Oregon Word Search

Volcanoes, waterfalls and wagon roads to circle: Mount Hood, Crater Lake and the Oregon Trail hide in the first grid.

Name Date

Oregon Word Search

Find every word hidden in the grid. Words go across and down.

0 of 16 words found

MCZFANQSPLRMTIP

EORNBEAVEREUEYO

AVWESCRATERLAKE

DEHAZELNUTATTEA

OREGONTRAILNGAL

WEHAYSTACKROCKI

LDOUGLASFIRMCPG

AWBITSPRWXAAAOH

RAIXLADUTIIHSRT

KGOWSLTEAWNFCTH

VOSIRELDTRMAALO

ENQDFMRLTHALDAU

HSDXGRAYWHALENS

MOUNTHOODFSSSDE

TCOLUMBIARIVERO

This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.

SalemSALEM
PortlandPORTLAND
Mount HoodMOUNT HOOD
CascadesCASCADES
Columbia RiverCOLUMBIA RIVER
Haystack RockHAYSTACK ROCK
LighthouseLIGHTHOUSE
Gray WhaleGRAY WHALE
BeaverBEAVER
MeadowlarkMEADOWLARK
Douglas FirDOUGLAS FIR
HazelnutHAZELNUT
Oregon TrailOREGON TRAIL
Covered WagonCOVERED WAGON
Crater LakeCRATER LAKE
Multnomah FallsMULTNOMAH FALLS

16 of 28 words from the Oregon Favorites list.

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Large print Lower-case letters Name and date line on paper

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Answer key: Oregon Word Search

MCZFANQSPLRMTIP

EORNBEAVEREUEYO

AVWESCRATERLAKE

DEHAZELNUTATTEA

OREGONTRAILNGAL

WEHAYSTACKROCKI

LDOUGLASFIRMCPG

AWBITSPRWXAAAOH

RAIXLADUTIIHSRT

KGOWSLTEAWNFCTH

VOSIRELDTRMAALO

ENQDFMRLTHALDAU

HSDXGRAYWHALENS

MOUNTHOODFSSSDE

TCOLUMBIARIVERO

SALEM, PORTLAND, MOUNT HOOD, CASCADES, COLUMBIA RIVER, HAYSTACK ROCK, LIGHTHOUSE, GRAY WHALE, BEAVER, MEADOWLARK, DOUGLAS FIR, HAZELNUT, OREGON TRAIL, COVERED WAGON, CRATER LAKE, MULTNOMAH FALLS

Next step Type in the words from your own Oregon lesson Mix up the letters of the volcano names

All 202 words

Oregon Cities 29

Ashland Southern town near the California line, known for the plays staged there most of the year.
Baker City Eastern town on the route of the wagon trains that grew rich in a gold rush.
Beaverton City west of Portland on land once full of ponds made by a dam-building animal.
Bend High desert city on the Deschutes, named for a curve in the river where travelers crossed.
Boring Small town named for an early settler, paired with a village called Dull in Scotland.
Burns High desert town in Harney County, named for a Scottish poet.
Cannon Beach Seaside town named after a naval gun that washed ashore from a wrecked schooner.
Corvallis College town whose Latin name means heart of the valley.
The Dalles City on the Columbia where wagon travelers had to choose between rafts and a mountain road.
Eugene Willamette Valley city named for its founder, a settler whose butte still overlooks downtown.
Grants Pass City on the Rogue, a starting place for rafting and fishing trips.
Hermiston Town of the dry northeast known for its watermelons.
Hillsboro Tualatin Valley city at the center of the Silicon Forest of computer chip makers.

Show all 202 words (189 more)

Oregon Cities, continued

Hood River Columbia Gorge town known for windsurfing and for orchards of apples and pears.
Jacksonville Gold rush town near Medford, kept much as it looked in the 1800s.
Joseph Small town at the foot of the Wallowa Mountains, named for a Nez Perce chief.
Klamath Falls Southern city that heats many downtown buildings with hot water from underground.
Lakeview County seat in the far south that calls itself the tallest town in the state.
McMinnville Yamhill County city whose air museum holds a giant wooden flying boat.
Medford Rogue Valley city long known for its pear orchards.
Oregon City Town beside Willamette Falls where the long wagon road ended, capital of the territory in its first years.
Pendleton Eastern city on the Umatilla River, famous for its big rodeo each September.
Portland Largest city in the state, nicknamed the City of Roses, close to where the Willamette meets the Columbia.
Prineville Seat of Crook County in the middle of the state, on the Crooked River.
Roseburg Timber town on the Umpqua in the southwest.
Salem State capital on the Willamette River, in the middle of a wide farm valley.
Silverton Town on the way to a state park with ten waterfalls.
Sisters Town named for three volcanic peaks that stand side by side to its west.
Troutdale Town at the west end of the Columbia Gorge, where the old scenic highway begins.

