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Best Things to Do in Pacific City, Oregon

A highway directional sign in the State of Oregon pointing to the different popular famous places to drive to.
A highway directional sign in the State of Oregon pointing to the different popular famous places to drive to.

Pacific City, Oregon, is a small and charming coastal town, home to the Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area. Pacific City offers up plenty of outdoor things to do as well as a selection of fine eateries, beer brewers and wineries. Check out our list of recommendations for things to do in Pacific City.

Need a place to stay? Check out our Pacific City vacation rentals, and get the best rate when you book directly with Oregon Beach Vacations.

Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area

Siblings, triplets, hang out on the beach at Pacific City on a brisk spring day. Hay Stack rocks stands tall surrounded by seawater in the background while waves roll ashore near the kids.

You will not lack things to do at the Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, featuring giant sand dunes and imposing sandstone cliffs. This area provides opportunities for things like hiking, whale watching, surfing, and bird viewing. 

During the day, when the tide is low, you can dip your toes in the ocean or explore the tide pools in the area, which are often filled with giant red crabs, purple starfish, and other colorful creatures. 

Behind the cape is the Great Dune, a massive hill covered in drifting sand. You can walk up the dune for the gorgeous views, and then you can drop down onto the beach below. It’s going to be quite the hike; you climb 193 feet in elevation to get to the top! But the views once you get there make it all worth it!

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Pacific City Beach Surfing

Adventurous Girl with a Surf Board is going surfing in the Ocean. Colorful Sunset Sky. Taken in Pacific City, Oregon Coast, United States of America.
Adventurous Girl with a Surf Board is going surfing in the Ocean. Taken in Pacific City.

Pacific City is very popular with surfers. The excellent beach and reef breaks offer easily approachable and consistent waves. Now, this is the Oregon Coast, so you will need to make sure you are wearing a 3 / 4 wetsuit, booties, gloves, and for good measure, wear a hood too. 

With a ton of space on the beach, everyone can spread out and set up camp for the whole day. And as a bonus, the Pelican Brew Pub is just a short walk away, so you can cap off your day of surfing with a pint! 

Go Picnicking at Kiwanda Beach

Kiwanda Beach is a beautiful, sandy beach just south of Pacific City.

Kiwanda Beach is an excellent spot to spend a day picnicking with the family. Pack a blanket and some food and make your way down to the beach. There are plenty of large picnic tables, so there’s no need to worry about bringing one yourself. Once you’re set up, take in the majestic views of the Pacific Ocean and the gorgeous wildlife around you.

Nestucca River Paddle

The calm waters of the Nestucca river make it a perfect spot for people of all skills to kayak. Maybe even give stand-up paddleboarding a try? When it comes to things to do in Park City, this is an excellent opportunity to view the scenery in Park City from a different perspective. And if you would enjoy a guided experience, there are organized trips led by instructors. The typical set route is a 5.5-mile route that starts at a kayak rental company. 

Nestucca River Fishing

River landscape in golden hour. Nestucca river flows through forests near the Pacific coast of northwest Oregon in the United States
Nestucca river flows through forests near Pacific City, Oregon.

The Nestucca Rivers – the Big Nestucca and Little Nestucca – are great places to go fishing for chinook salmon and steelhead trout. If you’re an angler at heart, you should give these rivers a shot!

Learn Paragliding with Fly Team Halo, Pacific City

The founders of Team Fly Halo had a shared goal of bringing Powered Paragliding to Pacific City, Oregon and beyond. They provide excellent training, cutting-edge equipment, and a desire for the activity that attracts others to explore adventure flying. If you’re looking for some adrenaline rush, check out their paragliding lessons in Pacific City!

Bike Trails

Close up of a biker riding a bike through the forest road.
The Oregon coast offers up some gorgeous bike trails and beach riding.

Park City offers up some fantastic bike trails in and around the city. The most popular course is the Cape Kiwanda Fat Bike route, where you head from the city out into quiet solitude and then back again. Bikes are also allowed on the beach! Vehicles are, too, so make sure you are keeping an eye out for them. With a fat bike, you can ride directly on the sands of the Park City beaches. You can choose to ride down to the North Spit through Bob Straub State Park or head north and leave populated areas behind to reach the small town of Tierra Del Mar. 

Wildlife Watching

A sea lion pup rests on the beach in Netarts, Oregon
What better place to catch a snooze than at the beach?

Bird Watching in Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge

The Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge is an 11-minute drive south of Pacific City. The refuge was established in 1991 to protect one-tenth of the dusk Canada goose population And offers seven different habitats to explore, all of which are home to numerous fascinating creatures. You can expect to find migrant shorebirds, bald eagles, and even some peregrine falcons at any given time. 

