Oregon's topography changes dramatically from west to east.
| Feature | Description | |---|---| | Highest Point | Mount Hood, 11,249 ft (3,429 m) | | Lowest Point | Pacific Ocean, sea level | | Major Mountain Systems | Cascade Range, Coast Range, Blue Mountains, Wallowa Mountains, Klamath Mountains | | Major Valleys | Willamette Valley, Rogue Valley, Umpqua Valley, Grande Ronde Valley | | Plateau/High Desert Areas | Columbia Plateau, Harney Basin, parts of the Great Basin, central Oregon volcanic uplands | | Major Canyon/Gorge Features | Columbia River Gorge, Hells Canyon on the Oregon-Idaho border, John Day River canyonlands | | Coastal Areas | Rocky capes, sandy beaches, estuaries, bays, and dunes, especially around the central and southern coast | | Flood Plains | Found along the Willamette, Columbia, lower Umpqua, Rogue, and other river systems |
The **Coast Range** rises quickly from the Pacific shoreline, creating a wet, forested barrier between the ocean and the interior valley. East of this range lies the **Willamette Valley**, a lowland basin where many of Oregon's largest cities and richest farmlands are located.
The **Cascade Range** forms the state's most prominent topographic divide. Its high volcanic peaks capture moisture from Pacific storms, leaving much drier conditions to the east. Beyond the Cascades, the land opens into plateaus, basins, lava plains, rimrock country, and mountain islands such as the Blues and Wallowas.
Southeastern Oregon includes internal-drainage basins, playas, and wide sagebrush plains, while northeastern Oregon has more folded and uplifted mountainous terrain. River incision is dramatic in places: the Columbia Gorge is one of the most important landscape corridors in the Pacific Northwest, and Hells Canyon is among the deepest river gorges in North America.