This is the Ashland & Southern Oregon chapter from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Ore-gon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

With a warm, sunny and dry climate that belongs in nearby California, Southern Oregon is the state’s ‘banana belt.’ Rugged and remote landscapes are entwined with ‘wild and scenic’ riv-ers, famous for their challenging white-water rafting, world-class fly-fishing and excellent hik-ing.

• strut with the Bard at Ashland’s renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival
• maps
• count bald eagles in enchanting Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges
• transport
• whoosh and splash down Oregon’s premier white water, past towering, ancient forests, on the Rogue River
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Ashland, Medford, Jacksonville, Grants Pass, Oregon Caves National Monument, North Umpqua River, Roseburg, Crater Lake National Park, Rogue River, Klamath Falls, Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges.

This is the Central & Eastern Washington chapter from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

While the west breeds evergreen trees, perennial rain and gourmet coffee, the east – evoca-tively nicknamed ‘the Dry Side’ – is the opposite: a land of sunbaked hills and big blue skies stuffed with private vineyards, rodeo towns and huge Native American reservations.

• visit more wine-tasting rooms than you can count in Walla Walla’s compact core, then fol-low up with a perfect farm-to-table meal
• maps
• warm up with bratwurst and beer after frolicking in the wilderness around absurdly cute, Bavarian-inspired Leavenworth
• transport
• watch the sun set over the Cascades from the Empire Builder, Amtrak’s Seattle-to-Chicago train
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Central Washington, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Wenatchee, Yakima Valley, Ellensburg, Yakima, Yakima Valley Wine Country, Toppenish, Southeastern Washington, Tri-Cities, Walla Walla, Pullman, Northeastern Washington, Spokane, Grand Coulee Dam Area, Okanogan River Valley, Colville National Forest.

This is the Central Oregon & the Oregon Cascades chapter from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

Love mountain tops? Well, that’s what Central Oregon and its Cascades are all about. You can practically skip your way from peak to snowy peak here, from Mt Hood, to Jefferson, to Bach-elor, to Three-Fingered Jack and the lovely Sisters volcanoes.

• hike and camp in Mt Hood’s wonderfully forested foothills, with a view of the snowy silhou-ette
• maps
• carve powder at Timberline Lodge, Oregon’s iconic resort
• transport
• photograph summer wildflowers at Three Sisters Wilderness
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Mt Hood, Maupin & the Lower Deschutes River, Mt Jefferson & the Metolius River, Sisters, Bend, Cascade Lakes, Willamette Pass.

This is the Columbia River Gorge chapter from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

Dividing Oregon and Washington is the spectacular Columbia River Gorge, which was carved some 15,000 years ago by cataclysmic glaciers and floods. Driving east from Portland has you passing high waterfalls and nearly vertical mountain walls, that parallel the mighty Colum-bia.

• experience iconic Multnomah Falls and dozens of other lush, gushing waterfalls up and down the gorge
• maps
• hike through Dog Mountain’s evergreen forests and wildflower magic to outrageous views of the Gorge
• transport
• head under the river at Bonneville Dam to watch and become mesmerized by salmon cou-rageously migrating upstream
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: The Western Gorge & Columbia River Highway, Cas-cade Locks, Across the Border, Hood River, The Dalles & Around, Eastern Gorge.

This is the Eastern Oregon chapter from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Oregon & the Pa-cific Northwest guidebook.

Eastern Oregon is sure to amaze. Among its farmlands and desert plateaus are stunning at-tractions: the gorgeous snowy peaks of the Wallowa Mountains; Hells Canyon, which dips deep-er than the Grand Canyon; and the incredible glacier-carved valleys of the Steens Mountain range.

• trek the lush, wildflower-covered slopes in ‘America’s Little Switzerland,’ Eagle Cap Wil-derness, with or without a llama to help
• maps
• ooh and aah at the striations of red, ocher and orange of the John Day Fossil Beds Painted Hills Unit, a section of the fantastic John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
• transport
• wind along the road or river amid the dramatically steep walls of Hells Canyon, North America’s deepest river gorge
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Pendleton, La Grande, Wallowa Mountains, Enter-prise, Joseph, Wallowa Lake, Hells Canyon, Halfway, Baker City, John Day, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Ontario, Burns, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Lakeview, Steens Mountain, Alvord Desert.

