Secret Coastal Places

I like to find those secret, sometimes hidden, places that spice up a trip. For example, the BackDoor restaurant in Friday Harbor. The off 101, west, coffee shop in Yachats. A gallery off the beaten track. A preserve or park not well known. A viewpoint that cries for attention.

I%26#39;m not asking for a list, but would like to know of special places along the coast, more or less, that appealed to fellow travelers, some venue that says ';wow, I wish I%26#39;d known of this'; or ';boy, the natives sure kept this a secret';.

Of course, by requesting this, I%26#39;m blowing your covers over the places that appeal to you and a few others. :)

Thanks.

Secret Coastal Places

Hi Voyaging--

Where are you going? Don%26#39;t know if these places are really a secret or if you%26#39;ve already been there, but I like them. 3 Capes Drive %26amp; Cape Lookout Hike-spectacular walk right along the edge of a cliff down to the ocean. Cummins Creek Wilderness-right off 101near Cape Perpetua-beautiful old-growth spruce forest. What about Pistol River Beach? Just a lonely beach-at least when I was there(except for 101).

of course I%26#39;m not telling you my *really* secret place ;) It gets far too much attention now(it was mentioned in a nameless magazine a few times already-curses!!!)-but not on TA...yet. ;)

Secret Coastal Places

Now if we told you, it wouldn%26#39;t be a secret anymore, would it?

:-)

Two of my favs, both in Oswald West State Park (In fact Os West could be condsidered a bit of a secret itself) are both hikes: the Cape Falcon Trail and the Trail from the south side of Neah-Kah-nie Mt to the top.

More people need to make these hikes to really appreciate the beauty of the north coast..

Den

Can%26#39;t tell you our favorite secrets, but we do always stop at Pistol River like the above poster mentioned.

Waxmyrtle Beach is one of our favorites...but take the trial through the campground on the South side of the river to avoid ATV traffic (about 1 or 2 miles walk to beach)...watch out for Snowy Plovers though :) We%26#39;re usually all alone on tons and tons of beach out there.

Devil%26#39;s Churn is one of our other favorite spots (just south of Yachats about a mile from Cape Perpetua). If you walk down the trail to the %26#39;churn%26#39;, go onto the rocks and walk towards the ocean, it opens up onto a beach and a little ways up the cliff there%26#39;s a small grassy area perfect for watching the waves beat up against the rocks...plus they have a coffee shop on site

Gosh, having spent the majority of the summer in the Seaside/Astoria area, we have several little places we love. I won%26#39;t give them all away, but a couple of them are: Arcadia Beach, about 3 mi. south of Cannon Beach. We love to watch/photograph the sunsets here.

Another place we love to go is The Cove in Seaside. A very scenic area where the surfers hang out. My husband and daughter love to surf in this area. The sea gulls are fun to watch here, when the weather is cold, we eat our lunch in the car and just take in the gorgeous scenery in the area.

Another little restaurant that doesn%26#39;t get mentioned too often here is Kim%26#39;s Kitchen in Warrenton. She makes some of the best Spare Ribs in the area and the views of the marina are really pretty from the side dining room. :)

I am sorry, but according to previous postings, a few weeks in June does not constitute ';the majority of the summer';... which also has no bearing on a recommendation for secret hidden places at the Coast.

Hi voyaging!

It probably depends on who answers here as to how secret some places are lol, we have only lived in Portland for a year, most of the places on the Coast were a secret til we found them :)

The ';natives'; here, not the Visitor from Ca, have great ideas and answers for you, I can only add Arch Cape as being a wonderful place with nowhere to eat but lots of beauty and Manzanita, which has a lovely bakery called bread and ocean that is not fancy or posh but has the perfect amount of charm, great service and wonderful things to eat.

But please, don%26#39;t tell anyone else, or it will no longer be a secret LOL

I hate to break this to you, syragirl, but when it%26#39;s only 25 yards off 101, and there%26#39;s a sign pointing to it, Arcadia Beach probably isn%26#39;t much of a secret. ;-) You don%26#39;t see too many people there because they%26#39;ve all found better spots.

And The Cove, a secret? From whom?

Because anyone who hikes out Cascade Head sees it, there%26#39;s nothing secret about the beach just to the south either. Observant folks will note, though, that there are rarely people on that beach. That%26#39;s because the secret is how to get to it. ;-)

%26lt;%26lt;The ';natives'; here, not the Visitor from Ca, have great ideas and answers for you..%26gt;%26gt;

I%26#39;m wondering if Den will respond. I%26#39;d bet he%26#39;s got a million of %26#39;em.

Oooops!!! Didn%26#39;t see that he already had.

Being pretty stingy, aren%26#39;t you Den? ;-)

OK, guys, you just thought I used the word ';secret';; I%26#39;m sure, totally sure, I said ';special'; :). How about this definition of ';special'; - a place that provides a special feeling for you, that you might want to share with others. For example, at Cape Perpetua, overlooking the ocean from the newly paved north end of the bridge, I enjoy watching the ocean churning up through a large diameter hole in the rocks. We all know of this, but it has an endless attraction for me, just as the blowholes are. Been to Darlingtonia many times, don%26#39;t know why exactly, but it%26#39;s calming, and few people. At Arcadia, Syrahgirl, I enjoy the sunsets and if timed well, the lack of crowds. I like to walk that beach for several miles and play as the tide comes in, dodging the waves among the rocks. One year, with my youngest son, we were treated to millions (whatever :)) of sand shrimp washed in by the tide. The shrimp bury themselves as the water recedes, then float again as the waves come in, until they are driven to a high point and again rebury. Cute little critters. Also, enjoy seeing the flood of By the Sea Sailors come ashore - until the odor is too strong.

I%26#39;d like to know the path down to the beach, Misteltoe - but I%26#39;ll find it soon enough! Been to 3 capes, but will walk the trail, ChinookGirl, as well as pursue your other places. Dengay, I have a book on hiking the OR coast, which I now have time to do, so thanks for focusing me. oWhiteRabbit, I always ramble at Devil%26#39;s Churn, walk the trail and along the water toward the bridge and the aforementioned hole in the rocks. One thing about trails, the further you go, the fewer the people. I wonder if you are a ';birder';, you cautioned about the Snowy Plovers. My SO and I bird everywhere we go, it greatly enhances our trips.

I will have to visit Pistol Beach and Waxmyrtle Beach among other places mentioned.

Thank you all for responding!!!

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