Day Trip Ideas

Traveling south of Rockaway Beach on Hwy 101…

Twin Rocks: Twin Rocks Turnaround has potable water, a picnic area, hiking/walking, disabled access, beach access. A walk to the beach will provide a great view of the famed Twin Rocks frequently seen on postcards of the Oregon coast.

Barview Jetty County Park: Camping, RV sites/hookups, group camping area, picnic area, children’s play area, kayaking, surfing and scuba. Fishing, hiking/walking, disabled access and viewing, bay or beach access.

Garibaldi: This is an active fishing port that has some of the best fishing, crabbing and clamming on the Oregon coast. It also is home to the U.S. Coast Guard Tillamook Bay Station and the headquarters of the Tillamook Bay National Estuary Project.

Fishing: Ask for our “Fishing Services” flier for names, addresses and phone numbers of charter services.

Garibaldi Museum: 112 Garibaldi Ave., Garibaldi, OR 97118. Noon to 4 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, July 1 to Sept. 30.

The Garibaldi Museum is a tribute to Capt. Robert Gray, who on May 11, 1792, discovered the Columbia River while commanding the Columbia Rediviva, the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe. The museum was chartered to enhance the maritime heritage of the Pacific Northwest.

Bay City: The town is small in size, but is the location of two large employers. A manufacturer of specialty wood products, McRae and Sons Inc. has been in the area for more than 40 years and has year-round production. Tillamook County Smoker and Confections has been the producer of jerky, pepperoni and snack products since 1976.

Bay City United Methodist Church: The church looks much the same as it did when built, dedicated in 1892-1893. There’s a beautiful view of Tillamook Bay

Tillamook: In addition to being the largest city in Tillamook County, it is also the county seat. There are many points of interest in the area, including:

Tillamook Cheese Company: 4175 Hwy 101 N., Tillamook. The Tillamook County Creamery Association visitors center offers a self-guided tour year-round, gift and gourmet shops, and cafe.

Blue Heron Cheese Company: Hwy 101 at 2001 Blue Heron Drive, Tillamook.

Samples of cheese and Oregon wine; specialty foods are available. There are barnyard animals for the kids to enjoy. Great for families

Latimer Quilt & Textile Center: 2105 Wilson River Loop Road, Tillamook

Exhibits of fiber arts and weaving, spinning and quilting demonstrations. There is an extensive on-site research library and gift shop.

Tillamook County Pioneer Museum: 2106 Second St., Tillamook. Tillamook County Pioneer Museum is housed in the second Tillamook County Courthouse that was built in 1905. Exhibits include a military room, Victorian parlor, pioneer home, a tree stump house and Indian artifacts. It is one of the finest displays of natural history in the state. There also is a stagecoach, 1902 Holsman Horseless Carriage, 1909 Buick and much more.

Tillamook Air Museum: 6030 Hangar Road, Tillamook. The Tillamook Air Museum building was completed in the spring of 1943 to house blimps for anti-submarine coast patrol and convoy escort and is now the home of one of the finest collections of privately owned World War II flying craft in the country. There is a gift shop and the Air Base Cafe where you can have lunch in a 1950s atmosphere.

Munson Creek Falls: The falls drop 266 feet over spectacularly rugged cliffs and is ranked as the highest waterfall in the Coast Range. Located about 7 miles south of Tillamook, a sign off Hwy 101 directs motorists to a 1.5- to 2-mile road that leads to the parking area and trails. There are two trails. The lower trail follows the canyon floor and Munson Creek taking hikers on an easy, quarter-mile jaunt to a picnic area near the base of the falls. The upper trail is a 3/8-mile uphill hike, at times blocked, offering a midpoint view of the falls. Caution for RV owners: Turning around may be difficult, if not impossible.

