By Lale Lovell, PhD, Vice President of Transformance Advisors
Central Coast of Oregon
I’m lucky enough to still be great friends with my college roommate, Chantal, and, every few years we embark on a trip, just the two of us. This past summer we decided to check out the central coast of Oregon and were overwhelmed by its unspoiled beauty. We spent a week there but the highlight of the trip was Cape Perpetua, near Yachats.
Start Your Journey
Cape Perpetua is just south of Yachats, Oregon. This scenic area has several pullouts that are right along the coast and boasts a Visitors Center with plenty of parking. This is where we start our journey. From the Visitors Center, we began hiking up to the Whispering Spruce viewpoint at the top of the cape. Note, if you don’t want to climb a big hill, you can drive to the top.
The trail is quite wooded, which makes for a shady trek to the summit. In August, the weather was in the 60’s and 70’s, perfect for a hike. Soon after starting, we came to a trail sign, which showed it’s just 1.3 miles to the Whispering Spruce viewpoint, our first destination.
Take in the View
The trail was not rocky and we made our way to the top with just a few switchbacks. It was an amazingly clear day and we were rewarded by an expansive vista when we got to the viewpoint. You can’t tell in this photo but there was also a whale hanging out in the water below. We just couldn’t get over how unspoiled and picturesque the Oregon coast is, so we hung out for a while, just soaking it in.
There were many friendly people at the top and one framed this great picture of us and the coast beyond. There is also a loop path at the top that allows you to take in the view through the trees, along with a shelter built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s.
Be Awed by the Big Trees
We made our way down the same way we’d come but, instead of returning to the Visitors Center, we took the trail to the left to the Giant Spruce. The Giant Spruce was a 0.8-mile, fairly flat trail that went by a campground before ending up at the famous tree.
The Giant Spruce lived up to its billing and the picture of us at the bottom really doesn’t do it justice. The Sitka spruce tree is more than 500 years old and measures more than 185 feet tall. Its circumference is 40 feet and you could crawl through the trunk (although we refrained due to middle-aged knees). It just reinforced how lucky we are that this area had been set aside for recreation so that the forest could keep growing in peace.
Head Down to the Water’s Edge
We made it back to the Visitors Center and decided to do one more route before we called it a day. This time we headed down to the coast from the Visitors Center via the Captain Cook Trail. This trail passed an old CCC camp as it descended to the ocean.
Our destination was Thor’s Well, a spouting horn that Chantal’s friend had urged us to find. A spouting horn is a sea cave with a second opening such that water can rush in and surge out of it as the waves come in. We turned left at the Restless Waters sign (note all of the warnings!) and came to Thor’s Well in short order. If you don’t want to walk down, there is also a convenient parking lot. We were there near high tide, so it was putting on a bit of show.
All the warning signs tell you to never turn your back to the ocean, so we took that to heart as we ventured closer to Thor’s Well. We were rewarded with a fun show of the spouting horn in action.
Since it was now mid-afternoon and we’d hiked around for more than 8 miles, we decided to call it a day and head to Newport for dinner. There were a few more hikes through the forest that we didn’t get to, but that just gives us more reason to make another trip!
Many of my Colorado friends have raved to me about the Oregon coast for years and, after having made two trips there, I too have become a hearty fan! There seems to be a park with hiking trails every few miles along the coast and you are easily rewarded with some amazing vistas. It’s also not nearly as crowded as Colorado’s front-range trails, and without the threat of afternoon storms, you don’t have to start too early in the morning. Check it out with some of your favorite people and have a memorable adventure!
Lale Lovell
Lale Lovell, Ph.D. is the Vice President of Transformance Advisors. She is a chemical engineer with over 20 years of engineering and management experience in a variety of technology companies in Colorado, including Lexmark and Seagate. Lale brings a wealth of expertise to her role, specializing in Lean thinking and coaching.
Her dedication to continuous improvement and community service underscores her commitment to professional excellence for her clients.
As time permits, Lale likes baking, reading historical fiction, going on walks/hikes, and traveling to new places.