See Marine Animals on the Beaches of Pacific City

Posting up along the beaches of this area will likely reward you with a menagerie of marine life who come to play in the shallows. Often you will see seals, sea lions, otters, and even some porpoises. If you move a little bit inland, you can spot deer, raccoons, and even the infamous beach bunnies. 

Wine, Beer, and Dining 

Happy friends having fun drinking white wine at street festival - Young people eating local food at open air restaurant together - Dinning lifestyle concept on string light neon filter
Pacific City offers a variety of options for food and beverages.

With all these other awesome activities under your belt, you will probably be hungry and thirsty. The good news is that Pacific City offers a fine selection of options for wetting the whistle and grabbing a bite to eat. 

Stimulus Coffee + Bakery

Start your day off right at this bakery and cafe where they bake all of their bread and pastries in-house.

Twist Wine Company

A small family-owned vineyard that believes that the best wines are made from grapes grown in climates similar to the grapes’ genetic history. Their wine is made in nearby McMinnville, Oregon, and served in their tasting room here in Pacific City. 

Grateful Bread Bakery

Grateful Bread Bakery serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner alongside substantial floor-to-ceiling windows with sweeping views to match. They have been cooking up fresh food, locally caught fish, and produce since 1991. Grab a light lunch and some delicious scones to take back to your vacation rental for later. 

Pelican Brewing Company 

this brewery has produced unique and high-quality beers for the last 20 years. You can take a tour of their onsite production facilities and enjoy some of their award-winning beer in their taproom. They also serve up a food menu made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients. 

Things to Do in Pacific City, Oregon – Conclusion

There are many fun things to do in Pacific City, Oregon, and this list is just a starting point for all of your adventures. With a gorgeous beachfront vacation rental from Oregon Beach Vacations as your home base, you can explore everything that Pacific City has to offer.

Ready to plan your trip to Neskowin? Book your Pacific City, Oregon vacation rental with Oregon Beach Vacations!

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Beachcombing on the Oregon Coast

Beachcombing on the Oregon Coast

Beachcombing is a favorite activity here on the Oregon coast. With the storms and often rainy weather, lots of different things make its way onto the coastline and beaches of Oregon. Unfortunately, unless you use driftwood to make furniture or other items, you won’t find much just strolling the beaches without the proper equipment.

Here’s how to get the most out of your beachcombing adventure.

Beachcombing

Get the right foot wear! Beachcombing involves both exploring the beach and the water, so grab some felt bottomed scuba shoes for protection against the rocks and avoiding slippery situations.

Family Beachcombing on the Oregon Coast

Grab some containers! A plastic bag and a canvas bag work great. Use the canvas bag for holding any goodies you find, and help keep Oregon clean by picking up any trash you find and placing it in your plastic bag. A healthy beach is a happy beach!

Sunscreen - Beachcombing

Sunscreen is a must, even on the mostly cloudy Oregon coast! Cover up your arms and legs and apply sunscreen, especially if you plan to explore the beaches for long periods of time. Cloudy days often cause sun rays to be magnified, therefore causing a more severe burn.

Shelling on the Oregon Coast

Bring your camera, and capture some beautiful shots of the Oregon coast, your treasure, or anything else you might like to remember forever!

Beachcombing with Metal Detectors

Metal detectors can often help you find things hidden beneath the sand. Don’t let a little sand cause you an “out of sight, out of mind” missed opportunity.

Oregon Coast Beachcombing

Remember to leave the wild life alone. Beachcombing involves find hidden treasures that are not living or housing living animals. This includes starfish, crabs, turtles, and even shells housing hermit crabs. If it’s dead, it’s alright to take. Capture everything with your camera that you’re unable to physically bring back home with you! It’s the next best thing!

Beachcombing Waves

Always watch out for sneaker waves while exploring the Oregon coast. Never turn your back on the water, especially on stormy days. Too many people have been dragged out to sea due to sneaker waves. Stay safe and keep children and animals close to you at all times.

Oregon Beachcombing

The best times for beachcombing are during the winter, early AM, at low or receding tide when you have access to more areas of the beach, and right after a storm. Since storms occur frequently on the Oregon coast, you’ll always have a great chance of finding something interesting on your beachcombing trip.

Beachcombing on the Oregon Coast

Every year, Lincoln City places glass floats on their beaches, free to anyone who finds one, or several, if you’re lucky! This event runs from mid October to late May. The floats are placed randomly across Lincoln City’s beaches during this time period, weather permitting.

On your next visit to the Oregon coast, or if you’re already a permanent resident, come try your luck at beachcombing! The water is calling!