This is the Northwestern Washington & the San Juan Islands chapter from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

Between Seattle, the Cascade Range and Canada lies Washington’s most archetypal region, a ‘greatest hits’ of the Pacific Northwest with all the sights and sounds outsiders traditionally as-sociate with the land of pure air and West Coast hedonism.

• propell yourself around the low-key San Juan Islands
• maps
• take the slow road along Chuckanut Drive, stopping at hiking trails and oyster bars
• transport
• browse Bellingham’s historic neighborhoods while licking a Mallard ice-cream cone
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Northwest Coast, Bellingham, Lummi Island, Ana-cortes, Lower Skagit River Valley, Whidbey Island, San Juan Islands, Orcas Island, Lopez Island, Shaw Island.

This is the Olympic Peninsula & Washington Coast chapter from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

The Olympic Peninsula is an unblemished wilderness of the highest order, with an interior that brings to mind a unicorn fantasy novel and an end-of-the-continent coastline that makes Big Sur look positively calm.

• think you’ve uncovered a real-life hobbit amid the moss-covered wilderness of Hoh Rain Forest
• maps
• find solitude, but no vampires, on a mist-enshrouded beach at La Push
• transport
• drive (or hike) miles to enjoy Northwestern cuisine and a roaring fireplace at Lake Quinault Lodge
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Olympia, Olympic Peninsula, Olympic National Park, Olympic Coastal Strip, Washington Coast, Grays Harbor Area, Long Beach Peninsula, Vancou-ver.

This is the Oregon Coast chapter from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

A drive along Oregon’s coast is a scenic adventure any time of year. Rocky headlands loom high above the ocean, providing astounding vistas, while craggy rocks lie scattered along the shoreline like oceanic sentinels.

• nibble fresh-off-the-boat fish, crab cakes or chowder in laid-back Seaside or many adorable coastal towns like it
• maps
• spot mighty gray whales during their migrations from a serene, forested point in Depoe Bay
• transport
• look for mussels along Cape Falcon or sweat up Neahkahnie Mountain Trails for one of the coast’s best views
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Northern Oregon Coast, Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Nehalem & Wheeler, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Newport, Yachats, Southern Oregon Coast, Florence, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, Reedsport, Coos Bay & North Bend, Charleston & Around, Bandon, Port Orford, Gold Beach, Brookings.

This chapter contains the Welcome to the Pacific Northwest, The Pacific Northwest’s Top 25, Need to Know, What’s New, Accommodations, If You Like..., Month by Month, Itineraries, Eat & Drink Like a Local, Pacific Northwest Road Trips, Pacific Northwest Outdoors, Family Travel, and Regions at a Glance chapters from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

Your journey to Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest starts here. You’ll find the tools to plan your adventure: where to go and when, how much to budget, plus in-depth info on family travel.

• tailor-made itineraries, arranged by region, themes and events
• list of highlights and best experiences
• everything you need to know about outdoor activities
• user-friendly country overview ensures you won’t miss a thing

Coverage includes: Welcome to the Pacific Northwest, The Pacific North-west’s Top 25, Need to Know, What’s New, Accommodations, If You Like: Hiking, Wine, Mi-crobrews, Wildlife, Beaches, Great Food, Jaw-Dropping Landscapes, Hot Springs, Skiing, Fa-mous Drives, Live Music, Shopping, Month by Month, Itineraries, Eat & Drink Like a Local, Pacific Northwest Road Trips, Pacific Northwest Outdoors, Family Travel, and Regions at a Glance.

This is the Seattle chapter from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

Welcome to a city that heralds innovation and nature; a city always marching toward the fu-ture. Birthplace of giants Amazon and Starbucks, it’s also a city of microbusinesses and bounda-ry-pushing grassroots movements (tasting rooms, indie bookstores, vegan ice cream).

• see, smell and taste your way through iconic Pike Place Market, from charismatic fish throwers to the sticky-sweet gum wall
• maps
• learn how legends were created, from Jimi Hendrix to Kurt Cobain, at the Museum of Pop Culture, and experiment with your own riffs in the Interactive Sound Lab
• transport
• go to the top of the Space Needle – just because it’s there
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Sights, Activities, Courses, Tours, Festivals & Events, Sleeping, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping, Around Seattle.

