Four Engaging, Ultra-Cool Aspects of Central Oregon Coast's Waldport

Published 08/25/2019 at 5:43 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Waldport, Oregon) – Wispy sands, the meandering Alsea Bay, the towering bridge and a host of little details of varying degrees of surprise. There’s much crammed into the area in and around the central Oregon coast hotspot of Waldport. Sometimes it’s a short walk, sometimes it’s just a really short drive. (Above: Gover Patterson State Recreation Site).

Here are four fun aspects of Waldport you’ve got to explore (or stay at, in the case of two examples).

Governor Patterson State Recreation Site: A little bit south of Waldport – or at least its main components – you encounter this massive beach and state park. From a sizable parking lot begins a long paved pathway through brush and some amount of trees, immediately giving it all quite the woodsy feel.

Once down on the beach, it’s sprawling and seemingly endless tracts of sand. The Alsea Bay Bridge to the north is starkly visible, and south of here – well, you simply can’t see where it ends. Indeed, the sand goes on for about seven miles, until you reach Yachats Bay. That leaves plenty of room for bounding about the beach and carousing in the waves.

Historical Note: this beach is where part of the New Carissa shipwreck stranded for a time back in the ‘90s. It’s a spectacular if not somewhat weird bit of Oregon coast history.

Tillicum Beach: Otherwise known as a state campground, this fascinating little spot has loads of fun amenities and a large array of seasonal plot twists.

Colorful cliffs with funky holes in them are a highlight along this sandy tract, some creating little indents from which to hide from the wind. The concrete staircase going down to the beach is also an interesting structure, doing its best to guard against winter storm action but not always succeeding.

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During summer, high sand levels greatly widen the beach, sometimes creating such a large sand bar that there appears to be two tidelines. It’s wacky. In winter, sand levels can get low enough to reveal the starkly strange ghost forest stumps: stands of trees frozen in time from about 4,000 years ago.

Not far from here are two gorgeous and engaging vacation rentals: the Pacifica House and the Waves House.

They’re up in the Bayshore area of Waldport – that area of soft, loose sands and sometimes steep dunes. So a big plus is access to the district’s heated pool and rec house (with a small fee).

Both are run by the same owner, and they have very similar designs. Highlights of both include the soaring, cathedral-like ceilings of polished white that accentuate the copious daylight pouring in from the massive windows. Ocean views are the big show, along with that sound of the waves not far. Each has a deck from which to take all this in, and many of the windows show this off with joyous grandeur.

At the Pacifica House, it’s dog friendly and it'll sleep up to eight people. Finds include a complimentary bottle of wine (definitely useful) and a big hot tub out on that deck. The Pacifica and its sister building have lots of wood accents on the doorways than the other rental, such as the comely French doors, In most ways, the interiors of both are largely similar.

If that’s not enough, in the bathroom there's a neo-angle shower where you can see the ocean. For the kidlets, this place comes with a high chair, stroller, porta-crib, books, games and toys. The deck has a gas barbecue.

At the Waves House, like the Pacifica, there are hardwood floors in the living rooms and elegant tiles in the kitchen. The hot tub in the plush bathroom has quite the ocean view as well, so storm watching while remaining warm yet soaking is a major attraction. This one hosts seven people, and most of the amenities are the same as the Pacifica.

All of it is a quick walk to the dunes and beach of this slightly off-the-beaten-path part of the area. From here, the north side of the bay often hosts a bevy of seals - but don't get too close. That's illegal. Waldport, Oregon. (Nine miles from Yachats, Oregon). 541-968-0322. Website here.

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