The Oregon Trail Part 2: The Coast

August 9th - 14th, 2021

Raw. Wild. Mystical. Rocky. Vast. Powerful. Beautiful. These are just some of the words that come to mind when I try and describe the Oregon Coast. But I really think you need to see it to believe it. 

If Maine and the Azores had a baby, this would be it. The air is salty and full of moisture. It feels and smells good to be here, no wildfire smoke in sight. The mornings are cool and sunny, but as the afternoon wanes, the marine layer rolls in, colliding with the wild and rocky shoreline, enveloping everything in its way in a thick mist. The ocean here is wild, too. Waves consistently crashing into prominent rock formations that are sprinkled across the shoreline in all shapes and sizes. The sand is so soft and smooth. It feels good on my chilly feet, but the water is freezing! It’s only in the high 50’s to mid 60’s at the coast during the day, colder at night. I don’t know if this is typical for early August around here, but one thing I do know is that Oregonians are certainly hearty to be out sunning and swimming in this (and I thought us east coasters were hardcore!). 

We spent our first two nights on the coast at a lovely KOA (first one we’ve been able to get into all trip!) in the town of Waldport. We arrived in the early evening, after a pretty 3 hour drive through the Willamette and Siuslaw National Forests from Bend. After setting up shop, we decided to follow a lovely little trail from our campsite down to the beach for an evening walk. I had no expectations, but was immediately amazed by the seemingly endless size of this beach, its huge, majestic dunes, and the power of its wind and waves. I could barely hear myself talk, little alone think. Immersed in the beauty of this beast, we walked for a while until our hands and feet started getting pretty chilly, eventually cutting back through a neighborhood (aka a wind tunnel!) to return to our campground. It seemed like we were the only ones on the beach for miles around! We were told by a woman we met at our campground that this is the relaxed area of the coast, and where we were headed next, about 3 hours north of here, was much more touristy. I liked it here. I felt like home.

The next day we set out to explore the mid-coast town of Yachats, just 20 minutes south. Cape Perpetua is located here, and has several unique hikes. We ate lunch at the Cape Perpetua overlook, and then embarked upon the Cook’s Ridge and Gwynn Creek Loop trail. This was a beautiful trail, winding through an old growth “climax” forest, full of giant mossy covered fir and hemlock trees. We were pleasantly surprised to see tons of HUGE ones which give the Giant Sequoias a run for their money! They are truly spectacular. We just don’t have anything like this on the east coast. 

The trail ends with views of the jagged, volcanic shoreline, where dark fingers of basalt stretch into the Pacific Ocean. We tacked on a visit to Thor’s Well, a basalt blow hole of sorts, which erupts sea water in rough seas and at high tide. The seas on this day were rough, but the tide was too low to see Thor’s Well blow. We did experience some crazy winds, strong enough to nearly knock both of us off our feet! We worked up quite the appetite, and decided to hit Luna Sea for an early dinner. We stuffed ourselves with fresh caught Halibut fish & chips, grilled Tuna over a house salad, and a couple local beers. A perfect end to our first full day on the Oregon Coast. 

The following day, we would check out of our campground in Waldport and drive 2.5 hours north to Garibaldi Bay, where we would spend the next 3 nights exploring the more “hectic” part of the coast and visiting with my friend Ashley and her family. Ashley and I have known each other since elementary school, so her family is like an extension of mine. Her and her husband Brian moved to Seattle 5 years ago, and Ian and I have been threatening a visit ever since! We actually had plans to take a 2-3 week Pacific Northwest trip last summer, including a visit to see Ashley, Brian and their then-baby Sam, but covid got in the way of that. So, here we are, a year plus later, but so happy that our paths have serendipitously crossed on the Oregon Coast. 

We arrived at the Old Mill RV Park around 4pm, and took a “prop walk” to familiarize ourselves with the campground, which overlooks the busy fishing port of Garibaldi Bay. It has an old school feel, with a historic railroad (now tourist attraction) running through town. The scent of the ocean and freshly caught seafood lingers in the air. We are grateful to be staying in this quaint little town, especially after how difficult it was to book this campsite. 

We called - no joke - 29 different RV parks within an hours drive north and south of Cannon Beach. Each one was full, and told us of a different event happening during the 3 day stretch we’d be in the area…volleyball tournament, Tillamook county fair, seafood festival… did I mention this is the hectic part of the coast? We nearly said F*** IT, but Old Mill had a last minute cancellation and alas, here were are. Happy as a couple of clams at high tide. 

We cooked dinner and then decided to check out Rockaway Beach, 10 minutes up the coast, for sunset. It was another expansive beach, busy with fellow sunset addicts snapping photos. On the way home, we grabbed a gallon of Tillamook Ice Cream. Our first taste of Huckleberry (a blueberry of sorts) Ice Cream, which will be become a new favorite while out west. We’ve been turned onto everything Tillamook, the Cabot of the west coast! Don’t worry, Seriously Extra Sharp is still our #1, but their cheddar is a close runner up. ;) 

We left the next day open to hang with Ashley and fam. They were renting a house at Arch Cape, a more remote area of the northern coast, for the week. Ashley’s entire family was there, and it was so fun to see all of them, as I haven’t caught up with most of them since her wedding in 2014. I also got to meet her son, Sam, nearly 3 years old, for the first time. Sam the Ham is right, what a cutie! One of the hardest parts of covid for me has been feeling like I’m missing out on time spent with so many friends and their kids, so it has been nice to reunite with some of them during this trip. We spent the day at the house relaxing, catching up and sharing a delicious pizza dinner together (thanks Lucas & Alisa!). It was truly wonderful. 

Our last day on the coast, we ventured past Arch Cape all the way up to Ecola State Park, roughly an hours drive away, for a hike and a surf. Ian had been hoping to get a surf in on the Oregon Coast, and said if he did, this might just be his new favorite state. After a picnic lunch overlooking the famous Cannon Beach (you might recognize it form the movie The Goonies), we chose a short, 4 mile hike out to Indian Beach. The hike was pretty, though more old growth, mossy forest, and lots of big stumps (aka “the mother”) with new trees growing out of them. Then you pop out above Indian Beach. Ian spotted his first surfers of our time on the coast, noted the surf looked “pretty fun,” and decided that this could be a good place to try and meet up with Michael and Haley, our new friends who we met in Bend. 

We completed the hike and then drove to a surf shop about 15 min away, where Ian and Michael met up and rented boards. We hung for a few hours at Indian Beach. Ian and Michael out playing in the waves while Haley and I watched them, a thick marine layer starting to roll in. Post surf, we grabbed another amazing seafood dinner, and then said our “see you laters” to Michael and Haley. Our hearts (and bellies) full after a very special 5 days on the Oregon Coast. I’m so glad we gave the coast the time it deserves and not just a pass through. I already look forward to coming back one day, there is still so much to see. But we’ve got to keep on moving, as the great Washington state beckons. 

For more photos of our time on the Oregon Coast, click here.