The Nehalem Highway No. 102 (see

Oregon highways and routes The state highway system of the U.S. state of Oregon is a network of highways that are owned and maintained by the Highway Division of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Highways and routes The state highway system consists of a ...

) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

that passes through the

Nehalem River The Nehalem River is a river on the Pacific coast of northwest Oregon in the United States, approximately long. It drains part of the Northern Oregon Coast Range northwest of Portland, originating on the east side of the mountains and flowing in ...

valley. It runs from

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a major north–south highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States. It is part of the United States Numbered Highway Syst ...

(US 101) in Astoria southeast to

Oregon Route 8 Oregon Route 8, also known as Oregon Highway 8, is an Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oreg ...

(OR 8) in Forest Grove. Between Astoria and the Mist–Clatskanie Highway No. 110 in

Mist Mist is a phenomenon caused by small droplets of water suspended in the cold air, usually by condensation. Physically, it is an example of a Dispersion (chemistry), dispersion. It is most commonly seen where water vapor in warm, moist air meets ...

, it is signed as Oregon Route 202 while the rest is signed as OR 47. A piece of the highway in Astoria, north of the Warrenton–Astoria Highway No. 105, is also US 101 Business.

Route description

The western terminus of the Nehalem Highway No. 102 is a roundabout with US 101 in Astoria. Here, US 101 Business and OR 202 travel along the eastern shore of

Youngs Bay Youngs Bay, or Youngs River Bay, is located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Oregon. The Youngs River meets the Columbia River at this point, which is situated between Astoria and Warrenton. The bay is named for the Youngs River ...

, where US 101 Business splits away to the south, and the

Youngs River The Youngs River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northwest Oregon in the United States. It drains part of the Northern Oregon Coast Range in the extreme northwest corner of state, entering the Columbia via Youngs Ba ...

. Soon after, it enters the valley of the

, and continues southeast towards the community of Jewell. Leaving Jewell, it then continues east-northeast to the town of

, where OR 202 ends. The Nehalem Highway continues southeast from there, as OR 47. Though in the mountainous Northern Oregon Coast Range, the Nehalem Highway itself is a winding road, as it follows the banks of the Nehalem River from Jewell while passing through Vernonia and Pittsburg. Near

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...

, the highway meets US 26, which carries the Sunset Highway No. 47. The two highways run concurrently for about . The Nehalem Highway and OR 47 split away from US 26 and the Sunset Highway and travels through the town of

Banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. As banks ...

. It ends at an intersection with OR 8, the Tualatin Valley Highway No. 29.

History

In the early part of the 20th century, it followed the Nehalem River all the way to

Timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

, crossing the divide of the

Northern Oregon Coast Range The Northern Oregon Coast Range is the northern section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, located in the northwest portion of the state of Oregon, United States. This section of the mountain range, part o ...

there and then going down Gales Creek to Forest Grove, instead of going down Dairy Creek as it has since about 1940.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML, display=title,inline Named state highways in Oregon Transportation in Washington County, Oregon U.S. Route 101