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Get around Oregon without a car with this handy transit guide
A Lincoln County Transit bus with a bike rack in Yachats. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Memorial Day weekend is here, which means the summer travel season has officially begun. Summers in Oregon are gorgeous (albeit occasionally smoky) and there are so many places to explore.
If you think a day brewery-hopping in Bend or hiking at the Oregon coast is only accessible by car, think again! It’s possible to see a lot of Oregon’s scenery without driving yourself there.
In case you missed it, we’ve recreated a comprehensive guide from TriMet that details all the ways to reach destinations throughout the state using transit. Scroll down to find your destination of choice, then see how to use transit to get there…
Oregon Coast: Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach
Take: The POINT bus’s Northwest route. POINT is a coach bus service managed by the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Where to connect:
From Downtown Portland at Union Station — Connect via MAX Green, Orange and Yellow lines and bus lines 4, 8, 35, 44, 17, and 77, which all stop a few blocks away.
From Beaverton at Sunset Transit Center — Connect via MAX Blue and Red lines, and bus lines 20, 48, 50, 59, 62.
From Hillsboro at Tanasbourne Town Center — Connect via lines 47, 48, 52.
More info on POINT’s Northwest route.
Columbia Gorge: Multnomah Falls, Cascade Locks, Hood River, the Dalles
Take: Columbia Area Transit’s Columbia Gorge Express. Columbia Area Transit is the public transit agency for Hood River County.
Where to connect:
From Portland at Gateway Transit Center. Connect via MAX Blue, Green and Red lines and bus lines 15, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 87.
More info on the Columbia Gorge Express.
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Willamette Valley: Woodburn, Salem, Albany, Eugene
Take: The POINT bus’s Cascade route.
Where to connect:
From Downtown Portland at Union Station. Connect via MAX Green, Orange and Yellow lines and bus lines 4, 8, 35, 44, 17, and 77, which all stop a few blocks away.
From Tualatin at Tualatin Park & Ride. Connect via lines 36, 37, 38, 76, 96.
More info on POINT’s Cascade route.
Central Oregon: Bend, Redmond
Take: Central Oregon Breeze, a private bus service with regular service between Portland and central Oregon.
Where to connect:
From Gresham at Cleveland Ave MAX station. Connect via MAX Blue Line. Bus lines 2, 9, 20, 21 80, 81, 82, 84 stop nearby.
From Portland International Airport. Connect via MAX Red Line.
From Downtown Portland at Union Station. Connect via MAX Green, Orange and Yellow lines and bus lines 4, 8, 35, 44, 17, and 77, which all stop a few blocks away.
More info on Central Oregon Breeze.
Another option:
Take: Shuttle Oregon, private bus service with regular service between Portland and central Oregon. This service also stops in Sisters.
Where to connect:
From Downtown Portland at Union Station. Connect via MAX Green, Orange and Yellow lines and bus lines 4, 8, 35, 44, 17, and 77, which all stop a few blocks away.
Salem
Take: Cherriots route 1X. Cherriots is Salem’s public transit agency.
Where to connect:
From Wilsonville at the Wilsonville WES Station.
More info on Cherriots route 1X.
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West of Portland on the Columbia River: Scappoose, St. Helens, Rainier, Astoria
Take: Sunset Empire Transportation District’s Lower Columbia Connector. Sunset Empire Transportation District is the public transit agency for Clatsop County.
Where to connect:
From Downtown Portland at Union Station. Connect via MAX Green, Orange and Yellow lines and bus lines 4, 8, 35, 44, 17, and 77, which all stop a few blocks away.
More info on the Lower Columbia Connector.
Yamhill County: Newberg, Dundee, McMinnville
Take: Yamhill County Transit, the public transit agency for Yamhill County.
Where to connect:
From Tigard at Tigard Transit Center. Connect via WES and bus lines 12, 45, 64, 76, 78, 94.
From Cornelius via Line 57.
From Hillsboro at Hillsboro Central Transit Center. Connect via MAX Blue Line and bus lines 46, 47 48, 57.
More info on Yamhill County Transit.
Tillamook
Take: Tillamook County Transportation District’s Tillamook-Portland Coastliner route. Tillamook County Transportation District is the public transit agency for Tillamook County.
Where to connect:
From Downtown Portland at Union Station. Connect via MAX Green, Orange and Yellow lines and bus lines 4, 8, 35, 44, 17, and 77, which all stop a few blocks away.
From Beaverton at Sunset Transit Center. Connect via MAX Blue and Red lines, and bus lines 20, 48, 50, 59, 62.
From Hillsboro at Tanasbourne Town Center. Connect via lines 47, 48, 52.
More info on the Tillamook-Portland Coastliner.
Columbia County: Scappoose and St. Helens
Take: Columbia County Rider, the public transit agency for Columbia County.
Where to connect:
From Downtown Portland on SW Salmon between 5th and 6th avenues. Connect via MAX Blue, Green, Orange, Red and Yellow lines and bus lines 1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19, 30 35, 36, 44, 51, 54, 56, 94, 99.
More info on the Columbia County Rider.
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Wilsonville
Take: SMART (South Metro Area Rapid Transit). SMART is Wilsonville’s public transit agency.
Where to connect:
From Wilsonville at the Wilsonville Station on WES.
From Wilsonville via Line 96.
From Tualatin at Tualatin Park & Ride. Connect via lines 36, 37, 38, 76, 96.
Sandy
Take: Sandy Area Metro (Fareless SAM). Sandy Area Metro is Sandy’s public transit agency.
Where to connect:
From Gresham via Gresham Transit Center. Connect via MAX Blue Line and bus lines 2, 9, 20, 21, 80, 81, 82, 84.
From Estacada via bus line 30.
More info on Sandy Area Metro.
Canby
Take: Canby Area Transit’s route 99X. Canby Area Transit is Canby’s public transit agency.
Where to connect:
From Oregon City at Oregon City Transit Center. Connect via bus lines 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 79, 99, 154.
More info on Canby Area Transit.
Vancouver, Washington
Take: C-TRAN. C-TRAN is Vancouver, Washington’s public transit agency. It also connects to Skamania County Public Transit, which will take you to Carson, Stevenson, North Bonneville and more.
Where to connect:
You can catch C-TRAN lines 190, 157, 134, 199, 105, 164, 65 and 67 from various locations in Downtown Portland (along the Transit Mall), Parkrose Transit Center, Gateway Transit Center, Rose Quarter Transit Center and Lloyd Center.
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Thanks to TriMet for putting all this information together. Enjoy the long weekend!
Taylor has been BikePortland’s staff writer since November 2021. She has also written for Street Roots and Eugene Weekly. Contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
