The Oregon Coast
Here are some of our favorite places on the Oregon Coast.
The Haystack Rocks are one of the more touristy areas on the Oregon Coast. But it’s a great place to chill on the beach. And we love hanging out at the town of Cannon Beach.
You can access Tunnel Beach from Oceanside Beach. You get there by, you guessed it, going through a tunnel. It’s pretty cool.
Pelican Brewing on Pacific City Beach
The Pacific City Beach is usually pretty packed, and parking is a huge pain! However, it’s a pretty great beach if you can make it through the crowd. And you can grab a bite at Pelican Brewing at a table right on the beach.
If you don’t fancy the crowds, you can come to the beach early in the morning at sunrise and watch the fishing boats launch out for the day. It’s a fun bit of organized chaos.
There is also a huge sand dune right by the beach. It is quite a climb, but the view from the top is worth it!
Nestucca Bay National Widlife Refuge
Just south of Pacific City is Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It’s a great place for some pretty chill hikes and wildlife watching.
The hike to God’s thumb is not for the faint of heart. There are some killer elevation gains, going both directions. And the last little climb to the thumb has you walking across a very narrow path with steep drop offs on both sides. But if you do make it to the top of the thumb, it is one of coolest hikes we’ve ever done.
Depoe Bay is a great little town to chill at for a day. Grab some coffee or lunch, then go watch the waves crash around the bridge through town.
Devils Punchbowl is a fun little beach. Go at low tide and you can hike into the bottom of the punchbowl. And catch some excellent tide pools.
Yachats is the perfect little beach town. There are a bunch of little shops and restaurants. And you can take some amazing scenic strolls along the coastline with coffee in hand.
The entire Cape Perpetua area was one of our favorite places on the Oregon Coast. There’s something about steep, rocky mountain ranges plunging straight down to the water, and watching huge waves on rocky beaches. It’s a very otherworldly spot. There are loads of hiking trails, and you really can’t go wrong with any of them.
Thor’s Well (or Thor’s Asshole as we like to call it) is probably the most popular attraction in Cape Perpetua. Watching the waves crash up into bit geysers through the hole in the rocks never got old.
Hobbit Trail is such a cool little hike. The trailhead is very easy to miss. It’s right off highway 101, with no markers except a little brown sign that’s easy to miss if you’re not paying attention. The only parking is off the side of the highway. At the end of the 1 mile hike the path is lined on all sides with crab shells. Everywhere you look. And then you exit the brush onto Hobbit Beach, where you can chill and relax as long as you want. It’s a huge beach that’s pretty secluded from the crowds.
If you can book a tour to drive on the sand dunes near South Jetty, you definitely should!
It’s a very short walk down to the viewpoint to see Natural Bridges. But the natural land bridges are absolutely gorgeous!