Oregon Mountains and Rivers 30

Alvord Desert Dry lake bed in the southeast that gets very little rain because a high ridge blocks the storms.
Blue Mountains Northeastern range that wagon trains had to cross, now forest and grazing land.
Butte Lone steep hill; the one called Pilot is an old cinder cone inside the city of Bend.
Caldera Bowl left when a volcano caves in; the deepest lake in the country fills one.
Cascades Chain of volcanoes that runs north to south and splits the wet west from the dry east.
Coast Range Low forested mountains between the Pacific and the Willamette Valley.
Columbia Gorge Canyon where the big river of the north cuts through the Cascades, lined with waterfalls.
Columbia River Great waterway that forms most of the northern border with Washington.
Deschutes Central waterway whose name comes from the French for river of the falls.
Glacier Slow river of ice; several cling to the upper slopes of the tallest volcano.
Great Basin Region reaching into the southeast where streams end in desert lakes, not the sea.
High Desert Dry sagebrush country east of the Cascades, cold in winter and sunny most days.
John Day River named for a fur trapper, the longest that flows only inside the state.
Klamath Lake Largest body of fresh water in the state, shallow and crowded with birds.
Lava Melted rock from a volcano; old flows of it cover much of the central and eastern parts.
Malheur Marshy desert lake and bird refuge near Burns, with a French name that means misfortune.
Mount Bachelor Volcano near Bend, named because it stands apart from the three peaks beside it.
Mount Hood Snowy volcano east of Portland, the highest point in the state.
Mount Jefferson Second-highest peak in the state, a sharp volcano that Lewis and Clark named for a president.
Mount Mazama Ancient volcano whose collapse left the bowl that now holds Crater Lake.
Obsidian Black volcanic glass; a whole flow of it lies inside the Newberry crater.
Owyhee River and canyon country of the far southeast, named with an old spelling of Hawaii.
Rogue River Wild southwestern stream known for salmon runs and whitewater rafting.
Snake River Long waterway on the Idaho border that carved Hells Canyon.
Steens Mountain One long ridge of the southeast that towers over the dry lake bed at its foot.
Three Sisters Trio of volcanic peaks that early settlers called Faith, Hope and Charity.
Umpqua Southwestern river that reaches the sea at Winchester Bay near Reedsport.
Volcano Mountain built by eruptions; Hood, Jefferson and Bachelor are three of them.
Wallowa Lake Long sheet of water held behind ridges of rock left by a glacier, near the town of Joseph.
Willamette Stream that flows north through Eugene, Salem and Portland in the valley where most people live.

Oregon Coast 29

Agate Banded stone that beachcombers hunt for on the shore near Newport.
Astoria Port at the mouth of the Columbia that began as a fur trading post.
Bandon Town at the mouth of the Coquille River, known for cranberry bogs and rocky shores.
Beach Strip of sand by the sea; a state law keeps every one here open to the public.
Brookings Southern harbor town near the California line, founded by a lumber company.
Cape Blanco Windy point in the south whose lighthouse was first lit in 1870.
Cape Perpetua Forested headland near Yachats, named by Captain Cook as he sailed along this shore.
Coos Bay Harbor city of the south shore, long busy with ships loading lumber.
Depoe Bay Town that calls its harbor the smallest in the world, a favorite place to watch gray whales.
Driftwood Logs carried by rivers and waves, then left bleaching on the sand.
Dune Hill of windblown sand, found in a long belt between Florence and Coos Bay.
Estuary Place where a river meets the tide and fresh water mixes with salt.
Florence Town on the Siuslaw River at the north end of a long belt of sand dunes.
Gray Whale Giant that swims past the headlands each winter and spring on its long migration.
Harbor Seal Spotted swimmer that rests on sandbars and rocks in the bays.
Haystack Rock Tall sea stack at Cannon Beach where tufted puffins nest.
Heceta Head Point of land near Florence named for a Spanish explorer, topped by a working lighthouse.
Kelp Giant brown seaweed that grows in underwater forests off rocky shores.
Lighthouse Tower whose beam warns ships away from rocks and points of land.
Newport Fishing port on Yaquina Bay with two lighthouses and a busy bayfront.
Peter Iredale Rusting hull of a sailing ship that ran aground near the mouth of the Columbia.
Puffin Seabird with a bright orange bill that nests on Haystack Rock in spring and summer.
Razor Clam Long-shelled digger that people hunt at low tide on sandy Pacific beaches.
Sea Lion Barking sea mammal; the Steller kind gathers in a huge sea cave north of Florence.
Sea Stack Pillar of rock left standing offshore after waves wear the land away.
Seaside Resort town with a long beach promenade, where men of the Lewis and Clark party made salt from sea water in early 1806.
Tide Pool Rocky basin left by the falling sea, home to sea stars and anemones.
Tillamook Dairy town near a bay of the north shore, in a county known for cheese.
Yaquina Head Point of land near Newport with a tall lighthouse first lit in 1873.

