Cloudcap Overlook

Dee Wright Observatory is a stone tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935, perched atop a vast black lava field at the 5,187-foot summit of McKenzie Pass on Oregon Route 242. Through the observatory's porthole windows, riders can sight named Cascade peaks — North Sister, Middle Sister, South Sister, Mount Washington, and Mount Jefferson — across miles of hardened lava. A quarter-mile paved lava trail circles the flow. OR-242 (Old McKenzie Highway) is closed to motor vehicles from November through early July due to snow; when open it is one of Oregon's premier motorcycle roads.

Devil's Churn is a narrow basalt sea channel at Cape Perpetua, carved by centuries of Pacific wave action into the rocky coastline along US-101 south of Yachats. At high tide or in swell, ocean waves surge into the slot and explode upward, creating a dramatic churn visible from the paved overlook directly off the highway. The site is managed by the Siuslaw National Forest; a Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful pass is required. The restless-waters viewpoint parking area is on the west side of US-101 at 2400 US-101, approximately 2.5 miles south of Yachats.

Hells Canyon Overlook is a paved, accessible viewpoint at 5,400 feet elevation on Forest Road 490 off the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway, offering outstanding panoramic views of Hells Canyon — the deepest river gorge in North America at over 7,900 feet — along with McGraw Creek and the Seven Devils Mountains of Idaho across the Snake River. Interpretive signs, vault toilets, and picnic tables are on site. The overlook is reached from Halfway or Joseph, Oregon, and is typically snow-free from late May through October. The approach road is paved to the overlook.