Bay Ocean: A Kansas City real estate broker on a hunting trip in 1906 discovered the beauty of a sand spit on the south end of Tillamook Bay and acquired the property and developed a magnificent resort. Bay Ocean had its grand opening in 1912. There was a general store, post office, hotel, bowling alley, tin shop, bakery, swimming pool, city lights, water, paved roads, telephones, and a narrow-gauge railroad. By 1914 more than 2,000 people had purchased property. Between 1920 and 1925 the beach was disappearing, parts of the peninsula were eroded, and buildings slid into the water. By November 1952 the peninsula had become an island. All is gone today.

Three Capes Scenic Route: This scenic route begins in Tillamook and winds along the shore of Tillamook Bay to the following sites: Cape Meares State Park & Lighthouse, Oceanside Beach State Recreation Site, Cape Lookout State Park, Sand Lake Recreation Area, Cape Kiwanda, Pacific Beach, Robert Straub State Park and Mile Post 38 Junction with Highway 101.

Cape Meares State Park: The park is 10 miles west of Tillamook, at the north end of the beautiful Three Capes Scenic Loop. Located on the cape is Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint, a day-use area with interesting viewpoints, trails, several natural attractions and a historic lighthouse. There is a view of the Three Arch Rocks from the lighthouse. Look south for the best view of puffins.

Cape Meares Lighthouse: Standing 217 feet above the ocean, the 38 foot tower is the

shortest on the Oregon coast. It was first used in 1890 and replaced by an automatic beacon in 1963. Trails lead from the main parking area to the lighthouse and viewpoints overlooking offshore islets inhabited by Steller sea lions and nesting seabirds. Open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, April through October.

Octopus Tree: A short walk from the Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint is an unusually large Sitka spruce, more than 10 feet in diameter at its base. Unlike most spruces, it has no central trunk. Instead, limbs three to five feet thick branch out close to the ground.

Oceanside: Three Arch Rocks are visible from this coastline city.

Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge: The refuge is located just off shore. It was the first wildlife preserve on the Pacific coast, set aside in 1907. The rocks are home to a variety of shorebirds including colorful tufted puffins, penguinlike murres, petrels, cormorants and gulls. The area also is inhabited by sea lions.

Netarts: At Milepost 16, the Netarts Highway heads east back to Tillamook from here. Continue south on the scenic loop to Milepost 17 and the Whiskey Creek Fish Hatchery where visitors are welcome.

Cape Lookout State Park: This beachfront state park is in the Oregon State Parks Reservation System. The park has full hookups, tent sites, yurts, a hiker/biker camp, day-use areas, and hiking trails.

The Cape Trail: It is a 2.4-mile trek to the tip of Cape Lookout, starting at the trailhead parking area 2.6 miles south of the park entrance on the Three Capes Scenic Route. The tip of the cape offers prime whale watching during gray whale migrations.

The South Trail: It winds 1.8 miles from the cape trailhead to the beach south of the cape. The North Trail extends 2.3 miles north to the park’s day-use area.

Other trails: There is a quarter-mile self-guided nature trail that begins near the campground registration booth or the day-use area. Another short loop trail along Jackson Creek displays the park’s fish habitat restoration efforts (It begins off the park entrance road east of the RV dump station). Trail guides are available at the registration booth, or from a park host.

Whalen Island: Oregon’s newest state park has more than a mile of sandy beach as well as wooded uplands, grasslands, and a tidal marsh. Few other ecosystems sustain as much plant and animal life as the Whalen Island estuary. It offers visitors a good chance to see blue herons, bald eagles, otters and many types of waterfowl. The road to Whalen Island is off Sand Lake Road.

Sand Lake Recreation Area: The area is at Milepost 27. This is an ATV area on the sand dunes. The U.S. Forest Service has three camping areas here. The West Winds parking/camping area and The East Dunes parking/camping areas are open year-round. Both sites are for RVs and are mainly parking lots you are allowed to stay in. There are day-use fees. The Sand Beach Campground has traditional campsites of which 41 are first come/first served. There are 60 campsites in the reservation system, Call 1-877-444-6777 or go online at www.reserveusa.com. This campground is closed in winter.