Oregon State Symbols 23

Beaver State animal, a dam builder pictured on the back of the state flag.
Chanterelle State mushroom, a golden wild fungus prized by cooks.
Chinook Salmon State fish, the largest of its Pacific kin, also called king or tyee.
Douglas Fir State tree, a towering evergreen named for a Scottish plant collector.
Dungeness Crab State crustacean, chosen after fourth graders in West Linn asked for it.
Elk Antlered animal pictured on the state seal beside a covered wagon.
Gold With blue, one of the two state colors; the flag's lettering uses it.
Hairy Triton State seashell, a sea snail whose shell is covered in bristles.
Hazelnut State nut, also called the filbert; nearly all of the country's crop grows here.
Jory State soil, a deep red clay of the Willamette Valley hills.
Marionberry Blackberry bred here and named for a county; its pie is the official state pie.
Meadowlark State songbird with a yellow breast and a flute-like call, picked by schoolchildren in 1927.
Metasequoia State fossil, the dawn redwood, later found alive in China.
Oregon Grape State flower, a shrub with holly-like leaves, yellow blooms and dark blue berries.
Osprey State raptor, a fish hawk that dives feet first into the water.
Pear State fruit; Bartlett, Bosc, Anjou and Comice kinds all grow here.
Potato State vegetable since 2023; this is one of the top states for growing it.
Square Dance State symbol since 1977: four couples swing and promenade as a caller sings out the moves.
Sunstone State gemstone, a clear copper-flecked kind of feldspar mined in the southeast.
Swallowtail State insect, a yellow and black butterfly of the sagebrush canyons.
T-Bone Steak State cut of beef since 2025; its shape is said to recall the Cascades, which split the state.
Thunderegg State rock, a plain ball that shows colored agate or crystal when cut in half.
Wings Last word of the state motto: She Flies With Her Own.

Oregon Forests and Wildlife 31

Bald Eagle White-headed raptor; many spend the winter in the Klamath Basin, where a refuge guards their night roost.
Banana Slug Slimy yellow creeper of the damp forest floor, named for a fruit of the same color.
Bighorn Wild sheep with heavy curling horns that lives on steep canyon walls in the east.
Bigleaf Maple Tree named for its very large leaves, often draped in moss.
Black Bear Big furry forest animal, common in the wooded parts of the state.
Bobcat Wild cat with spotted fur, named for its short, stubby tail.
Camas Blue meadow flower whose bulb was a main food of Native peoples.
Cougar Big tan cat of the forests and canyons, also called the mountain lion.
Coyote Wild member of the dog family, known for its yips and howls at night.
Hemlock Shade-loving evergreen with a drooping top, common in wet western forests.
Huckleberry Wild mountain berry picked in late summer, a favorite of bears and people.
Juniper Twisted, berry-bearing tree of the high desert.
Lamprey Eel-shaped fish that climbs the rocks at Willamette Falls with its sucker mouth.
Madrone Broadleaf evergreen whose red bark peels in thin curls.
Moss Soft green plant that coats trunks and branches in the rainy west.
Mule Deer Antlered browser of the West, named for ears as large as a pack animal's.
Myrtlewood Hardwood of the southwest coast, carved into bowls and gifts.
Newt Rough-skinned amphibian of wet forests with a bright orange belly.
Old Growth Forest of very old, very large trees that has never been logged.
Ponderosa Tall pine of the dry east side whose old bark turns orange in broad plates.
Pronghorn Swift antelope-like runner of the sagebrush, protected on a refuge at Hart Mountain.
Red Alder Fast-growing tree that is first to return after a fire or a logging cut.
Red Cedar Evergreen whose wood and bark gave Native peoples canoes, houses and baskets.
Sagebrush Gray-green shrub with a sharp smell that covers the dry southeast.
Sandhill Crane Tall gray bird that rests and feeds at the marshes near Burns on its migration.
Sitka Spruce Giant tree of the foggy shoreline, named for a town in Alaska.
Spotted Owl Rare night bird that needs old-growth forest to nest.
Steelhead Rainbow trout that swims to the sea and comes back to its home river.
Sturgeon Giant fish of the Columbia that can grow longer than a tall person.
Sword Fern Evergreen plant with long toothed fronds that carpets the forest floor.
Trillium Three-petaled forest flower that opens white and turns pink as it ages.

