Oregon

Excerpt from guide . . .

Oregon

Tillamook Area

Tillamook is a good place to plan an overnight. There is a lot to photograph here. If, however, your time is short, detour off Route 101 along the Three Capes Loop and continue your southward journey. If you have more time, plan to stay overnight. Then drive south on Route 101 in the afternoon to Pacific City (about forty miles) with a stop at Munson Falls and then head north along the coast past the three capes, reaching Cape Meares around sunset. The next morning continue your journey south by following the Three Capes Loop route again.
Munson Creek Falls is about seven miles south of Tillamook. Drive south to Mile 72.9 and drive west 1.5 miles on a country road. The falls are located in an old-growth rainforest and are the highest falls in the coastal range, tumbling 266 feet over spectacular cliffs. The lower falls are an easy one-mile hike. The hike up the top is a strenuous half-mile with a view of the middle section of the falls.

Three Capes Loop
The best tour of this area is along the Three Capes Loop. This is a 35-mile detour from Route 101 that takes you to the three capes of Cape Meares, Cape Lookout, and Cape Kiwanda (in that order heading west from Tillamook and then south) and some outstanding scenery and a variety of other photo opportunities. If you are here after a storm, this is a good area to wander along the beaches looking for interesting forms of driftwood.

   The road out of Tillamook follows the shores of Tillamook Bay and then climbs above the bay for good views overlooking the bay and then travels through a rainforest to Cape Meares. The first stop is at Cape Meares State Park. Park here and take the short hike on a paved path to the lighthouse at the tip of the point and then go to the Octopus Tree (a candelabra-shaped Sitka spruce). South of the State Park the road passes Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge and the largest concentration of tufted puffins on the Oregon coast plus some cormorants, seals and sea lions. At Oceanside hang gliders provide good opportunities for combination hang gliders and scenic shots.
   Cape Lookout is a rugged headland with dramatic scenery. An added attraction is the rainforest, wildflowers and possible wildlife (raccoons, deer and sea birds). Take the road to the summit and then hike the 2.5-mile trail through the forest past wildflowers and ferns to the point for spectacular coastal views south of Cape Lookout.
   Near the town of Sandlake you can find dune buggies and other off-road vehicles to photograph on the dunes. At Cape Kiwanda you will find another "haystack" rock and more hang gliders taking off from the high, white sand dunes behind the cape. This is also a favorite spot for rock climbers and surfers. Just south of Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City is where the dory fishermen launch their flat-bottomed boats through the surf directly from the beach. Be there at 6:00 am for the launching. They return late in the afternoon. While waiting for their return, you can photograph the surfers that also frequent the beach. South of the Cape on Nestucca Spit you can find several miles of unspoiled sand dunes and interesting debris tossed ashore by the seas,
   If you are passing this way in fall and have time for another detour, turn inland at Neskowin on the Neskowin Scenic Loop. This road follows the Neskowin River east then south. During the fall, you'll find 6,000 species of mushrooms growing here.

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