Oregon Coast: Astoria to Reedsport

After our stay in Portland we traveled west along the banks of the Columbia River to Astoria where we would begin our journey south along the Oregon coast. Astoria sits at the confluence of the Columbia and the Pacific Ocean. Due to the massive flow from the Columbia into the Pacific entering and departing the river is often extremely hazardous due to the ever shifting “bar”. The Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria is an excellent museum which provides a much deeper understanding of the maritime history of the river. The museum sits right on the bank of the river and has a retired light ship which can be toured as well.

From Astoria we followed the Pacific Coast Highway south as far as Reedsport before turning inland to visit Crater Lake NP. The Oregon coast is breathtakingly beautiful and pristine. The state of Oregon purchased the land along the coastline back in the 1930s. As a result there is no commercial development on the beaches and the entire coastline is dotted with state parks and recreation areas where you can camp with a view of the ocean and walk five minutes through the dunes to the beach. Most of the beaches range from three to seven miles in length with broad flat expanses of firm sand making for great walks along the shore. Temperatures this time of the year average around 65F as the high.

There are also a number of small beach towns lining the coast which offered us the opportunity to dine on fresh seafood and enjoy good coffee and tea during our leisurely tour.

The Oregon coast also has numerous smaller rivers emptying into the Pacific. We capitalized on this by kayaking on the Nehalem and Siltcoos Rivers. We particularly enjoyed the Siltcoos as we were able to kayak all the way to the Pacific.

We had never been to the Oregon coast before this trip but came away as big fans. We cannot speak to the summer season (crowds) but September is glorious. And, by the way, the sunsets viewed from the beaches here are magnificent!

Be seeing you!