Oregon History 22

Barlow Road Toll route around Mount Hood that let wagons avoid the dangerous river rapids.
Celilo Falls Ancient fishing place on the Columbia, now under the water behind a dam.
Champoeg Spot on the Willamette where settlers met and voted to set up their own government.
Chief Joseph Leader of the Wallowa band who asked that his people be allowed to stay in their homeland.
Chinook People of the lower Columbia, skilled traders whose name was given to a salmon.
Covered Wagon Canvas-topped farm cart that carried a family's goods west; one is on the state seal.
Fort Clatsop Log stockade where the Corps of Discovery waited out the winter before heading home.
Fur Trade Business in beaver pelts that first brought trappers and trading posts here.
Gold Rush Hunt for a yellow metal that built Jacksonville and Baker City.
Kalapuya People of the Willamette Valley who burned the prairies to keep them open.
Lewis and Clark Captains whose expedition reached the Pacific in 1805 and spent a wet winter near Astoria.
McLoughlin Fur company doctor at Fort Vancouver who helped arriving settlers, later called Father of the state.
Modoc People of the lake country along the California border.
Nez Perce People whose homeland includes the Wallowa valley in the northeast.
Oregon Trail Wagon road from Missouri that settlers followed west in the 1840s and after.
Oxen Strong, slow animals that pulled most of the wagons going west.
Paiute People of the high desert in the southeast.
Pioneer Early settler; a gilded statue of one stands on top of the capitol in Salem.
Sacagawea Shoshone woman who traveled with the expedition as an interpreter, carrying her baby son.
Statehood It came in 1859, when this became the 33rd member of the Union.
Umatilla Columbia Plateau people; a river, a county and a reservation carry their name.
Warm Springs Reservation of three peoples on the dry side of Mount Hood.

Oregon Farms and Timber 20

Apple Crisp fruit from the orchards of the Hood River valley.
Blueberry Small summer fruit, a big crop of the Willamette Valley.
Cattle Beef animals of the big ranches in the southeast.
Cheese Food made from cows' milk at creameries in Tillamook and the Rogue Valley.
Cherry Sweet stone fruit from the orchards around The Dalles.
Christmas Tree Young fir raised on Willamette Valley farms for the winter holiday.
Cranberry Tart red berry grown in flooded bogs near Bandon.
Dairy Farm that keeps cows; the green pastures of Tillamook County have many.
Filbert Older name for the hazelnut, still used by many growers here.
Food Cart Small kitchen on wheels; Portland is known for whole lots full of them.
Grass Seed Willamette Valley crop that becomes lawns and pastures far away.
Logger Worker who fells trees and hauls them out of the woods.
Mint Fragrant leaf grown here for its oil, which flavors gum and toothpaste.
Orchard Rows of fruit or nut trees, as in the Rogue and Hood River valleys.
Sawmill Place where logs are cut into boards.
Sheep Woolly animals once raised in such numbers that Shaniko was called a wool capital.
Timber Trees grown and cut for wood, long one of the biggest businesses in the state.
Truffle Prized fungus that grows underground among the roots of Douglas firs.
Tulip Spring flower grown in bright striped fields near Woodburn.
Wheat Golden grain of the rolling hills south of the Columbia.

Oregon Landmarks and Parks 18

Astoria Column Hilltop tower wrapped in a painted spiral of scenes from history.
Bonneville Dam Barrier across the Columbia with fish ladders that salmon climb.
Covered Bridge Roofed wooden span; most of the fifty or so in the state stand in the Willamette Valley.
Crater Lake Deepest body of fresh water in the country, bright blue inside a collapsed volcano.
Forest Park Wooded hills inside Portland, crossed by many miles of trails.
Fort Rock Ring of stone in the desert, near a cave where sandals over 9,000 years old were found.
Fossil Beds Rock layers near Mitchell and Kimberly, full of ancient plants and mammals.
Hells Canyon Deepest river gorge in North America, cut by the Snake on the Idaho line.
Multnomah Falls Tallest waterfall in the state, a two-step drop in the Columbia Gorge with a footbridge.
Newberry Wide volcano near Bend with two lakes in its crater.
Oregon Caves Marble caverns in the Siskiyou Mountains, a national monument since 1909.
Painted Hills Bare slopes striped in red, gold and black, part of the John Day Fossil Beds.
Rose Garden Portland hilltop park where new kinds of a thorny flower are tested and shown.
Silver Falls State park where one trail passes ten waterfalls and goes behind several of them.
Smith Rock Park of tall orange cliffs above the Crooked River, loved by climbers.
Timberline Stone and wood lodge high on Mount Hood, built by hand by government work crews in the Great Depression.
Vista House Stone lookout on Crown Point, high above the Columbia Gorge.
Wizard Island Cinder cone that rises from the water of Crater Lake.