Exploring Cape Lookout, Oregon

Looking for a new place to explore while visiting the Oregon coast this summer? Why not head out to Cape Lookout, just north of Pacific City and south of Netarts! This hike is easy and beautiful but requires hiking boots after a big storm or a couple days of straight, unrelenting rain on the coast. Otherwise, normal tennis shoes are just fine.

Small children are not recommended for this hike as there are no railings and several areas of steep cliff overlooking the Pacific. If they are young enough to be carried on your back, please feel free to do so! Of course, this is up to your best judgment! Dogs are more than welcome to go on this hike with you but must be leashed at all times.

Cape Lookout trail
You can even see Netarts from this hike!

There are three hikes that can be found here at Cape Lookout. The South Trail, the North Trail, and the Cape Lookout Trail. The hike out to Cape Lookout is 2.4 miles long, 5 miles round trip, and can take between 1 and 2 hours to reach. The path is fairly narrow, with tree roots covering a majority of the pathway. The ground is moderately level, but has periods of incline and decline.

Cape Lookout trail
The end of the road at Cape Lookout!

You’ll know you’ve reached the end when you hit sea, a bench to relax on, and nowhere else to go but the way you came! Congratulations! You just walked 2.4 miles and gained 930 feet in elevation! Feel free to bring a small lunch or snack to enjoy at Cape Lookout before heading back.

Cape Lookout Trail
Be careful when looking over the side of these steep cliffs!

Please note that there are no restrooms on the trail or at the end of trail. There is a port-a-potty at the beginning of the trail in the parking lot. Additional parking for this trail can be found off of the main road, on the shoulders.

Cape Lookout is a very popular trail, so expect to see lots of other people, with breathtaking views of the coastline, the Pacific, and Haystack Rock in Pacific City! You might even catch a glimpse of some migrating whales, or other sea life!

Cape Lookout trail
Enjoy the hike and the gorgeous views that come with it!

Here’s how to get there:

Travel to Pacific City if you’re coming from down south. From here, turn left from Brooten Road at the stop sign onto Pacific Aveune, then right onto Cape Kiwanda Drive at the stop sign. Continue along this road until you reach a 3 way intersection. Continue straight. At the next 3 way intersection, turn left onto Cape Lookout Road. Continue on this road until you see the sign for Cape Lookout. Park in the parking lot or along the shoulder.

If you’re coming from the north, travel south along Highway 101 until you hit Sandlake Road. Continue straight until you reach a 3 way intersection. Continue straight until you reach the sign for Cape Lookout. Park in the parking lot or along the road on the shoulders.

You can also travel south from Tillamook by taking 3rd Street and turning left onto Netarts Highway West, then left onto Whiskey Creek Road which turns into Cape Lookout Road West. Look for the Cape Lookout sign and park in the parking lot or on the shoulder.

If you’re in Oceanside or Netarts, travel down 131 to Netarts Bay Drive until it turns into Cape Lookout Road West. Look for the Cape Lookout sign and park in the parking lot or on the shoulder.

10 Pet Friendly Vacation Homes

Finding a beautiful vacation home for 4 or more guests and a dog can sometimes be a challenge. Here at Oregon Beach Vacations, we want you to get the most out of your precious vacation time without the stress of figuring out what to do with the pups. Check out these ten beautiful dog friendly vacation rentals on the Oregon coast, and have your best vacation yet!

1. Barry’s Fishing Peer – This gorgeous home located in Garibaldi is perfect for 8 guests and 2 dogs with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths! A fenced in yard is available to keep an eye on both the pups and the children, while also enjoying a beautiful view of the Pacific from the deck. You’ll have the time of your life here at Barry’s Fishing Peer! You can even rent out the adjoining building, Rick’s Fishing Peer, for more guests! Book today!

Barry's Fishing Peer in Garibaldi, Oregon
Barry’s Fishing Peer in Garibaldi, Oregon

[Read more…]

3 Scenic Views – Lincoln City Area

If you’re looking for a good hike while you’re on vacation in Lincoln City, make sure to check out the following locations. They are all within a 40 minute drive or less and offer beautiful views of the Oregon coastline!

Lincoln City Coast View
The view from the Knoll of Roads End

The Knoll – Located in Roads End, just north of Lincoln City, is a grassy hill that overlooks the Pacific Ocean and Roads End, along with Lincoln City and Devil’s Lake. This beautiful patch of land can be discovered by hiking up a steep hill. It’s completely worth the sore calves when you see the view. Make sure to bring water, a snack, and your camera to capture the glory from this little spot of land in Roads End! [Read more…]

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