Our Marathon Oregon Coast Road Trip: Dune City to Cape Kiwanda

Driving Highway 101 along the Pacific Coast is a bucket-list item for countless American vacationers. While the California coast likely is better known, the Oregon coast offers spectacular vistas and postcard views at every twist and turn -- without the California traffic. We mapped out a 175-mile route from Eugene, OR, heading to the coast near Dunes City, then driving north to Cape Kiwanda. Google Maps charted this as a 4-hour drive, before we turned it into a 15-hour marathon day. We paused along the way whenever the mood, beautiful sites or biology called us. Major stopping points included: Siuslaw River and River Roasters Coffee, Florence Oregon Dunes, Dune City Sand Dunes Frontier, Dune City Mo's Restaurant, Florence Heceta Head Lighthouse Thor's Well Local Ocean's Restaurant, Newport Newport Harbor, New Port Cape Kiwanda We loved every minute, continuing our drive the next day. But we'd recommend breaking this into shorter segments for a better experience.