India, May 31 -- When it comes to scenic road trips, the West Coast tends to outshine most other U.S. regions. Of course, there's the Pacific Coast Highway covering a large section of coastal California and offering up dramatic Big Sur views, award-winning hotels, and wildlife sightings along the way. But there's also another road trip worth taking on this side of the country. If you continue north into Oregon, you can follow U.S. Route 101 along the Pacific, a drive also known as the Oregon Coast Highway.

Stretching for more than 350 miles, U.S. Route 101 runs between Astoria in the north and Brookings in the south, with plenty of natural beauty in between.

"With all of Oregon's beaches being open to the public, nearly 90 state parks, ...