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| Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint. |
The Oregon coast is over 300 miles of sandy beaches and is dotted
with coastal towns. Visitors to the Oregon coast aren’t there to
get a tan and swim in the ocean, as it is often rainy and foggy and the ocean
water is frigid. Rather, Oregon coast
vacationers are there to see rugged coastline, historic lighthouses, and quaint
seaside towns. We spent three days
slowly making our way down Oregon’s coast after leaving Astoria, spending the
night at towns along the way, so we could experience the Oregon coasts
attractions.
OREGON COAST
ATTRACTIONS
Cannon Beach
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| Haystack Rock, home to nesting seabirds and marine life. |
Cannon Beach is a popular Oregon coast vacation town with a
village atmosphere. A very popular
Oregon coast attraction is found in Cannon Beach. Haystack
Rock is the most photographed rock along the Oregon coast. Haystack Rock is 235 feet high and is the
home of nesting seabirds on the rock and marine life at its base. Visitors are attracted by the chance to
explore Haystack Rock’s tide pools for sea life including fish, crustaceans,
sea anemones, and starfish. Be sure to
visit at low tide, though we learned not all low tides are equal. We missed the chance to see starfish because
our low tide was not low enough.
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| Tillamook Rock Light across the waves at Cannon Beach. |
Another
spectacular view from Cannon Beach is that of the decommissioned Tillamook Rock Light lighthouse.
Three Capes Scenic
Loop
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| Cape Meares Lighthouse. |
The Three Capes Scenic Loop starts west of Tillamook and
passes Cape Meares, Cape Lookout, and Cape Kiwanda. Cape Meares has both the Cape Meares Lighthouse and Cape
Meares National Wildlife Refuge. The
lighthouse is open to tours April through October. In the spring visitors can see Common Murres
nesting on the rocks and might also spot Peregrine Falcons. In the winter migrating whales can sometimes
be spotted.
Newport
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| My Dungeness crab before the massacre. |
Newport is first and foremost a fishing town, which is why
Newport is where you want to stop for lunch while driving along the Oregon
coast. We stopped at the Fish Peddler’s Market for Dungeness
crab, and it may have been the best crab I have ever had. A board on the wall lists the boats and boat
owners bringing in the fresh catch. All
I can say is when I was done with my crab, it looked like a crab massacre, with
broken, empty shells and stray bits of crab stuck to the wall.
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| Yaquina Head Lighthouse. |
The oldest building in Newport is the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, which was built in 1871 and is located in
the Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site. The Yaquina Head Lighthouse, also in Newport, was built one year later. The Yaquina Head Lighthouse is located in the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area which is in fact outstanding. There
are beautiful views of the ocean and coast from the lighthouse and the offshore islands are another spot for nesting Common Murres.
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| Countless Common Murres at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. |
Yachats to Florence
We stayed in the seaside town of Yachats (see below for
Oregon coast hotel information). Between
the Oregon coast towns of Yachats and Florence there are two popular
stops. The first is Heceta Head Lighthouse, the most photographed lighthouse on the
Oregon coast because of its picturesque setting. The second popular stop is the Sea Lion Caves, which is the largest
sea cave in the United States and home to hundreds of sea lions. Just beware that such a large population of
sea lions in one place makes for a mighty powerful smell.
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| Heceta Head Lighthouse. |
Bandon
We included Bandon in our visit to the Oregon coast because
Rome would be golfing Bandon Dunes.
The Bandon weather cooperated neither
for Rome’s plans to play golf nor mine to explore the town of Bandon, but we
still managed to enjoy ourselves just fine.
Since the Bandon weather was a bit miserable, I spent much
of my time eating inside. First I visited
Tony’s Crabshack, a little shack in
the parking lot along the water, for a crab sandwich. Then I headed over to
Face Rock Creamery where I discovered my love for cheese curds. You can watch cheese cruds being made through
the window and sample a number of different flavors, though I prefer plain old
unadulterated cheese curds. After having
my fill of cheese curd samples and picking my purchases, I headed over to the
ice cream section and enjoyed a creamy berry Umpqua ice cream.
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| Mmm, cheese curds. |
After filling up with dairy treats I drove around the little
town of Bandon to Coquille Point, Coquille River Lighthouse, and Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint. Given the weather my pictures from that day
are incredibly overcast. The next
morning it cleared up considerably so we were able to get a better picture of
Face Rock, the town’s most famous rock, so named because it looks like a face
gazing up towards the sky.
