Starting right at the Columbia River, the border between Oregon and Washington, Oregon’s North Coast extends down to Neskowin, close to Lincoln City. This stretch of the coast is backed by the Coast Range, a line of low (but snowy in winter) mountains that you have to pass over to reach the Pacific. Because it can be easily reached from Portland and I-5, the North Coast is the most visited part of the Oregon coast. There is no end of dramatic sea-scenery and long, white-sand beaches here, but there’s also history: The explorers Lewis and Clark rafted down the Columbia in 1805 and set up their winter camp at Fort Clatsop, near present-day Astoria. And Astoria itself is the oldest settlement this side of the Mississippi.
