Oregon Day Trips and Tours: Newport on the Central Coast

Published 06/25/25 at 5:45 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Newport, Oregon) – Some 80 miles from Salem or 50 miles from Corvallis, it's an easy day's jaunt to play on the sands of the Oregon coast from the mid-Willamette Valley. From Portland, it's about 150 miles, so it's likely more of an overnight affair from Oregon's biggest city or from Eugene and southward.

Newport is a lot of things, including a sometimes surreal bit of small town Americana and a treasure trove all in one, filled with an enormous array of natural delights and stunning beauty. It's easy to get lost in the crowds and the tourist spots, and yet it's not too difficult to find solace on a deserted section of beach or pier somewhere.

At the north end sits the stunning Yaquina Head Natural Outstanding Area. If you can't find anything to do here, you're probably dead and no one told you. A gigantic manmade tidepool creation, hidden rocks and boulders to climb on, a mysterious hill encircling the headland from overhead, a strange, noisy beach made of polished stones and one major lighthouse provide more than you could do in a day.

Hotels in Newport - Where to eat - Newport Maps and Virtual Tours

Above the lighthouse parking lot lies Salal Hill, which is accessible by a meandering, quarter-mile walk to the top. From there, amazing views burst out. Another awe-inspiring route can be found near the intertidal parking area, which wanders up on a one-mile roundtrip to more magnificent views atop yet another hill.

There is the Lucky Gap Trail beach access just south of Yaquina Head, where surfers abound. NW Ocean View Dr immediately south of here takes you to the other main access of Agate Beach. (Newport's Agate Beach: Complete Accesses)

Most of the town's beach accesses lie in and around Nye Beach, with its charming eateries and shops. Indie art shops, retail stores and exceptional food joints. The Turnaround is the most well known of accesses.

For regulars to town, at the bottom of NW 11th was an old friend now gone: Jump-Off Joe fell apart two years ago and is no longer accessible.

The Bayfront provides some of the most obvious pleasures of Newport, including various touristy things, the whale watching tours or fishing boat cruises - which are all loads of fun and full of adventure possibilities in themselves.

The piers are another major source of amusement. Walk around these and spot all sorts of wildlife just lounging out in the open.

Across the bay is South Beach, filled with a variety of whimsical shops and some centers for scientific play. Explore the Hatfield Marine Science Center (with its famed octopus in the front) or the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

If playing on the beach is your wish for the day, just north of town and just south present some options for finding unpopulated spots. Just south of South Beach, there are a series of truly hidden crescent-shaped dents in the cliffs, all near a hidden beach access about eight miles south of Newport. Look for MP 146. Oregon Coast's Mega-Cool Holiday Beach Near Newport

To the north, vast stretches of beach run from Yaquina Head to Otter Rock, with Moolack Beach and Beverly Beach making for miles of beach to wander.

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