Striking Ice Photos from Oregon Coast Show Dangers and Engaging Beauty

Published 1/16/24 at 7:35 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast) – The shoreline of Oregon was nothing short of a winter wonderland in recent days, but in many areas it has spelled danger and staying away - indeed even sticking close to home. It can be pretty but possibly fatal.

Those living and working on the beaches managed to snag some amazing shots of the icy seaside towns, but not all of it has been good news.

(Photo above: Seaside Aquarium's Tiffany Boothe grabbed the money shot of the season)

In Tillamook County, Tillamook County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) showed off the varied conditions in the little north coast town.

“Current road conditions are varying from dry pavement to a solid sheet of ice - sometimes only feet apart, not miles,” they said on social. “Downtown Tillamook has whole swathes of streets still covered in thick ice, and many sidewalks aren't any better. On Fourth Street, approaching Safeway, the sidewalk and pavement are a skating rink, with vehicles and people struggling to maintain control.”

Traffic in town is thankfully lighter, they said, much less than what would normally be found on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Tillamook is much farther inland than the beach towns and thus less influenced by the temperate conditions that ocean brings. Its weather can swing much wider in range than the burghs right on the sands.

In Astoria, the steep hills there are legendary. But combine that with ice: what can go wrong? The Astoria Police Department is noting not everything has thawed out quite just yet. Early today, there were still dangerously slick spots.

“The weather did not listen to the forecasters and it’s not warming up as quickly as we thought it would,” the department said on social. “Please stay home a bit longer if you can.”

Near that triple pileup, on the bayfront, one scenic bench has turned a little inhospitable. Take in that view at the risk of freezing your butt off - quite literally. The photo comes from Astoria Parks & Recreation.

This weekend, Astoria Police caught this wonder atop Coxcomb Hill.

Farther down the Oregon coast, this is the scene in Newport on Saturday. Trees blocked Oceanview Dr. for awhile. Photo courtesy Newport Police Department.

While not from this day, taking a look at the past through Newport's Lincoln County Historical Society brings this little wower from 1943.

Even more striking, the Society also has this beauty onhand: an eye-popping shot of Yaquina Head in the snow, likely from the '80s or '70s.

Seaside Aquarium's Tiffany Boothe snagged these visual knockouts from Seaside over the frosty weekend. At top, blades of beachgrass are frozen into borderline frightening little spikes.

In another, icicles cling to the arched designs of the Promenade walls.

Much of the beach here simply looks like an artful experiment waiting to happen.

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