Drive north on Highway 101 through Oregon and Washington, and you’ll discover an unspoiled coastline that is rugged, beautiful and rich in history. This region includes miles of high, drifting sand dunes in southern Oregon, and wild rivers that flow through towering coniferous forests to the rocky shorelines of the Pacific Ocean, as you continue north. It’s a land of untamed beaches where seals and sea lions bask, whales migrate just offshore and large rock formations called sea stacks provide habitat for large colonies of sea birds, while standing guard in the crashing surf.
As we entered Oregon from California, we were very surprised to see sand dunes, and big sand dunes they were! Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is home to the largest coastal sand dunes in North America, at more than 40 miles long. Some of the dunes reach 500 feet above sea level. These drifting piles of sand are constantly being reshaped by nature year after year. The wind blows the sand inland, then rain-swollen streams wash the sand back out to sea, where strong waves carry the sand back to the beach once again, for the cycle to continue.
With the dunes in our rearview mirror, we started our trek north. The most noticeable feature along the coastline is the sea stacks. These large rock formations were once part of the coastline, but constant wave action eroded them to the point where they became separated from the mainland. As you round each curve on the highway, these craggy, mini-islands of stone appear in the ocean mist like large sailing ships cruising the coast. Some sit offshore a half-mile or more, but most are within a few hundred yards of the beaches, and if you can find your way down to them, you can usually walk out to many in low tide.
Many of these sea stacks were covered with nesting colonies of Tufted Puffins, Common Murres, Pigeon Guillemots, Double-crested, Brandt’s and Pelagic Cormorants and Western Gulls. At one large stack, called the Haystacks, my son Tyler called us over to show us a Bald Eagle that was aggressively hunting some of the nesting sea birds – alternating between landing near their nests and chasing them through the air. We watched these “cat and mouse” games for 15 minutes until finally, we witnessed the eagle successfully grabbing a Common Murre – it was like watching a National Geographic special, live!
The crashing surf along the Pacific Coastline creates some cool, natural phenomena in the rocky shorelines, along with tide pools waiting to be explored. We made a point of stopping at a few of these sites for some short hikes out to these rocky beaches. These were truly full “sensory walks” as we slowly made our way out in the light drizzle and cool mist to gaze at the Pacific Ocean. The combination of seeing these wild, rocky shorelines, smelling the salt air, hearing the sounds of the crashing waves and feeling the spray of the ocean is one we not soon forget. These turned out to be some of our most enjoyable walks. In one location, nicknamed Thor’s Well, a large hole has formed in the rocks at the edge of the water. As the waves come crashing in, the sea water disappears into this large, natural well. It’s fascinating to see, but can be dangerous if you get too close, since it can literally pull you into the watery crevice, where you can easily drown.
Living on the east coast, we don’t see these types of wild, rocky shores, unless you travel north to the coast of Maine. But even that area doesn’t match the Pacific Coastline, with its lofty sea stacks, coastal wildlife, drifting sand dunes and beautiful forests of tall pines, firs and cedars. It was one of our favorite areas during our vacation, and a region to which we would like to return, to explore further!
Rich Wood is Region Manager with the Montgomery County Division of Parks, Trails, and Historic Sites. He has a B.S. in Environmental Education/Interpretation from Penn State and enjoys all things outdoors.