Cape Kiwanda: This is a unique spot on the coast with a wide sand beach next to the huge rocky cape and is the dory boat capital. Haystack Rock is an easily recognized landmark that can be seen for miles up and down the Oregon coast.

Robert Straub State Park: This is a day-use park on the spit where the Nestucca River enters the Pacific Ocean in Pacific City.

Other towns of interest: Beaver, Hebo, Cloverdale, Neskowin

Cascade Head: Located south of Neskowin and north of Lincoln City, Cascade Head is a haven for rare plants, wildlife and grassland communities once abundant along the Oregon coast. This spectacular coastal headland provides critical habitat for native prairie grasses, rare wildflowers and the Oregon silverspot butterfly.

Traveling north of Rockaway Beach on Hwy 101:

Brighton: This is a tiny community of approximately 250 people situated at the mouth of the Nehalem River. Kelly’s Brighton Marina is the heart and hub. Crabbing, salmon fishing, and kayaking are popular activities here along with seafood dinners and family fires.

Wheeler: This is a very small community of approximately 500 people on Nehalem Bay, where the Nehalem River empties into the Pacific Ocean. Crabbing, salmon fishing, and kayaking are popular activities here.

Nehalem: The small community is on the Nehalem River with buildings that give the illusion of being in the Old West. There are shops, restaurants and an antique mall.

Nehalem Bay Winery: 34965 Hwy 53, Nehalem. Wine tasting and sales. Open 9-6 daily.

Nehalem Bay State Park: 9500 Sandpiper Lane, Nehalem. Year-round camping, electrical sites with water, yurts, picnic tables, fire ring at all sites, horse camp with 17 primitive sites, hiker/biker camp, airport camp with six primitive sites (for fly-in campers only), and meeting hall. Some sites accessible to campers with disabilities.

Manzanita: It is the northernmost city in Tillamook County. The city boasts quiet beaches and a well-maintained public park. There’s also a nine-hole golf course.Nestled in the protective shadow of Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain, Manzanita is much more than a summertime beach vacation. Enjoy wine tasting, shopping at quaint boutiques, and sampling different restaurants. You can get a massage at a local spa and lose the cares of the long workweek. Weekends often mean live music at local venues or cultural events at the Hoffman Center, including art classes, lectures and film presentations. The town is blessed with an abundance of artisans, galleries and studios that beckon art lovers.

Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain: Best hike ever! Hike to the top of this mountain for a panoramic view that is a stunning Oregon coast wonder.

And further north, you’ll find:

Oswald West State Park: Within the 2,474 acres of this park, you will find rainforest, secluded beaches, and spectacular viewpoints.

Hug Point State Park: The original stagecoach road was treacherous, and pioneers had to hug the rock to get around the point, giving the area its name. Now it’s much easier for visitors to explore tidal caves, hike to a waterfall, and investigate the remains of the old roadbed. There is no camping. Be aware when exploring the beach and don’t get stranded at high tide.

Cannon Beach: This is where you can see 235-foot monolith Haystack Rock, an Oregon

Islands National Wildlife Refuge and unofficial symbol of Cannon Beach.

Ecola State Park: “Where sightseers and hikers enjoy breathtaking views from high

above the Pacific Ocean.”

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse: The lighthouse is 1.2 miles seaward off Tillamook Head, south of Seaside. Nicknamed Terrible Tilly, the lighthouse stands 133 feet above sea level with a 62-foot-high tower on a basalt rock islet. It is the only privately owned Oregon coast lighthouse on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s visible from land, but there is no public access.

Seaside: This is one of Oregon’s first seashore resorts and home of the Seaside Aquarium.

Fort Clatsop National Memorial: Travel 3 miles east on Hwy 101 to Fort Clatsop Road and follow the signs to the National Memorial. The park is located on the site where the Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the winter of 1805-1806.

Astoria: It is the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies. You can visit the Columbia River Maritime Museum and a Sunday Farmers Market hosting 200 vendors during the summer season.