Oregon Coast

Oregon is one of the few states in the continental US where the ocean shoreline is entirely public property by statute a 1967 law declared the dry sand beach to the vegetation line a public highway. This means there are no private beaches: every headland, cove, and sea stack is accessible. The Oregon Coast Highway (US-101) traverses 363 miles between Astoria in the north and Brookings on the California border, with the most dramatic scenery concentrated in the central and northern sections. Cannon Beach, two hours from Portland, offers the most iconic view: Haystack Rock, a 235-foot monolith rising directly from the beach, surrounded at low tide by sea stars, hermit crabs, and shore birds in its rich tide pools. Cape Perpetua, a 2,700-acre scenic area south of Yachats, has the longest human history on the coast shell middens show native habitation for 6,000 years, and its spouting horn and Devil's Churn are among the most dramatic coastal rock features. The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area near Reedsport is 40 miles of coastal sand dunes up to 500 feet high the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America, popular for ATV riding and sandboarding. Tillamook Bay produces the famous Tillamook cheese and serves as a base for clamming and crabbing in the bay.