene Airport (Mahlon Sweet Field; IATA code: EUG)

✈ Hillsboro Airport (IATA code: HIO)

✈ Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport (IATA code: MFR - flymfr.com)

✈ Redmond Municipal Airport (Roberts Field; IATA code: RDM - flyrdm.com)

Port

Port of Portland (www.portofportland.com)
The Port of Portland is the port district responsible for overseeing Portland International Airport, general aviation, and marine activities in the Portland metropolitan area.