Sea Lion Caves

I quit going down into Sea Lion Caves years ago. They were charging too much and chancy whether or how many sea lions you might see.

Subject came up on another thread but thought i would ask question.

Is it worth going down and when. we go to coast twice this summer with grandkids. One parent is my son who returned to NW a year and more ago now. . He went there as a kid. so is it worth it for him to take his two sons.

They saw the sea lions last summer on the docks in newport

Sea Lion Caves

I haven%26#39;t been there in years either, phirl, so I%26#39;ll be curious to see the responses. Has it changed? I%26#39;d think your son MIGHT want to go just for sentimental reasons, but for his kids, seeing the sea lions on the docks in Newport, or even at the Aquarium, is a more interactive experience.

One frequent poster on the forum likes to stop there for cheesey gift shop souvenirs she can buy, but in my opinion the best reason to stop at Sea Lion Caves is for the view of Haceta Head Lighthouse.

Go Beavs!

Sea Lion Caves

Mistletoe thanks for response hope to hear more.

we will be in Depoe Bay, Cape Foulweather gift shop a lot closer for cheesy souveniers. Actually we have bought a few there and we don%26#39;t buy a lot on coast, but they seem to have a few better things

View pretty nice though not to rival Sea Lion Caves to Hecetat.

What are their ages? I think the kids would enjoy it! Lots of fun ';trinkets'; at the gift shop there! :)

Thanks for the chuckle, syrahgirl. I didn%26#39;t remember who%26#39;d written about buying those gift shop souvenirs until you posted. ;-)

syrahgirl

Joined: Mar 2005

Forum posts: 1,738

Inside pages created: 140

Posted on: 12:00 pm, May 30, 2006

Glad you enjoyed the Caves! They also have a great gift shop there where we like to purchase cheesy souvenirs! It%26#39;s a great place and definitely worth a stop to those traveling the coast.

LOL.

Indeed, the subject has come up before , thanks phirl!

We tend to avoid the tourist stops.

Heading north after leaving the caves, I believe it is the second turn out, you can see many sea lions [with the help of binoculars] over the edge and off to the left. Be very careful however, the turnout is on a blind curve. You might be smart to go up a bit more, turn around and come back.

It%26#39;s a beautiful sight and the sea lions are in a more natural environment.

It%26#39;s not for those who want an up-close-and-personal experience however.

DKL

Summer isn%26#39;t the best time to see lots of sea lions in the underground cave--when we visited with family a few years ago the folks there told us that August is the month when they have the lowest number of resident sea lions. However, my niece enjoyed the gift shop (she had some traveling money burning a hole in her pocket), and it was an adventure, walking down that steep hillside to the elevator, then emerging into the ';cave';. (She complained about the smell, though, which is a bit strong). I do love the loud sounds of all the sea lions barking, and getting to watch them swim in from the ocean and fling themselves up on the rocks is pretty entertaining. I%26#39;m not aware of any place on the Coast where you can see them that close up, aside from the Aquarium, or at a dock somewhere. I think it%26#39;s worth a trip with grandkids--our niece still talks about her trip there (although she thought the dune buggy ride at Sandland Adventures near Florence was THE highlight!). Have fun with your visitors.

Good post snorkelers. Already sent on to parents of grandkids.

I do not remember when the elevator went in, but do remember the old stairs. We went down fairly often, maybe every year, but think it was free or a quarter. Then when you are a kid don%26#39;t keep track of costs too well.

Phirl - please let us know what you find when you go - this will help others know whether or not it%26#39;s still worth the trip!

Thanks again for the kind words, phirl. I agree that it is somewhat expensive at the Sea Lion Caves--I think we bought tickets in advance and saved a bit, but not sure if they still do that (or was that at the Oregon Aquarium? My aging memory fails me now and again). The sidewalk down to the elevator is steeply sloped--not anything most people couldn%26#39;t do, but my sister-in-law who uses a cane wouldn%26#39;t try it. The elevator ride just takes a few seconds, but does get you way, way down into the mountain. There is at least one sea lion skeletal exhibit there too, and some neat info. about the sea lions in general. (My husband says don%26#39;t warn the kids about the smell before they get there, just watch their expressions--our niece was pretty surprised when she got off the elevator, but after a couple of minutes everyone seems to get used to it). We really enjoyed the trip to the Sea Lion Caves, probably moreso because we had a child with us, and her excitement was fun to see.

fish