Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific here, then later pioneers in covered wagons followed the Oregon Trail to their promised land. Oregon continues to amaze and delight visitors and residents alike. Portland is the very model of a small modern city, clean and green. The Oregon coast stretches 300 miles from the Columbia River to California. The volcanoes of the Cascade Range include Mount Hood and Crater Lake, and the mighty Columbia River slicing through in a waterfall filled gorge. In the northeast corner we find Hells Canyon, the continent's deepest.

The four guidebooks follow the obvious north-south environmental divisions of the state. First the spectacular Oregon Coast and Coast Ranges; then the long lowland of Portland and the Willamette Valley which continues through the broken country along I-5 to the California border. Next the Columbia River Gorge and the Oregon Cascades with Mount Hood and Crater Lake; and last Oregon East of the Cascades.