Stroll barefoot, shoes in hand, on a white, sandy beach with a far distant reach. Ocean breezes tousling your hair, the rhythmic sound of the waves, and the sharp, salty breath of the tempestuous sea seduce your senses.
Meander with your camera through coastal communities chock-full of character, through chic and charming enclaves with galleries and resorts tailored toward tourists and rustic and robust fishing villages with a living still pulled from the sea.
Discover these and other daydream delights along the Oregon Coast. It stretches 363 magnificent miles, and every inch is open to the public. The backbone of the coastline is the narrow ribbon of highway that connects the towns and 50 state parks and recreation areas.
This main artery is moody. One moment, it is blanketed in fog and brooding or masked by mist adding an aura of mystery. Another, it is basked in sunlight shimmering on the countryside and Pacific Ocean after a rainstorm.
From the mouth of the Columbia River in the north to the heart of the California redwoods in the south, U.S. Highway 101, also known as the Oregon Coast Highway, mainly follows a snaking seaside of natural splendor. A road trip offers wondrous sights, thrilling adventures, and a sense of the region and culture.
The drive can be made in two or, certainly, three days. But if you have the time, take a week or more, especially if you like to explore. Accommodations range from yurts to bed and breakfasts to luxury hotels. The state park campgrounds are among the most desirable and best maintained on the West Coast.
River Settlement and Watercolor Seascapes
About a two-hour push from Portland, my wife, Maria, and I began our Highway 101 journey at the Oregon Coast’s northernmost community, Astoria. It boasts the longest continuous truss bridge in North America, which crosses the Northwest’s mightiest river, which flows into the world’s largest ocean. Throughout much of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Columbia River town’s waterfront was crowded with seafood canneries. Workers could clean a 40-pound Chinook salmon in 45 seconds.The maritime district now bristles with bistros and brewpubs. From the 6.4-mile Riverwalk, we sized up the Astoria-Megler Bridge and watched hulking cargo ships ply the wide waterway with Washington on the other side. The Lewis and Clark National Historical Park is nearby, where the discovery corps endured the miserable winter of 1806 in hastily constructed palisades.
About 45 minutes south was our second scheduled stop. Artists are drawn to the watercolor seascapes of Cannon Beach. USA Today considers it one of the 10 most romantic coastal destinations in the country for its charm and casual sophistication. National Geographic describes it as among the best beaches in the world for its wide strip of sand and stalwart Haystack Rock looming offshore.
Twenty-five miles down the road from stylish Cannon Beach lies sleepy Rockaway Beach. The restaurants and novelty shops close long before summer sunset. The highway and railroad tracks run through the middle of the small town, which is popular with families on vacation for its affordability and seven miles of beckoning beach.
Revved up by unleashed freedom, Tahoe, our 20-pound Yorkie, chased shore birds and dodged onrushing waves. Sand spattered and tail wagging, he’d circle back to us, panting happily with eyes aglow for a short breather, then scamper off again in dogged pursuit.
Stoked Surfers and Courageous Captain
Just before the green cow pastures of Tillamook and its cheese factory, the turnoff to Three Capes Scenic Loop took us to the wave-battered bluffs of Cape Kiwanda, the sheer cliffs of Cape Lookout, and the curiously contorted Octopus Tree of Cape Meares. Migrating whales are observed from these high promontories that jut as much as a mile and a half into the ocean.The alternate route rejoins Highway 101 at Pacific City. The heart of the town is the beach, where lace-edged waves collapse into pounding surf. Their bass notes were accompanied by the high-pitched squeals and laughter of rollicking kids gripping small shovels and bright buckets to build sand castles.
A knot of surfers congregated on the sun-splashed shore, contemplating perfect curls and surfer girls. Forming a bobbing line on the swells straddling their boards, they waited to catch a wave to ride the wild surf.
A little less than an hour away, Depoe Bay is anchored on a rocky seaboard. We bundled up and headed out early in the enveloping fog and rolling sea on a Dockside Charters five-hour fishing and crabbing excursion with a capable and courteous crew from what is touted as the smallest navigable harbor in the world.
