5 Amazing Stops Along the Oregon Coast

Breathtakingly beautiful, the Oregon Coast offers many opportunities for sightseeing, so I’m going to share with you my favorite 5 amazing stops along the Oregon coast.

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You know how there are just some sights that one will never forget? Well, the beauty of the Oregon coast is one of those sights for me. Every beach is more gorgeous than the next, and there are just so many sights to be seen along the expansive coast. This was my second trip to the Oregon coast, and I can say that it will certainly not be my last. Like my last visit, my husband and I did the trip road-trip style, and I love that way of traveling. It lets one see so much, at one’s own pace.

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1. The first amazing stop I’m going to tell you about is the Face Rock Viewpoint in Bandon, OR. At first when you pull into the parking lot you might think that it is just another random viewing spot, but then upon going up to the viewing point, you can see that there are steps down to the beach (pictured above) and you can see face rock itself (below)The face is a silhouette of a girl on her side- it’s really kind of creepy/cool once you see it. It took me a while too, so I did an overlay for you here:See it now? Creepy- right? There is an American Indian legend about this spot that some can hear a maiden’s voice on the wind from the viewpoint. The viewpoint and beach are both beautiful, but the beach is what I really loved. We even saw a starfish – props to my husbands’ good eyesight for seeing it! 
2. Shore Acres State Park – The whole time I was in Oregon I would spot these beautiful flowers – in such vibrant colors – and would point each one out. I’m sure my husband looooved it (haha). After a little drive we pulled off into this parking lot for another viewing point, I thought nothing of it until he told me we were going to a botanical garden! Shores Acres State Park  has a Garden House and Pavilion (pictured below) that had all the brightly colored flowers I was ooing and aahing over (and a gorgeous fountain to boot!)
3. The next amazing stop is the Sea Lion Caves. They are the largest sea lion caves in America and are a true ‘experience’. You walk into this little building and then pay (a little much if you ask me ($14 a person), but whatever, it’s a cool ‘experience’) and then take a little elevator down to see the sea lions in the caves. Well, it was a beautiful out the day we went, so all the sea lions were sunning themselves. On the other side of the building you can take this path to a viewing point to see the sea lions sunning themselves – do you see them?What I loved the most was the sounds they were making. It was kind of like a groan and a snort, just listening to them made me smile. Also – watching them get in and out of the water and onto the rocks was super funny. After we finished seeing them we got got some popcorn, and I joked that it was like being at the movies because the scenery was so pretty- oh, and they had a fun sea lion statute – it was a life size sea lion – I didn’t realize how big those bad boys (and girls) were 
4. Just a little ways down from the Sea Lion Caves along the coast is Cape Perpetua which has some pretty amazing tide pools that one can just go and walk on! Yup, you can just go walk on those rocks – crazy, right? We were being extra careful because in that area there is something called Thor’s Well, like the Huffington Post said – it’s like something out of a comic book (<– there are pictures of what it looks like too, I’d suggest checking it out because it really is cool to know something like that exists).  The tide wasn’t in our favor to see Thor’s Well, but the path and tide pools are just beautiful to look at and walk around on.
5. The last stunning stop along the coast we visited was the Yaquina Head Light House. The picture above is the beautiful scenery looking out from behind the lighthouse. The 93 foot tower, Oregon’s tallest lighthouse, is located on a narrow point of land jutting due west into the Pacific Ocean north of Newport, at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area.

The Oregon coast is, in one word, is stunning. I was captivated by the scenery and cannot wait to continue my travels. If you follow me on any social media (instagram, facebook, twitter or snapchat – username Sweetphi) you’ll know that when I travel I always include the #sweetphijourneys hashtag, so if you want to see more photos of past trips, just look through the hashtag – I’d love for us to virtually travel together!

Have you ever been to the coast of Oregon?