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Basaltic headlands and miles-long stretches of sandy beach, rolling coastal mountains and protected old growth rainforest, rivers, parks, paths, trails and vistas - the Yachats area offers something for everyone with a taste for adventure or an appreciation of the great outdoors.
SELF-GUIDED HIKES & TOURS
TRAILS IN YACHATS:
Please see the brochure Yachats Trails to explore the meandering oceanfront 804 Trail, the public footpath at Gerdemann Botanical Preserve, and the Amanda Trail, which links Yachats to the top of Cape Perpetua. Several in-town loop walks are shown, including flatland walks and an upland cardio work-out loop. Some of these walks are also suitable for wheelchairs and strollers and others for bicycles.
For an unforgettable beach walk, explore the 6-mile stretch of sandy beach between Yachats and Waldport around low tide. Build a sandcastle, fly a kite, take your shoes off in the surf.
 Picnic in one of 3 (yes three!) state parks in town:
Smelt Sands State Park
Yachats State Park
Yachats Ocean Rd. State Natural Site
The Gerdemann Botanical Preserve This extraordinary botanical preserve just north of town includes a and additional trails that may be viewed by appointment May-Aug, Thurs-Sun, 541-547-5143, including a wheelchair accessible trail with interpretive signs.
 Bird Watching /
See Lincoln
County Bird Records
Visit parks along the 804 Trail and coastal waterfront; Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, just 3 mi. S of town;
and the Alsea bay & riverfront, 8 mi N of Yachats in Waldport:
Port of Alsea
Alsea River Water Trail - printable guide.
TIDEPOOLING: Tidepools make their homes in our rocky shores. For tidepool locations and guidelines for visiting their resident creatures, please see OR State Parks PDF brochure Tidepools are Alive!. You may also pick up this brochure along with a tide table at the Yachats Visitors Center. Plan to visit tidepools at low tide.
TRAILS AT CAPE PERPETUA: Find 26 miles of
hiking trails to old growth rainforest, vistas, Native American shell middens, tidepools and beach. There is also a 6-mile mountain biking loop. All trails are open to the public for self-guided tours year round. When the Cape Perpetua Visitors Center is closed, find trails maps available outside the Center's door - located 3 miles S of downtown Yachats on the E side of Hwy 101. Traveling on foot from Yachats, you may reach the summit of Cape Perpetua by way of the historic Amanda Trail.
Drive-to Viewpoints
within this 2,700 acre Scenic Area include (from N to S) Devil's Churn, Cape Overlook, and Cook's Chasm--look for signed turnouts on Hwy 101, 2 to 4 miles south of Yachats. Viewpoints are on the W side of the highway, except for the Cape Overlook. For the Overlook, turn east off Hwy 101 at the Cape Perpetua Campground exit, and take an immediate left up Overlook Road to the top of the mountain. Place your pass or day-use permit on the vehicle dash. This is the highest point you can drive to on the Oregon coast.
Wheelchair
Accessible points in Cape Perpetua include the Visitors Center, the Cape Overlook - including its half mile loop trail to the West
Shelter, and the viewpoint overlooking Devil's Churn. These are also among the best spots on the coast for spectacular panoramic ocean
views.
GUIDED WALKS AND TOURS
CAPE PERPETUA SCENIC AREA
Just 3 miles south of downtown Yachats, the Cape Perpetua Visitors Center
offers interpretive talks, nature films or naturalist-led walks every hour on the hour.
The walks depart from the Visitors Center for old-growth coastal rain forest or for tidepools -
check for low tides!.
VISITOR CENTER HOURS: May-Sept, 10 to 5:30 Daily / Oct-Apr, 10 to 4 Daily.
Special walks and other events are announced at Cape Perpetua throughout the year. In the fall, guided mushroom
walks are offered. For the Yachats Village Mushroom Fest (3rd weekend in October), renown mycologists and forest ecologists join Cape staff to lead more than 20 beginning through intermediate/advanced level mushroom walks. (FMI, please see Yachats Events). During the summer, Tidepool Discovery Days are scheduled to coincide with some of the lowest tides of the year. FMI, please call Cape Perpetua Visitors Center (541) 547-3289.
