Oregon has the highways Buc-ee’s loves. So where is it?

Oregon seems like it should be a natural Buc-ee’s state.

It has long road trips, famous scenery, heavy tourist traffic, interstate corridors and plenty of drivers moving between major cities, mountain towns, college towns and the coast. On paper, the state has exactly the kind of highway system Buc-ee’s usually likes.

But Oregon still does not have a Buc-ee’s.

The Texas-based travel center chain has been expanding across the country with massive stores, clean bathrooms, barbecue sandwiches, Beaver Nuggets, branded merchandise and huge fueling areas. As Buc-ee’s keeps expanding into new states, Oregon remains one of the most interesting western blank spots. The closest current Buc-ee’s to Oregon is in Johnstown, Colorado on Interstate 25 — about 13 to 14 hours from Portland.

So where is it?

The highway case is obvious

Interstate 5 runs through Oregon’s biggest population corridor, connecting Portland, Salem, Albany, Eugene, Roseburg, Grants Pass and Medford. It also carries drivers between California, Oregon and Washington, making it the clearest Buc-ee’s-style route in the state.

Interstate 84 is another strong candidate. It connects Portland to the Columbia River Gorge, eastern Oregon, Boise and the broader Mountain West. A Buc-ee’s along I-84 could serve travelers heading between the Pacific Northwest and Idaho.

Then there is U.S. 97, which runs through central Oregon and serves Bend, Redmond, Klamath Falls and vacation traffic heading toward lakes, mountains and high-desert destinations.

Those roads have the travelers. The question is whether they have the right Buc-ee’s site.

Space and approvals are harder than they look

A modern Buc-ee’s is not a normal gas station. It needs a huge parcel near a major highway, with room for a massive store, large parking areas, around 120 fueling positions, delivery access, stormwater systems and road improvements. It also needs local officials willing to approve a project that could bring major traffic, lights and development pressure.

That may be where Oregon gets harder.

Some of the most obvious I-5 sites are in developed, expensive or politically sensitive areas. Portland is too dense. Eugene and Salem may have traffic, but a Buc-ee’s-sized project would still need the right land and local support. Southern Oregon might offer more room, but it is farther from Buc-ee’s existing network.

Oregon’s self-serve gas situation is complicated

There is another wrinkle worth understanding: Oregon’s gas laws.

For decades, Oregon was one of only two states — alongside New Jersey — where drivers could not pump their own gas. Attendants were required at every station, a rule dating back to 1951. That changed in 2023, when the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2426, which Governor Tina Kotek signed on August 4, 2023.

But the change is not as simple as full self-serve. Under Oregon’s current rules, gas stations may designate up to half their pumps as self-serve — but the other half must remain attended. In 20 rural counties, drivers can pump their own gas at any pump, any time of day. In 16 other counties, the 50/50 rule applies.

That matters for Buc-ee’s because the chain’s general counsel, Jeff Nadalo, has said publicly that “we don’t man our pumps.” A 120-pump Buc-ee’s in an Oregon urban county would need to staff attendants at 60 pumps while leaving the other 60 self-serve. That is a significant operational complication compared with a fully self-serve state.

In the more remote rural counties where full self-serve is allowed, the population numbers are generally too small to justify a Buc-ee’s-scale investment. Oregon’s self-serve situation is meaningfully different from New Jersey’s full-service-only requirement — it’s not a deal-breaker in the same way — but it is still a complexity that other western states don’t share.

Distance from the network matters too

That is another issue: distance.

Buc-ee’s is only beginning to push west. Arizona got its first location in Goodyear in June 2026, and Utah has a site in active development in Springville on Interstate 15. Idaho’s proposed Meridian project was rejected by state transportation officials in early 2026 over traffic concerns. Oregon is still far from the chain’s traditional base, and before it becomes likely, Buc-ee’s may want a stronger western network in Arizona, Utah and California first.

Oregon also has established travel-stop competition. Drivers already use Costco fuel, Fred Meyer fuel, Space Age, Love’s, Pilot and regional gas stations. Buc-ee’s is genuinely different from all of those, but it would still need to break into existing habits.

Where a first Oregon Buc-ee’s might eventually land

Oregon does not feel impossible.

If Buc-ee’s ever comes, the best bets would probably be along I-5 near Albany, Eugene, Roseburg or Medford — areas with highway traffic and more developable land than the Portland metro — or along I-84 east of Portland toward the Gorge or Pendleton. A central Oregon location near Redmond could also be interesting for vacation and destination traffic, though it would be less connected to the main interstate grid.

For now, Oregon has the highways Buc-ee’s loves.

What it does not have yet is the official project, the perfect parcel, a fully self-serve gas environment and the western network that would make the beaver finally show up.

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