How this list was compiled: Own work. Words and names about the state of Oregon for grades 2 to 8: eight themed lists (cities, mountains and rivers, the coast, state symbols, forests and wildlife, history, farms and timber, landmarks and parks), Oregon Favorites, an easy list of every word of 3 to 5 letters and a hard list of every word of 8 letters or more. The grid keeps only the letters A to Z, so Mount Hood is hidden as MOUNTHOOD and T-Bone Steak as TBONESTEAK. Entries have 3 to 14 letters once spaces, hyphens and apostrophes are dropped, and inside one list no word sits inside another, forwards or backwards. Clues are our own wording; no clue repeats a word of four letters or more from its own entry. No brand, team, living person, fictional character or drink is listed. American spellings. Places and names were checked on 16 October 2026 against the English Wikipedia article Oregon and the article for each entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon, license CC BY-SA 4.0). Every state symbol, and the highest point, deepest lake, deepest gorge, tallest waterfall, longest river inside the state, lighthouse dates and count of covered bridges, were checked the same day in the Oregon Blue Book almanac of the Secretary of State (https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/explore/Pages/almanac.aspx). The capital, the largest city, statehood and the Oregon Trail were also read in Store norske leksikon (https://snl.no/Oregon_-_delstat). Where no second work gave a date, a first or a record, the clue leaves it out. Unofficial and not affiliated with the State of Oregon; an educational puzzle, so check the official source before you rely on a fact. Licence: own work

How it works

This Oregon word search opens on 16 favorites, among them Salem, Portland, Columbia River, Beaver and Douglas Fir. Eight lists go further: cities, mountains and rivers, the coast, state symbols, forests and wildlife, history, farms and timber, and landmarks.

Read the full guide

A state with a pie, a steak and a soil

Oregon State Symbols follows the Secretary of State's Blue Book well past the Beaver and the Meadowlark. The state also has a nut (Hazelnut), a crustacean (Dungeness Crab), a mushroom (Chanterelle), a soil (Jory) and, since 2025, a steak (T-Bone Steak). Marionberry is there for the official pie.

Both sides of the Cascades

Oregon Forests and Wildlife holds the two halves of the state: Sitka Spruce, Sword Fern and Banana Slug from the rainy west, Sagebrush, Pronghorn and Juniper from the dry east. Oregon Mountains and Rivers adds High Desert, Alvord Desert and Great Basin.

For a westward expansion unit, start from Oregon History: Oregon Trail, Covered Wagon, Oxen, Barlow Road, Fort Clatsop and Sacagawea.
Easy Oregon has the 25 words of 3 to 5 letters: Salem, Bend, Pear, Lava, Dune, Kelp, Elk, Newt, Moss and more.
Open More options and tick Show clues, not words, and Wings becomes a motto to finish: She Flies With Her Own.

Questions and answers

Does the printed Oregon puzzle come with an answer key?

Yes. The key prints on its own page after the puzzle, which carries a Name and Date line. Each press of New puzzle draws a fresh 16 from the 28 favorites, enough for several different sheets in one class.

Why is Beaver in an Oregon word search?

The beaver is the state animal and is pictured on the back of the state flag, and Oregon is nicknamed the Beaver State. Beaver is in the opening grid with Meadowlark, the state songbird, and Douglas Fir, the state tree.

Is Crater Lake in the Oregon word search?

Yes, in the opening grid. Oregon Landmarks and Parks also has Wizard Island, the cinder cone in the lake, and Oregon Mountains and Rivers has Mount Mazama, the volcano whose collapse left the bowl, and Caldera.

Does the Oregon word search have the coast in it?

Oregon Coast has 29 words: towns from Astoria to Brookings, points of land such as Yaquina Head and Cape Blanco, and shore life from Gray Whale, Puffin and Sea Lion to Tide Pool and Razor Clam.

All 202 words

Oregon Cities 29

Oregon Cities, continued

Oregon Mountains and Rivers 30

Oregon Coast 29

Oregon State Symbols 23

Oregon Forests and Wildlife 31

Oregon History 22

Oregon Farms and Timber 20

Oregon Landmarks and Parks 18

How it works

A state with a pie, a steak and a soil

Both sides of the Cascades

Questions and answers

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