Little or no shoulder with an abrupt dropoff, few guardrails, no lighting, lack of adequate warning signs, and neglected paint lines in some areas, contribute to the treacherous conditions.

[3] Drivers may encounter logging trucks in the narrow two-lane road as well[4] After passing Dolph Junction, OR 22 winds eastward though the coast range along Sourgrass Creek, a tributary of the Little Nestucca River, until it reaches the community of Grand Ronde.

There, it joins with Oregon Route 18 at a location known as Valley Junction, and overlaps OR 18 along part of the Salmon River Highway No.

39 in an approximately four-mile (6.4 km) stretch between Grand Ronde and Willamina, at which point OR 22 heads southeast towards Salem, while OR 18 goes northeast towards the Portland area.

Between Willamina and Dallas, it is a mostly two-lane highway; unlike the stretch between Hebo and Grand Ronde, this part of OR 22 is a major freight corridor.

After crossing the bridge, OR 22 (along with OR 99E Business, which it joins) heads south along Front Street for a few blocks, then east past Willamette University.

US 20 and OR 126 continue east over Santiam Pass into central Oregon; US 20 heads to Bend and OR 126 to Prineville (the seat of Crook County) via Redmond.