<map lat='44.26093725039923' lng='-120.5375' zoom='6' view='0' float='right' height='320' width='350'/> Oregon, a state of the US, is great for hitchhiking. No long waiting times, and it's legal to walk on the freeway! Don't hesitate to actually do it, if you can't find a ride on the on-ramp. Lots of people do stop on the freeway. Cops won't harrass you. And even trucks will stop on the on-ramps. Often you will find yourself dropped off at the exact place where you wanted to be.
Try to opt for a ride that will bring you directly- or most of the way- to your destination. While there are many laws that protect hitchhikers in the state of Oregon, the practice of hitchhiking can be somewhat frowned upon in small towns, such as Albany (Oregon), as well as the capital city of Salem, which both have reputations for being fairly conservative places.
Be aware of Phoenix, Oregon!!! That city has a reputation for being HARSH towards hitchhikers! Beyond that, Oregon is a GOOD state for hitching!
Contents
Roads
- Shoulders
- Wide shoulders are almost always built along the edges of towns throughout the entire state, making it easy for people to pull over to pick you up.
- Pedestrian Rights
- Oregon has very friendly pedestrian rights. It allow pedestrians practically everywhere, including on the vast majority of interstate property with few exceptions.
- Interchanges
- Split-traffic interchanges are rarely encountered here.
Law
814.080¹ Unlawful hitchhiking
- (1) A person commits the offense of unlawful hitchhiking if the person is on a roadway for the purpose of soliciting a ride.
- (2) The offense described in this section, unlawful hitchhiking, is a Class D traffic violation.[1]
Title 59. Chapter 801. General Provisions and Definitions for Oregon Vehicle Code
- 801.450 "Roadway" means the portion of a highway that is improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular travel, exclusive of the shoulder.[2]
Federal Districts
Note:All land regulated by the National Park service prohibits hitchhiking under the Code of Federal Regulations Title 36 section 4.31: Hitchhiking or soliciting transportation is prohibited except in designated areas and under conditions established by the superintendent.
- Crater Lake National Park
4.31 has not been amended here, so hitchhiking is prohibited.
Cities
Experiences
I have hitched through most of Oregon many many times and it is not as great of a state as people seem to think. Sure, the laws are friendly and the roads are always built with convenient shoulders for hitchhiking, but people don't pick you up as often here as many other states. I would call Oregon SLIGHLTY above the nationwide average for getting picked up. I suppose Oregonians more than other states would be willing to pick up people regardless of how they look, but a clean cut person who does not appear homeless at first glance may not perceive Oregon to be much easier than the national average.Thewindandrain 16:43, 31 August 2012 (CEST)
"Hitchhiking in Oregon is by far, one of the easiest states to hike on, especially on older highways like 199 and 101. I-5 is also great but some towns like Grants Pass and Salem have windy and narrow strecthes on the interstate so watch out for them. Other than that, Oregon epitomizes the hitchhiking spirit out here in the West and southern Oregon, in particular." Interstate-5
"Oregon was the easiest state I've ever hitched in. Portland is a gorgeous city, easy to get in and out of, and it's INCREDIBLY friendly to homeless people and transients. Just go to any shelter and ask for a "Resource Guide", and you'll get a little book telling you all the hook-ups for free meals, free clothes, homeless shelters, anything you need basically. Oh yeah! AND you can walk on the Interstate, it's true. That makes it amazingly convenient if you get stuck at an entrance ramp with no spot for cars to pull over. All you have to do is walk a quarter of a mile to where they can pull over. Yes, they will be going much faster, but at least they can stop for you. I never once got hassled by a cop, and never felt in danger with anyone that picked me up. Oregon is an amazing, beautiful, friendly state." -Ned
Travelled several times through Oregon over the years and lots of long waiting times, definitely one of the most difficult to hitch in for me. Many long waits and short rides. For me the i5 is hell, takes longer than the road via bend and kallamath falls. Walked down the highway several times on this trip (Feb 2025), with skis showing, and only managed 50-100 miles a day. Too many homeless people around probably the reason it is difficult. No problems with cops. Hitchhikernick
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