GPS Coordinates: 44.6206664, -123.6488988

REGIONS > CENTRAL OREGON COAST > COAST RANGE MOUNTAINS​
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There are only a few major highways which connect the Oregon coast to the interior of the state, with U.S. Route 20 being one of the best known on the central coast. The route begins at its intersection with US Highway 101 (also known as the Oregon Coast Highway) in Newport and heads east through the Coast Range Mountains toward Corvallis. This 50 mile (80.4 km) length of the road was laid down in 1945 and meanders over mountain passes and through narrow river valleys, providing some of the best views of the coast mountains you can have without getting out of a car.

Earlier portions of the road, some dating back to the early part of the twentieth century, are still used by locals but were replaced with straighter (and safer) highway during the intervening years. The route becomes more twisty (and more photogenic) near Eddyville, a small unincorporated community tucked into an elbow of the Yaquina River.

The modern path of US Route 20 is similar to historical routes used by both Native Americans and early pioneers to move between the coast and the Willamette Valley. A railroad still runs parallel to part of the highway and is used primarily to move lumber and paper goods from Toledo to the interior. Long stretches of the highway are currently being replaced with a modern highway system intended to reduce travel time and provide greater safety.

Getting Over the Mountains:

The Coast Range Mountains may be one of the lowest in Oregon, but historically it was a major headache trying to get from one side to the other. Passage across the mountains was hampered by a rugged terrain, inclement weather, powerful rivers and natural hazards such as landslides and floods. The first Native Americans to settle here probably made it over the mountains by following trails cut by wildlife. Later, railroads and then roads for automobiles followed similar routes, but still proved to be engineering nightmares. Even today, modern roads leading through the mountains are in need of constant repair and may be closed to traffic by both weather and other challenges related to geography.

Related Features: Colonel Hogg's Great Railroad to the Pacific and Other Engineering Disasters | Mountains of Mist, Mountains of Rain