This is the Portland chapter from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

Best coffee. Most food carts. Top craft breweries. Number-one hipster haven. Portland is a city of indie-spirited superlatives and humble, offbeat charms. It had all the cultural advantages of a major city, but the feel and affordability of a small town.

• settle into a comfy cafe like the groundbreaking Stumptown with a perfect espresso and a good book
• maps
• sample a wide variety of microbrews at Hopworks or any of the city’s 50-plus breweries
• transport
• seek peace and quiet in the lush and tranquil garden Japanese Garden
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: History, Sights, Activities, Tours, Festivals & Events, Sleeping, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping.

This is the Willamette Valley & Wine Country chapter from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

The Willamette Valley is famous for its fabulous and plentiful wineries, which could easily take several days to explore. Everything is so close by you’ll want to linger for longer than you planned, so stretch that schedule and put on your explorer’s hat.

• visit wineries around Newberg, McMinnville and Salem including Abbey Creek Vine-yards
• maps
• sample the exceptional locally driven menus found throughout the region such as the one at Bistro Maison
• transport
• explore, raft, hike and fish in the pristine woodlands of the Willamette National Forest
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Oregon City, Champoeg State Heritage Area, New-berg & Dundee, McMinnville, Salem, Corvallis, Eugene, McKenzie Region.

This chapter contains the History, Life as a Pacific Northwesterner, Music & the Arts, Wild Things, Sustainable Pacific Northwest, Directory A–Z, and Transportation from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

All the info you need on everything from history, wildlife and the arts to flights, public transport, climate, money, the internet... you name it. Get tips for women travellers, gay and les-bian travellers, travellers with disabilities, and travellers with kids. And get the most out of your conversations with a handy language guide and glossary.

• a rundown on life as a Pacific Northwesterner
• info on the music and the arts of this progressive and inspiring region
• full coverage of bald eagles, orcas, elks and the rest of the region’s wildlife
• details on the history of the Northwest, from first inhabitants to explorers and settlers

Coverage includes: History, Life as a Pacific Northwesterner, Music & the Arts, Wild Things, Sustainable Pacific Northwest, Directory A–Z, and Transportation.

This is the Vancouver, Whistler & Vancouver Island chapter from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

Visitors to Canada’s westernmost province are never short of superlatives when typing their travel blogs. It’s hard not to be moved by looming mountains, wildlife-packed forests and un-countable kilometers of pristine coastline that slow your heartbeat like a spa treatment.

• stretch your legs on a breathtaking seawall stroll in Vancouver’s Stanley Park
• maps
• surf up a storm (or just watch a storm) near Tofino, on Vancouver Island’s wild west coast
• transport
• knock back some lipsmacking BC craft beers at a chatty pub in Victoria
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Vancouver, Whistler, Sunshine Coast, Vancouver Is-land, Victoria, Saanich Peninsula & Around, Sooke & Around, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Parksville & Qualicum, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Ucluelet, Tofino, Comox Valley, Campbell River, Port Hardy, Cape Scott Provincial Park, Southern Gulf Islands, Salt Spring Is-land, North & South Pender Islands, Mayne Island, Galiano Island.

This is the Washington Cascades chapter from Lonely Planet’s Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest guidebook.

The Washington Cascades are a rugged, spectacular mountain range capped by five poten-tially lethal volcanoes. Protected within a string of overlapping wilderness areas and national parks, the mountains offer some of the most awe-inspiring backcountry adventures in the US.

• tackle the trails of majestic peak Mt Rainier, equally gorgeous on a clear day or encircled by its signature lenticular clouds
• maps
• take the ferry from the wine town of Chelan to the secluded village of Stehekin across the magically blue lake
• transport
• break trail with a pair of cross-country skis in sunny, snowy Methow Valley
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: North Cascades, Mt Baker Area, Upper Skagit River Valley, North Cascades National Park, Methow Valley, Stehekin, Chelan & Around, South Cas-cades, Mt Rainier Area, Crystal Mountain, Mt St Helens, Mt Adams, When to Go, Best Places to Stay.