Oregon Highway 1

Oregon has a diverse coastline that is very dramatic and beautiful. Some stops in Southern Oregon at Arch Rock and Natural Bridge State Park viewpoints reminded me of California. Similarly, there is a rocky and dramatic coastline. There are more rocks off the coast in shallow water here though. Perfect examples were at a stop called Pistol River North as well as Bandon Beach.

Oregon Coast - Pistol River North

OREGON

 

Cape Kiwanda, Oregon

Cape Kiwanda, Oregon

The day was Foggy with rain on and off which actually was exactly what I expected out of Oregon. Further up the coastline, there is a 50 mile stretch long of amazing Sand Dunes. All part of the Oregon Dunes national recreation, these Dunes are very impressive. The Dunes are at times 4 miles off the coastline and hundreds of feet in height. We got there late so only was able to explore for an hour. We stayed at a campground near John Dellenback trailhead a great section of the dunes.

 

John Dellenback Sand Dunes

John Dellenback Sand Dunes

 

The prior two days we often had stretches without service and camped where we did not have cell service. Completely unaware of a huge storm coming in off the Pacific made for a fun night with an extreme downpour and pretty strong winds. With that said, we pushed onwards. We hit up the majority of the coast the following day. We headed to Florence and started off the day with an incredible hike called Sweet Creek trailhead to see some ferns, mossy trees and in typical Oregon fashion a good waterfall.

Cape Kiwanda, Oregon

Cape Kiwanda, Oregon

 

Following the hike, we made a few stops in the Florence area to Heceta Head Lighthouse. We stopped at Hobbit Trail (a short hike) and Cape Perpetua which was amazing, featuring Thor’s Well. Cape Perpetua was really cool, but our favorite part of the entire Oregon coastline was Cape Kiwanda. There is a huge rock offshore that in itself makes this an impressive stop, but exploring the cape there is on another level. Ropes are in place to keep people from going off into the cape after hiking up the sand dune at the end of the beach. There were many footprints so we didn’t feel that bad going, so we went past the ropes and signs to explore. The rock formations, the views, caves, and a short hike in itself was nothing short of spectacular. This was a highlight for us so far for sure. Next up, Portland area.

Cape Perpetua, Oregon

Cape Perpetua, Oregon

 

 

 

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