Oregon Coast: Cape Perpetua

The Oregon coast can get really crowded during the summer, so we decided to explore a new area during the Christmas holiday. We loaded up the Pony and headed west. We had not previously been south of Lincoln City and decided to explore Waldport, Yachats, Cape Perpetua and Heceta Head. After lunch at Georgie's Beachside Grill in Newport, our first order of business was play time on the beach at Tillicum Beach Campground where we intended to spend the night. The campground is near Yachats, which is a village located about 24 miles south of Newport at the mouth of the Yachats River. It was doggie heaven...

The campground is located right next to the beach and several of the camp sites have beach views. You will find it on the west side of the highway 4 miles south of Waldport. The next morning we headed to the Devil's Churn day use area to view a coastal inlet known as Devil's Churn. Devil's Churn is an 80 foot wide volcanic chasm where the waves crash and are thrown several hundred feet into the air when the tide comes in. The tide was heading out while we were there.

After walking the 0.4 mile "Trail of the Restless Waters" (to Devil's Churn), we headed a couple of miles south to nearby Cape Perpetua. There is also a hiking trail that leads to this lookout point but we were pressed for time and drove. The St. Perpetua hiking trail is 2.6 miles and starts at the Cape Perpetua Visitors Center. To drive up, head east on Forest Service Road 55, then left on a secondary Forest Service Road 5553.

Captain James Cook was the first to discover this site in 1778 and named it after Saint Perpetua. It is the highest lookout point on the Oregon Coast at 800 feet above the shoreline.

In 1933, under President Roosevelt, the site became a base camp for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which built a stone shelter for recreational purposes. The shelter provides a spectacular view of the Oregon coastline and is a popular viewpoint for whale watching. A walking loop will lead you there.

Just south of the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center, west of Highway 101 is a great location for exploring tide pools.

Our final stop was Heceta Head Lightstation north of Florence. The site of this lighthouse is stunning, and the former Keeper's House has been converted to a Bed and Breakfast. Originally, there were two lightkeepers' houses at the site. In the late 1930s the Head Keeper's dwelling was sold for $10 and the salvaged lumber was transported to Mapletown to build what is now the Alpha Bit Store and Cafe. Both were Queen Anne-style homes.

The actual lighthouse was first used on March 30, 1894 to guide ships up and down the rocky coast. In 1963, it was automated and converted from a kerosene wick to a 1000 Watt bulb. State park volunteers provide free tours (option to donate) and public parking is $5 per vehicle.