Dark-bearded captain Tyler Turner, 35, of the well-outfitted 50-foot craft christened the Surfrider is the new owner of the charter company. In 2008, he was in a motorcycle accident that left him a paraplegic.
“You'll see me on deck in my wheelchair as well as standing with my leg braces at the helm of the vessel,” he stated matter-of-factly and clearly in command. “I never let the obstacle get in the way of my passion for the sea or destroy my dream to be a captain.”
Seal Haven and Sea Lion Grotto
It is a baker’s dozen miles to Newport’s busy bayfront, where fishermen in rubber aprons and galoshes cleaning their fresh catch captured the attention of tourists in cotton shorts and sandals licking ice cream cones. Dozing on the docks, waiting for their next meal, freeloading sea lions stirred and slid into the brine to scavenge scraps. Long before the art galleries and saltwater taffy shops, Newport nurtured oyster beds.Across the Yaquina Bay Bridge is the Oregon Coast Aquarium, where you come face to face with wildlife ranging from seabirds and seals to sharks and eels. It gained international renown 30 years ago when it hosted Keiko, the killer whale that starred in “Free Willie.”
Today, the aquarium is home to the world’s oldest known harbor seal. “At 48 years old, Skinny is a super senior,” communications specialist Courtney Klug, two decades her junior, said, grinning. “Her longevity speaks to her status as a survivor. When just a pup, Skinny was found stranded on a beach. Eventually brought here in 1992, she has been stealing hearts ever since.”
The other most popular attraction on the central Oregon Coast is the Sea Lion Caves, privately owned and operated since 1932. A vertical 208-foot elevator shaft through solid rock takes you down in less than a minute into the United States’ largest sea grotto. We could hear the echoes of the barks of Steller sea lions squabbling over preferred seating on the most coveted rock in the natural refuge.
Sculpted Dunes and Scottish Links
It is 15 minutes to the vibrant port town Florence. In the shadow of the art deco Siuslaw River Bridge, several blocks of restored 19th-century buildings house shops, restaurants, and fish markets along the harbor in Historic Old Town. We found family-owned restaurants in Florence and elsewhere along the coast friendlier and more authentic than their chain counterparts, and they offer a wider selection of fresh seafood and seasonal fare.
A 42-mile swath of towering, wind-sculpted dunes stretches between the shoreline and Highway 101 from Florence to Coos Bay. Gold beach grasses, sapphire freshwater lakes, and emerald forest oases accent the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America. The Oregon Dunes’ otherworldly massifs of shifting sand inspired Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel “Dune.”
Fairytale Cove and Humbug Mountain
The southwestern corner of the state is one of the most spectacular sections of the Oregon Coast, but it attracts surprisingly few tourists because of the distance from major cities. The wild Rogue River empties into a wide estuary at Gold Beach, prospected for the precious metal in the mid-19th century. The community enjoys a comfortable climate conducive to sunbathers and beachcombers.The short drive to Brookings deserves a day. The surf surges against stone obelisks severed from the mainland over countless eons by eroding winds and merciless sea. The 12-mile Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor can be admired through the car window and by short walks to readily accessible overlooks. One of the more enchanting vistas is Natural Bridges, with arch rocks in the turquoise shallows of a fairytale cove.
Trails lead through sheltering rainforest and emerge to sweeping seascapes of isolated inlets and secluded strands. We climbed to the summit of Humbug Mountain, which plunges nearly 1,800 feet into the ocean, threaded through a fragrant creekside woodland of myrtle and red alder, and beheld the largest stand of old-growth redwoods in Oregon.
A backpacker quartet composed of three men and a woman about to complete the 400-mile Oregon Coast Trail ate lunch at the Arch Rock viewpoint and picnic area. “I like long-distance hiking because I get to experience a different beautiful place in nature each day,” Hawaiian Heather O’Connell, 42, said, “and for the freedom I feel with fellow adventurers.”
