Eric and I were EXTREMELY good about staying home and keeping our social group small during the first half of COVID protocols this year. But by early August, our wandering souls couldn’t take it any longer so we booked a trip to the Oregon coast. Little did we know, we would be wandering for MUCH longer than anticipated and our “escape from 2020” would be a little too premature.
It’s been over 10 years since our last trip to the Oregon coast and it seemed the perfect place for us to escape the stress of 2020. We stayed in two places, both chosen for their ocean views and proximity to seaside towns that we love. We also wanted little to no crowds and access to great hiking, which the central coastline has in abundance.
Our first escape was Ocean Haven just 8 miles south of Yachats. This small inn had everything we wanted: private access to a quiet beach, gorgeous coastline views, a kitchen, and comfy chairs. The bathroom and kitchen were tiny, but the window seats and remote location more than made up for that. Ocean Haven is one of the few lodging options outside of town in the Cape Perpetua area if you want ocean AND forest views with little to no development around you. When a storm came through and we lost power for 18 hours, we didn’t even mind. The innkeeper had a solar charger, lanterns and extra water for toilet flushing so we were good to go. In retrospect, that power outage was a foreshadowing of what we would come home to.
Window seat at Ocean Haven
North view from Ocean Haven
View of our room from Sundeck
Cape Perpetua coastline
Blackberry bushes at Ocean Haven
The beach at Ocean Haven was accessible by a private path which ended with a short rope climb down the embankment (good to know for anyone with mobility issues). I took WAY too many photos of sunsets and tidepools here, and we wasted hours hunting for agates. Perfection.
Path down to beach
Sunset at Ocean Haven
Eric holds breathe before running through hedge of death
Hedge of death, aka it has buzzing insects
Looking up at Ocean Haven
When not wandering the beach, we went hiking and visited Yachats. The Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, which is just a small portion of the Siuslaw National Forest, offers TONS of great day hikes. We hiked Cook’s Ridge & Gwynn Creek Loop Trail (6 mi) and St. Perpetua Trail (2.8 mi). St. Perpetua was a steep climb and had a good lookout to view Cape Perpetua, but Cook’s Ridge had a lot more in terms of diverse terrain and fewer people. We will definitely return someday soon to hike the other trails, as they all look spectacular.
Oregon Coast Trail returning from Gwynn Creek
Cook’s Ridge
St. Perpetua
St. Perpetua
St. Perpetua
St. Perpetua
St. Perpetua
St. Perpetua
Cape Perpetua
St. Perpetua
Cook’s Ridge
Cook’s Ridge
Cook’s Ridge
Cook’s Ridge
Cook’s Ridge
Oregon Coast Trail returning from Gwynn Creek
Yachats is one of our favorite towns on the Oregon coast. It’s full of village charm, friendly seniors, beautifully maintained yards, and a thriving farmer’s market. Dining options are limited (especially during COVID), but what’s there is really good. We picked up sandwiches at Luna Sea Fish House and drooled over the pastries at Bread & Roses Bakery. Eric’s inner chef got inspired when the farmer’s market “mushroom guy” introduced us to lion’s mane and golden oyster mushrooms.
Lions Mane Mushrooms from Yachats Farmer’s Market
Smoked Eggs
Farmer’s Market dinner
Farmer’s Market lunch
Yachats
Yachats Little Log Church
Yachats has some great short trails. We parked at Yachats State Park and walked up Ocean View Drive, which had a side path with good lookouts. If we had more time, we would have parked at Smelt Sands State Park and walked the 804 Trail (1.3 mi) or parked at the end of Diversity Drive and walked the Ya’Xaik Trail (.8 mi).
Four nights at Ocean Haven gave us time to venture further south, to Florence and the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Florence is a good home base for those who want more dining, shopping, and socializing. It’s also a great location if you’re flying from Eugene. It has a nice historic downtown and the Siuslaw River Bridge is a beautiful work of 1930s architecture. But the dunes are what steal the glory in this neck of the woods. One of my rating factors for natural beauty is whether or not it takes my breath away. The Oregon dunes did that. They are massive and I felt like I was wrapped in blissful silence, never knowing ocean waves were just on the other side. We parked at two different spots to access the dunes: Oregon Dunes Day Use Area (has a calf-burning 2 mi loop trail) and Siltcoos Beach at the end of Siltcoos Beach Access Road (great camping sites, kayaking, and a hidden beach with massive sand wall). We also squeezed in a brief hike at Heceta Lighthouse.
Oregon Dunes
Oregon Dunes
Oregon Dunes Trail
Oregon Dunes
Yaquina Lighthouse Trail
Yaquina Lighthouse
Yaquina Lighthouse Trail
Yaquina Lighthouse Trail
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