We road-tripped the Oregon/California coast a few times. It’s a wild and wonderful excursion.
It is hard to imagine a more interesting and wildly bewitching coastline. One of the most amazing things is that it is still so wild and largely undeveloped.
You half expect to see mythological creatures rising out of the sea mist blowing horns and beating drums. Plenty of dogs race the tides and squadrons of Pelicans bomb the waves. It’s a wild, wild world…… and quaint and salty and a prime retreat for retirees and golfers.
One of our favorite towns is Yachats which lies at the mouth of the Yachats River. Yachats Inn is pet-friendly, close to downtown, and right on the rocks that lead down to the beach.
A drive up to Cape Perpetua scenic lookout is well worth the detour. The viewpoint is the highest on the coast and was built in the 1930s as a lookout for enemy ships and planes during WW2.
The southern Oregon coastline is perhaps the most impressive of all with the mountains and forests almost falling into the crashing ocean. Sea stacks, so typical of the Oregon coast, are abundant and the sunsets unbelievable.
From Harris Beach State Park you look out over the water on the largest island off the coast – Bird Island, a sanctuary and breeding ground for sea birds including the rare Puffin. The campsite at Harris State Park is pretty, shaded, convenient to the beach, and clean.
As beautiful and famous as Highway 1 is, it can get a bit tedious with its twists and turns as you wind south through California and its towering Redwoods from Highway 101 to Highway 1 towards San Francisco but hang in there – not many people (and dogs) can say they have traveled the whole of Highway 1 and that’s pretty cool !!
Camping on the seashore, Point Reyes National Seashore, is one of our lifetime camping highlights!!! The Oregon California trek is definitely an adventure everyone should try and have.
Thoughts and Things
Roadtripping is the ultimate exploration. You have the freedom to get off the beaten path, follow a sunset, or the morning mist not necessarily knowing where it may take you. And where it ultimately may lead may be a lot more different and life-changing than originally expected.