We Found the Most Colorful Places in Oregon

Oregon is a state known for its stunning natural landscapes across diverse terrain—coastlines, snowcapped mountains filled with forests, high deserts, farmland, deep canyons, alpine lakes, volcanoes, and more. With so many unique places to explore, there are also colors that create scenes that stun and mesmerize, such as sunsets, flowers, fall foliage, and dramatic landscapes. But the best part is that most of these colorful places can be reached by car or a short walk, rather than requiring an hours-long hike (although, sometimes, a long hike can make the view just a tad better).

The Most Colorful Places to Visit in Oregon 

For the Sunsets

• Manzanita Beach - This beach in northwestern Oregon is famous for a long, unbroken stretch of sand. As a result, the atmospheric scattering on the Oregon Coast creates an almost hazy, dreamlike quality to the vivid sunsets commonly seen across the coastline. 
• Ecola State Park - Giving views of the coastline from above on high cliffs, this northwestern state park gives a different perspective to the sunset colors that hit the low-hanging mist. This, plus the vibrant greens of the grass and evergreen forest, along with coastal wildflowers, makes for a truly colorful place to visit in Oregon.
• Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area - Hugging the northern edge of Pacific City, this area is best known for the large sandstone dunes that become bright orange with the rain and mist. These dunes, along with the dramatically large rocks in the ocean, provide a gorgeous backdrop for the striking sunset colors, highlighted by atmospheric scattering. 

For the Flowers

• Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm - This farm in the Willamette Valley is one of the most famous flower farms in Oregon. During the spring, lines of more than eighty different types of tulips bloom color the countryside in vivid stripes. There’s also food, activities, and a gift shop. 
• Swan Island Dahlias - This Canby farm is the largest supplier of dahlias in the United States, with more than three hundred varieties on 40 acres. The flowers bloom in late summer to early autumn. During this time, the farm hosts a festival featuring music and food among the rows of multicolored flowers. 
• Rowena Crest Viewpoint - On the tail-end of the Columbia River Gorge, this viewpoint overlooks the Columbia River and is on the Tom McCall Reserve. It has gained fame for the spring wildflowers that cover the hills in shades of purple, orange, and yellow.

For the Fall Foliage

• Silver Falls State Park - Just beyond the eastern border of the Willamette Valley, this gorgeous stretch of land is famous for forests, multiple waterfalls, and trails that connect it all. In the autumn, a high amount of deciduous trees makes the trails burn in shades of gold and red. Then, with the ever-present mist in the air due to the many cascading waterfalls, the colors turn damp and even more vivid. 
• Latourell Falls - A small part of the Columbia River Gorge, this waterfall stands out due to the green moss and yellow lichen that border the wet rock around the falls. This by itself is very bright and colorful, but when combining the surrounding fall foliage during autumn, it’s quite a sight to see.
• Lithia Park - This large park in Ashland is home to trees such as bigleaf and Japanese maples, oaks, dogwoods, and aspens. These trees are famous for turning orange, gold, and red in the autumn, creating a fantasy-like effect in the popular town.

For the Dramatic Landscapes

• The Painted Hills - Located in central Oregon above Bend, these hills are a bright red and gold color due to the layers of oxidized volcanic ash. Occasional black, grey, and light purple layers are also interspersed through the hills.
• Wallowa Mountains - Up in northeastern Oregon by the Idaho border, these mountains offer color at all times of the year. In the spring, snow begins to melt, and wildflowers bloom, then the bright sunshine of summer makes the colorful stones in the mountains stand out. Fall brings autumnal colors to the forests, and winter blankets everything in snow, making the colors that remain (forest greens and lake blues) even more dramatic.
• Owyhee Canyonlands - In eastern Oregon, these canyonlands have been formed by differing layers of sediment. Much of this is volcanic in nature, and therefore, the iron oxidizes into warm colors like red and orange. 

What are some of your favorite colorful places to view in Oregon? Did it make my list? Let me know by filling out this nomination form. I'd love to hear from you. And, if you are ready to see the colors for yourself, start planning your next trip with Only In Your State’s itinerary planner!