The small Oregon Coast town of Yachats (motto: La De Da) is home to some 600 souls, and an annual Celtic music festival, among other things. Lying less than an hour's drive south of Newport, its own offbeat flavor and in-town beaches and parks are draws. But what clinches its status as a prime destination for visitors is its close proximity to one of the wildest and most scenic stretches of the state's Pacific coastline. The Cape Perpetua Scenic Area is something to behold. It should be a ticketable offense to drive past without stopping; the attractions are spread between mileposts 166 and 168 on Route 101.

In the best-of-class "Oregon Coastal Access Guide," author Kenn Oberrecht notes of Cape Perpetua:

This must-stop is a 2,700-acre scenic wonderland and coastal playground with a new view and different opportunity around every bend. Visitors can explore the old-growth rain forest, beaches, and rocky shores, where they will find picturesque picnic areas, ancient middens, tide pools among the volcanic rocks, abundant and varied wildlife, 26 miles of interconnected hiking trails, a 10-mile bike trail, a lofty lookout providing a 65-mile coastal view, and unlimited photographic possibilities.

Having merely dipped my toes in the waters of Cape Perpetua, I heartily concur, and will be back for much, much, more. A few impressions and photos, from our brief but rewarding visit. Huge waves advance on the rocks of Cape Perpetua. You can get up close without endangering your life, by following the short path to the Spouting Horn formation, from one of two small adjacent parking areas on the ocean side of Route 101. A thoroughly bracing experience, for man and dog alike.

The rocks extend out and are elevated and relatively flat, making for good tidepooling, and a bit of moisture.

Just to the north, another trail from the northernmost of the two Route 101 water-side parking areas leads down to Cape Cove Beach, and on a brief distance to Devil's Churn. You can hike back to the beach along the rocks bordering its north wall (at right in picture below), and tidepool along the way. We spotted several dozen green sea anemones. As you can see, the beach is a great, secluded spot to kick back.

More information is available at the well-marked Cape Perpetua Visitors Center on 101, but a few tips are in order. The impressive trail system includes the St. Perpetua Trail to the scenic top of the head, and a trail to the giant, 600-year-old Sitka Spruce.

It can take a few days to really get your proper fill of Cape Perpetua, so a stay in Yachats is an excellent idea.

(By the way, it's pronouned Ya-HOTS. Oregonians, like Washingtonians, will mercilessly razz you for mispronouncing town names, as I once learned when as a Northwest Newbie recently arrived from Chicago I badly butchered Philomath - proper pronunciation fil-OH-muth. While we're on the subject....many BackEasters cluelessly refer to Oregon as OR-e-GAHN. Wrong-o, friends: it's OR-uh-gun, barely different from the sound of "Organ." So practice up, and....blend).

From a Ya-HOTS base you can also easily travel to Heceta Head State Park, a few minutes to the south along 101. Heceta Head's landmark lighthouse is seen here from the south in a shot I took on the way to Bandon from a pull-out on 101. On the right is the old lighthouse keeper's house.

On the way back north from Bandon, we stopped for lunch at the exceptional Heceta Head State Park beach, and spotted what had to be the most ambitious sandcastle of many we'd seen on our trip. In the parking lot were vehicles bearing license plates from British Columbia, Washington, California, Nevada, Montana and Idaho; plus the expected contingent of Oregonians.

At the foot of the beach is a picturesque bridge that's part of Route 101.

For lodgings, you can rent the lighthouse keeper's house - it's a deluxe Bed and Breakfast. A path from the beach leads up to the lighthouse, which you can tour.

Continuing south from Heceta Head, stop for a a few minutes at the Darlingtonia Botanical Wayside, for a gander at the insect-eating cobra lilies (below, right). Then, keep driving right through Florence, an overhyped, too-touristy burg where the sidewalks of the main drag are badly clogged with very supersized, very white people momentarily escaping their very supersized RVs. For that matter, blow right on through the Oregon Dunes, which are bordered on the north by Florence. In summer, The Dunes, sad to say, are largely despoiled by OHVs or Off-Highway Vehicles. There are some nice lakes and small communities scattered through the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, but why subject yourself to the roar of the OHVs unless you're an enthusiast yourself?

It seems extraneous and inappropriate to subject the sands of a prime national dunes park to the whims of motorized thrill seekers. True, this is one of those recreational land use controversies that will never die. I understand that jet-skiers, dune-scaling OHVers and riders of All Terrain Vehicles (or ATVs) in our national forests have become a force to contend with and fiercely defend their interests, dubiously framed as "rights." I think that beyond passenger vehicles traversing known roads, internal combustion engines should not intrude in any designated recreation area within local, state or national parks, or any on beaches, as is the case in southwestern Washington state. Mountain bikes and horses on hiking trails ignite similar tussles, but I'd grant both some slack, as they're not spewing gas and noise. As for the dunes: the silence, the wind, the environment, contemplation of the geologic history, examination of plant life, walking, bonfires, wading in the surf, natural solitude - this is what the experience should be about. If you want revving engines, go to a monster truck rally, or take to the road in your Harley.

Killing some time before our scheduled arrival in Bandon, we nonetheless did stumble on to a stretch of beach adjacent to Horsfall OHV Campground at the very south end of the entire Dunes complex where - blessedly - no OHVs were allowed. Though their rumble across the boundary was audible, we got to sink into the dunes, literally, zoning out in the warm sand. The winds were strong (below, left) but we had some company from other, non-motorized throwbacks (below, right).

NEXT: Charleston and environs.

TECHNORATI TAGS: OREGON, OREGON COAST, TOURISM, VACATION, CAPE PERPETUA, HECETA HEAD, LIGHTHOUSE, YACHATS, TIDEPOOLS, BEACHES, OREGON DUNES, OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLES, OHVs, DARLINGTONIA

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at July 26, 2006 03:18 PM

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