Must-See Attractions along the Beautiful Oregon Coast!

I feel like when I tell people about Oregon that I’m giving them a little gold nugget of travel advice, and they’re just like, “Oh, that’s nice” –  when in real life no one would ever throw away a golden nugget!!!

Do you feel me???

Anyways, today’s Oregon topic is obviously the Oregon Coast, which coincidentally is one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon! A quick recap for those of you who don’t know, the 7 Wonders of Oregon are as follows:

1. Mt Hood
2. The Oregon Coast
3. The Columbia River Gorge
4. Painted Hills
5. Smith Rock State Park
6. The Wallowas
7. Crater Lake

It’s my dream to go back to Oregon and hit the rest of the 7 Wonders, which at this point would be 1, 4, 6 & 7.  It’s part of my 5-year plan!

So just a little disclaimer, this post is certainly not all inclusive of the entire Oregon coast.  Our trip to Oregon covered a lot of ground…but we were only able to cover about a fourth to a third of the Coast.  (Seeing the whole coast is also on my five year plan!) However, I feel that we really made the most of our drive down good ol’ HWY-101!

So in geographical/north-to-south order, here are a few stops that you have to make driving down the Oregon Coast!

1. Lincoln City

Lincoln City offers a nice shopping area and boardwalk! The beaches weren’t too crowded, and you could see Sea Lions on the other side of the bay! I highly recommend grabbing lunch at Mo’s Restaurant – the seafood was great and you had a beautiful view of the water.  If you have time, make sure you check out Connie Hansen Garden Conservancy along with Roads End State Recreation Site!

2. Depoe Bay

Depoe is a small town – but has a lot of character! Highway 101 passes through this little town with shopping on one side, and a rocky shore on the other! There are many spots to sit and watch the waves crash against the rocks. Depoe Bay is home to the World’s Smallest Harbor, along with whale watching boat tours! It’s definitely worth a stop!

3. Devil’s Punchbowl State Natural Area

The Devil’s Punchbowl State Natural Area is an area for surfing, whale watching, and exploring tide pools, all in one! We enjoyed hiking down to the beach and exploring the area for a little while! This was one of the only places we saw surfers – albeit wearing wetsuits! The water was cold but definitely worth wading through to look at some of the rocky cliffs! Don’t forget to check out the namesake of the area – the actual Devil’s Punchbowl!

4. Yaquina Bay Lighthouse & Bridge

The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse (which is not to be confused with the Yaquina Head Lighthouse!) is another worthy stop along Oregon’s Coastal Highway! This is the second oldest lighthouse in Oregon, and is a working lighthouse, open to the public everyday of the year except for the Big 3 Holidays of Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Years. Hours for the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse are 11:00-4:00 or 12:00-4:00 depending on the season. The parking area offers a great view of the Yaquina Bay Bridge, as seen above. Don’t forget to walk down to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, where tours are offered from 12-3 on certain days of the week!

5. Newport & The Oregon Coast Aquarium

Newport is one of the biggest cities we passed through on this portion of Highway 1. Newport is home to many beaches, the Hatfield Marine Science Center, and my personal favorite, the Oregon Coast Aquarium! I definitely recommend making a stop at the Aquarium if nothing else! Newport has lots of shopping and restaurants for you to easily make a day of it in this area alone!

6. Seal Rock State Recreation Site

Seal Rock State Recreation Area is found a little south of Newport. This area has a lot to offer – hiking, picnicking, beach access and even wildlife viewing! It’s not uncommon to see seals and sea lions in the area! We had such a busy itinerary, we only had time to spend an evening watching the sun go down – but it was a great spot for that as well!

7. Cape Perpetua

Cape Perpetua Scenic Area was my favorite spot we visited on the coast – hands down! It’s located a little south of Yachats, OR in the Siuslaw National Forest (pronounced sigh-you-slaw). This place had so many cool things to see – I’m pretty sure we could have spent 3-4 days exploring this area alone! It’s home to the infamous Thor’s Well, Spouting Horn, Devil’s Churn, Rock Shelter, as well as a lot of hiking trails! The picture from above is near Rock Shelter, and it’s supposedly the highest point on the whole Oregon Coast! It doesn’t seem like it’s a well known spot, but it’s definitely a place you need to make time for down your Oregon Coast trip! I will be making a post dedicated to it in the near future!

8. Heceta Head Lighthouse

Heceta Head Lighthouse is the brightest light on the Oregon Coast! It’s such a pretty lighthouse and it’s in a beautiful setting! From the parking area, a short trail will take you past the Light Keeper’s House and on to the above picture! There’s even a trail that takes you up the hill behind it to get an even better vantage of Heceta Head! Check out my post for tips about visiting this lighthouse! It wouldn’t make sense to drive by this on your way down the coast!

9. Sea Lion Caves: America’s Largest Sea Cave

Last but not least on my list of Must-See’s down the coast is the Florence Sea Lion Caves! This cave is literally within sight of the Heceta Head Lighthouse, and is one of the largest Sea CaCavesn the world! You go down an elevator into the bowels of the cave, where they have a viewing area of the sea cave (pictured above).  When we went, there were only about 3 sea lions in the cave – but in the winter we were told there can be hundreds! There are also viewing areas back above the cave where you can view sea lions on rock ledges from a distance. It was all in all a pretty cool stop to end our Oregon Coast portion of our trip! Check out my post here for tips and directions to the Sea Lion Caves!

So there it is folks! One day I hope to add the rest of amazing stops on the Oregon Coast that I didn’t get to see!

Don’t forget to leave me a comment and let me know what you think! Have you been to any of these places?? What are some other places I didn’t cover?? I wanna know!

Until next time!