Park Permits and Passports: the Pacific Coast Passport, NW
Forest Pass, and Golden Passports are honored here and may be
purchased in the Cape Perpetua Visitors Center. Without a pass, day-use permit
is $5.00 per auto and includes use of the entire Scenic Area for one
day.
 AUDUBON TEN-MILE CREEK SANCTUARY TOURS
Learn about restoration and coastal temperate rain forest with Manager Paul Engelmeyer,
(541)547-4227. Variable price for tour groups.
OREGON STATE PARK'S ROVING INTERPRETER
(Memorial Day-Labor Day, Wednesday-Sunday)
Smelt Sands State Wayside and the 804 Trail: Attend a walk along the trail to learn the trail's history and find native plants. The walk begins at Smelt Sands parking lot and heads north. Smelt Sands State Wayside is located one mile north of downtown on Hwy 101. This section of trail is wheelchair accessible.
Yachats State Park:
Come hear programs about the tide pools and the whales seen from the park's Platform. Find
Yachats State Park at the west end of 2nd St in downtown Yachats.
Strawberry Hill: Explore the amazing tidepools with the Roving Interpreter and hear about the Harbor Seal
that are resting close by on the rocks. Find Strawberry Hill just 5 miles S of downtown Yachats on Hwy 101.
HISTORIC ALSEA BAY BRIDGE INTERPRETIVE CENTER
(8 miles N of Yachats, FMI 541-563-2002 or 1-800-551-6949)
Crabbing and Clamming Demontrations
Offered Fridays-Tuesdays at 10:30.m. (during peak visitor season)
Alsea Bay Bridge Walk
Offered Fridays-Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. (during peak visitor season)
HECETA LIGHTSTATION TOURS
14 miles south of Yachats on Hwy 101
Lighthouse Tours:
(not all tours go to the top)
May-Sept: Fri-Sun, 11-5; M-Th, 11-3
March-April: Fri-Tues, 11-1
Special tours and group visits can be arranged all year. Call
(541)547-3416, (800) 551-6949.
Hours of Lighthouse Tours may vary depending upon weather and the availability of volunteers. Day use permit, $3 per vehicle, or show
annual pass, or Oregon Coast Passport. Place your pass or day-use permit on vehicle dash. FMI, please see State Parks.
WINTER STORM WATCHING
& AGATE HUNTING
Whether you watch from an oceanfront bubbling jacuzzi or from the howling wind dressed in full raingear, a coastal winter storm inspires awe for mother nature.
Beachcomb for agates and other treasures
at low tide following a storm.
MORE OUTDOOR FUN With Something for Everyone...
Golfing in
Waldport
Florence
Newport
Geocaching in the Yachats Area
Fishing, Clamming, Crabbing, Boating, Kayaking and Windsurfing
Crab from the docks in Waldport. Rent a canoe or a kayak to explore the Alsea or the very gentle
Yachats River. Or visit a lake in the Florence area where you can rent a canoe. Ocean charter fishing boats are also available nearby from the docks in Newport and Depoe Bay.
Waldport Kayak Shack
Offers summertime kayak rentals & guided group kayaking tours on the Alsea, 8 mi. N of
Yachats.
Sea Life Cruises - Whale Watching and more...
Whale Watch Weeks - late December, March, and August
White Wolf Sanctuary - Visitors welcome by appointment, 541-528-3588. Located in Tidewater, about 10 mi. E of Waldport.
Electric Vehicle Rentals - 3 wheel, 4 wheel, & mini-truck
(503) 559-7199
Scenic Biplane Rides out of Florence Municipal Airport,
(541) 991-6139
Horse Back Riding, Beach or Dunes Rides - (541) 997-7540
Sand Dune Buggy Rides
Sandboarding, like snow boarding but on sand - (541) 997-6006
Accessible Trails in Lincoln County, OR
Central Coast State Parks & Waysides - Yachats, N & S on Hwy 101
Cape Perpetua and beyond...
Siuslaw National Forest
Cummins Creek Wilderness Area
Drift Creek Wilderness Area
Oregon Dunes
Oregon State Parks Resources:
Beach Safety Tips for Kids
Tidepools are Alive!
Guidelines for Pets in Parks
This site is sponsored and maintained by the
Yachats Area Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 728, Yachats, OR 97498
www.yachats.org
©1999-2010
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