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| Can you see the face? (Face Rock is the one on the left.) |
Southern Oregon Coast
South of Bandon to Brookings is the southern Oregon coast,
which provides some of the best driving along the Oregon coast because in this section
the 101 actually hugs the coast rather than being more inland and surrounded by
trees as is the case farther north. There
are also a number of southern Oregon coast attractions often missed by
travelers who don’t make it this far.
Our first stop along the southern Oregon coast was Cape Blanco where we found the Hughes House constructed in 1898, the Cape Blanco Lighthouse, and the Cape Blanco Pioneer Cemetery. It was interesting to note that all the
pioneers in the Cape Blanco Pioneer Cemetery were originally from Ireland.
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| Cape Blanco Pioneer Cemetery is a beautiful final resting place. |
As we drove through Port
Orford we noticed a sign painted on the street pointing towards the ocean
view. The signs were so big we figured
we had to follow them. We were led not
only to an ocean view, but also to Griffs
on the Dock Restaurant & Seafood, which turned out to be the perfect
place to stop for lunch. We had a
fantastic lunch of Crab Louie for me and lingcod fish and chips for Rome. This tiny restaurant on the dock also has a
gift shop, tackle shop, and museum.
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| Gold Beach. |
Driving further south along the Oregon coast we stopped at Gold Beach, a long stretch of beach
with numerous rock formations. While
following a road just north of Gold Beach to another lookout we spotted some
elk, which are really big and could wreck a car if they wanted.
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| Elk spotting! |
Brookings
The last town on our visit to the Oregon coast was
Brookings. We were really only in
Brookings to spend the night before starting the long drive through
California back home to San Diego. But
there are two places you must visit while in Brookings. The first is Brandy Peak Distillery, a micro-distillery producing some
incredible brandies. The other is The Vista Pub. The burgers are made with grass-fed
beef. My burger was an honest 1/3 pound
with jack cheese and grilled jalapeños. The onion rings were made with fresh onions
lightly battered. They also have great
craft beers on tap.
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The Vista Pub in Brookings makes a fantastic burger.
|
PET FRIENDLY OREGON
COAST HOTELS
You don’t have to be traveling with pets to enjoy these
Oregon coast hotels, but if you are traveling with pets you’ll be happy to know
there are some great pet friendly hotels along the Oregon coast happy to
welcome your furry travel companions.
Adobe Resort –
Yachats
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| Our ocean view at Yachats' Adobe Resort. |
Yachats is about halfway down the Oregon coast a few miles
south of Newport. We stayed at the pet
friendly Adobe Resort, which is situated right on the
ocean’s edge. We stayed in the dog
friendly wing in a room with ocean views.
The room was spacious with laminate floors and a balcony, all at an
incredibly affordable price. Behind the
hotel is a lovely trail along the rocky water’s edge. Along this trail is a reminder of the
treacherous strength of the ocean, a memorial for two young men who drowned when a sneaker wave swept them off
the rocks into the churning water, unable to be saved by the four friends who
were with them.
Best Western Inn at
Face Rock Resort – Bandon
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| Our ocean (and wildlife) view from our room at Bandon's Best Western Inn at Face Rock Resort. |
The Best Western Inn at Face Rock Resort,
while a bit expensive compared to some other Oregon coast hotels, is a very
nice pet friendly hotel. Our room was a
large suite that used to be two condominiums.
The suite had a master bedroom, two (two!) bathrooms, a fireplace, a
balcony, and a view of the ocean across the street. Not wanting to leave our charming suite and
our view, we ended up ordering pizza from Tony’s Pizza (we were told it was the
best pizza in Bandon, especially if Dave makes it) and dined in along with a
bottle of Oregon wine from Eola Hills Winery which we bought in the hotel’s
gift shop.
Best Western Plus Beach
Front Inn – Brookings
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| Brookings' Best Western Plus Beach Front Inn as seen from the beach. |
The Best Western Plus Beach Front Inn is another Oregon coast hotel that is right on the water. While the hotel is pet friendly, they do not
allow pets to be left unattended in the room.
Our room was spacious with a Jacuzzi tub with a view out to the
ocean. As we were on the first floor, we
had a sliding glass door out to the grass and the beach beyond.
With so many towns, state parks, viewpoints, and attractions
along the Oregon coast, you could spend weeks seeing them all. Whether your interests lie in lighthouses,
beaches, or wildlife, the Oregon coast will fill all your desires, and always
with an ocean view.
