Cascades to Coast: Oregon’s Spring Bounty

Growing up outside of Independence, Missouri—the 2,170 mile Oregon Trail’s eastern starting point—the importance of travel, and expanding horizons, was laced into the soil. I can still remember tracing the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails with orange and green crayons through Wyoming, Nebraska and Kansas—all the way back home to Missouri. It’s no wonder Oregon always represented the classic journey for me.

Living and working in Boise, Idaho has given me lots of journeys and destinations to explore—with its immediate access to Oregon worth mentioning first. Needing to escape for the weekend, I fired up my Toyota and headed west. The plan was simple: start in the Cascades, then hop, skip and/or jump my way to the Oregon Coast.

Bend

My first stop was Bend, Oregon. Known as an outdoor-lover’s dream, Bend is a twenty minute drive from Mt. Bachelor and provides world-class skiing and snowboarding in addition to pristine alpine lakes. Paddling, floating and fishing are abound in the area, offering a compelling route for visitors to enjoy the Deschutes River. That’s not even mentioning the over sixty miles of hiking and biking trails! 

After camping at gorgeous Tumalo State Park, my purpose in Bend was a little more, shall we say, refined: I had to check out Bend’s incredible food scene. Making the ten minute drive from Tumalo to downtown Bend, I grabbed an Oregon Chai and espresso at Palate: a coffee bar. 

I took a moment to stretch my legs through Bend’s Historic Downtown, picking up a much-needed beach blanket at locally-owned OutsideIn. I opted for lunch at Bo’s Falafel Bar, where the house marinated chicken was absolutely incredible, and big enough for two. Even with a healthy-portioned entree, Bo’s french fries, with harissa-spiced fry sauce, are a must (and, many will argue, the best in town). 

I wanted to enjoy as many creature comforts as I could before leaving Bend: Oregon’s coast, particularly to the south, is made up of smaller communities. It is, in many ways, a remote area, so fill your cup with artisan coffee while the getting’s good, I say.

Bend to Florence

It’s a 3.5 hour drive from Bend’s home in the eastern Cascades to the coast. After stopping in Eugene for gas, supplies and maybe some discounted Nike gear, I ventured to where the Siuslaw River flows into the Pacific. Here, in the town of Florence, I hoped to catch a glimpse of some of Oregon’s renowned wildlife. 

Florence’s expansive Sea Lion Caves are home to a large population of Steller sea lions, along with migrating whales, Roosevelt elk, butterflies, black bear, and American bald eagle. 

I walked the half-mile trail to the Heceta Head Lighthouse—first illuminated in 1894, it features a historic bed and breakfast and extensive trail system. Heceta Head, with one of the Pacific coast’s best viewpoints for spotting whales and sea lions, is one of Oregon’s most photographed places, and for good reason. You’ll definitely want to stop and snap some pictures here; or, grab your binoculars for some of the nation’s best wildlife viewing.

Hoping I might get lucky and spot a pod of orcas or gray whales breaching Cape Cove’s surface, I happily settled for the swooping and diving of the local seagulls, along with the common murres that nest underneath the lookout’s railing.

As I began the gorgeous hike back from Heceta Head, a steady rain moved in from the coast—there’s a reason leaders in American outdoor apparel like Columbia, Dakine and Danner consistently call Oregon home. A solid rain jacket and a sturdy pair of hiking boots were my best friends on this trip, and they’ll take you far in the Beaver State.

Even with Florence’s scenery, I was actually excited at the prospect of getting behind the wheel again. Florence rests along famed U.S. Highway 101, and I was headed for the southern side of the Siuslaw, where you can find one of America’s most unique and (in a genuinely good way) haunting sights: the Oregon Dunes. 

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area offers unmatched views of the Pacific along with singular recreational opportunities: where else can you rent a dune buggy to tear between tree islands while taking in views of the Pacific Ocean from 500 feet above the sea? 

I had something different in mind, though: picking up a dispersed camping pass at the visitor’s center in Reedsport, I headed south to Umpqua Dune for one of my favorite pastimes—sand camping. 

Hiking out to my ‘site,’ I found a pristine and isolated stretch of coastal dunes with incredible views of the Umpqua River, the Pacific, and all of Winchester Bay.

Watching the sun as it set and rose amidst the dune-and-ocean-lined views was a highlight of the trip, and something that I didn’t even know needed to be on my travel bucket list.

Oregon Dunes to Port Orford

Still in need of that perfect beach moment, though, I drove south toward Gold Beach, pulling off at Arizona Beach near Port Orford. 

This was classic Oregon: stunning coastline, beach access, and I had it all to myself. Even with its nearly 400 miles of coastline and countless beaches, I was still shocked to see just how much space there was to go around.

After a short hike to the water I unfurled my new beach blanket at a safe distance from the incoming tides. Magazine in hand, I took one last look of appreciation at the steadfast waves when I saw what, I learned only later, was a sneaker wave.

Springing to my feet a moment too late, the Pacific came rolling into what had previously been a dry patch of sand, pulling my blanket along with it. Luckily, I grabbed the blanket—but the magazine was ruined. 

If you love the water like me, do your homework. Check the tide tables for the area you’re headed beforehand, know your beach ahead of time and what to expect, and follow Oregon beach safety guidelines. Also, if you’re looking for something more manageable, stick to town beaches where the tides are gentler.

Oregon’s coast is, more than anything, unpredictable. It demands you experience it as a journey rather than a destination: I came to southern Oregon with an idea of the places I wanted to be, but I left with directions to go.