VERDICT: We gave 4 out of 5 tickets and here’s why!
This guide forms part of our complete USA Travel Guide, featuring scenic road trips, iconic destinations, practical travel advice and honest first-hand travel experiences from across the United States.
This article is part of our 🚗 5-Day Pacific Northwest USA Road Trip series, exploring Washington and Oregon. Beginning at the Sumas border crossing in British Columbia, our 1,397-kilometre adventure takes us through historic coastal towns, spectacular beaches, iconic cities and one of America’s most famous volcanoes.. Read the complete itinerary here.
Day 1: Historic Bridges, Sea Lions & Astoria’s Waterfront ✅
Day 2: Haystack Rock, Puffins & Oregon’s Most Beautiful Beach ✅
Day 3: Shipwrecks, Cheese & Portland’s Weird Side ✅
Day 4: Volcanoes, Forests & The Mountain That Changed America ✅
Day 5: Small-Town Charm, Ferries & The Journey Home ✅
Astoria–Megler Bridge: 6.6 kms or 4.1 Miles Long, No Toll, and a Whole Lot of History
We couldn’t believe our eyes when we got to the Astoria–Megler Bridge. It’s SO long! The bridge spans the lower Columbia River, and carries the U.S. Route 101 between Astoria, Oregon and Point Ellice near Megler, Washington.
Mr. MRT (my husband) is a numbers guy so here are some stats:
It’s a 6.6 kms long, continuous truss bridge (that’s 21,500 ft!) which happens to be the longest in North America. There are only two lanes, one in each direction. There is no toll, it’s completely free to cross. And it opened on August 27, 1966.
It was pretty crazy to be crossing this massive bridge but even wilder to see the 3 giant tanker ships below & then there were the crashing waves as we crossed.
Normally only motorcycles & vehicles are allowed on the bridge, but once a year in October, the bridge is host to the Great Columbia Crossing. For this event pedestrians are shuttled across to the Washington side, then they’ll run or walk back to the Oregon side.
The Great Columbia Crossing acts as a major fundraiser that boosts local businesses & nonprofits during a traditionally quiet time of the year.
The Astoria-Megler Bridge is famous for other reasons too – the bridge itself is featured prominently in the movies – Short Circuit, Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy 2, the Adventure Home & The Goonies, to name a few.
More to explore in and around Astoria:
- Bowpicker Fish and Chips (Unique Experience)
- Astoria-Megler Truss Bridge
- Nordic Park and Hidden Trolls
- Owl’s Nest Cafe
Nearby attractions:
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With every trip, we offer feedback to travel companies along with honest views for you, the reader. We rate adventures on a scale of one to five tickets, judged on quality, service, memorability, and price. A perfect ‘Ticket Rating’ of a five-ticket score means the experience was flawless and we’d eagerly return. Your desire to go back is the ultimate measure of a trip’s worth. Exclusive to My Return Ticket.
