How to Explore the Over the Hills and Through the Woods Scenic Byway In Oregon
- 1). Go to Albany. This is a quiet, business-like town. It thrives on industries such as farming, food processing, production of woods and homes. The Willamette Valleys fertile soils and solids is what induced the early settlers to go to Oregon and Albany has it all, including the Monteith House and Museum, built in 1849. Stop in the Visitors Center and get a tour map and take a tour of the East Linn Museum and the historic Weddle Bridge. Notice this town's colorful murals, also.
- 2). Visit Crawfordsville, Oregon. It is a quiet logging community with some farms and ranches. Enjoy a good meal at Navals Hungarian Restaurant and Bakery. It serves authentic European style cuisine. Recognized by the magazine called Bon Appetit; it is one of the “Best Places" to eat in the Northwestern United States. It serves an old eastern European recipe that includes seasoned cabbage with ground pork.
- 3). Get out your Oregon map and find midway betweem Albany and Eugene on Interstate 5. Go to the east from the Interstate 5 exit at Brownsville, Oregon. This little town was started in 1846 and is now the third oldest town in Oregon. Notice how the historic places loom on downtown Main Street. Look for the bald eagles and swans, as they come to this tiny place during the winter months.
- 4). Look for Foster Reservoir and Green Peter Reservoir if some fishing activities are on the agenda. Find the Santiam River for an abundance of steelhead. A popular place for camping is the Cascadia State Park. See the Cascadia Caves. It is known as the oldest archaeological site in the west.
- 5). Also on this trip, look for an abundance of wildlife. There are several places to pull off the road and take some pictures of the beautiful vistas, as well. The purpose of this road was to show the way for settlers beyond the Willamette Valley, and to promote the gold mines and pasture lands of Central and Eastern Oregon.
- 6). See the platform built for viewing the congregation of elk that winter here, at the “Walton Ranch.” There is also the “Menagerie Wilderness,” which provides nice spires of rock built for the “rock climbers.” Take a walk on the 2 trails that provide direction to an “old growth forest,” which has cedar, fir, and mountain hemlock trees. This byway ends here in the forest, but find another one or head for home.