Cape Perpetua Scenic Area

We went to a farmers market in Waldport which is just about 6 miles south of us on highway 101. Didn't buy anything there, but it was still a good time looking at mainly crafts and such. I Googled any attractions near by and found there was Cape Perpetua Scenic Area. We decided to drive there. It is about 3 miles south of the next little town of Yachats.

Cape Perpetua

We first went to the Visitors center and talked to a very nice ranger named John. He gave us some great pointers on where to hike that was within our ability. There are some great views from the visitors center. They even supply binoculars but we always bring our own.

View from visitors center

The rock around Cape Perpetua is volcanic and makes for great tide pools! The waves are also very rough and make for some great 'geyser' action. You can see one explode up in the picture below.

Rough warter

Per Ranger John's advice we drove about 2 miles to the Rock Shelter trailhead. This is way up in the mountains. We actually got into a cloud as you can see in the picture of the sign. The Rock Shelter is just that, s shelter built out of rock by the CCC conservation core back in 1933.

Rock Shelter trail

We started on the trail. The trail is about a half mile loop.

Rock Shelter trail

Pretty soon we got to the Rock Shelter. We may go back on a clear day because we were told you can see 17 miles out and see the curvature of the earth from up here.

Patty at Shelter

This is looking from the other side of the shelter.

Still standing after79 years!

Taken from inside the shelter you can see Highway 101 and the Oregon coastline.

Framed Coastline

We continued on the loop past the shelter which did end up back to the parking lot. The sun and fog are fighting to get through the trees in this picture. We thought it looked cool.

Sun and fog

We decided to go to Devil's Churn which is another half mile hike. This one is considered moderate because the last part is down steps to volcanic rocks. Not for the faint of heart which I am when it comes to heights. In the middle of the picture you can see some buildings. That is where the parking area is. To the right you can see the trail that leads down to Devil's Churn.

Devil's Churn

We weren't sure if we were going to hike all the way to the bottom or not. We would start out and decide when we got there. Those that know us, know that means if possible we probably will go all the way to the bottom.

Trail of the Restless Waters

We headed out on the trail. What makes us want to go on is how beautiful everything is around here. Always something to see around the next bend or in this case switchback.

Devil's Churn Trail

As we got closer to the bottom it became less a trail that I like. We happened upon Ranger John again and he assured me I would be OK the rest of the way down. We'll see!

Devil's Churn Trail 2

But look at it. How can we not go down all the way? We have to try!

Devil's Churning it up

We continue down carefully. Well at least I do, Patty has no problem with stuff like this!

Getting Closer

If you look back at the picture just above the map of Devil's Churn taken from way up high, it probably makes more sense now. You can see more clearly how this trail goes down to the churn. The tide is coming up so the water is getting rougher.

Rough Water

We finally made it down to the rock. It was really worth it. You can see that the steps are crumbling at the bottom.

Finally down!

You can see the water hitting the rocks behind Patty.

Water explosion behind Patty

The water has really started churning. This is because the tide continues to rise.

Wave Action

A bunch of kids went out to the end to get wet. Every once in awhile a big set would come in and soak them.

Kids getting soaked

We hiked back up to the truck and drove back to our home. It was about 4:00 when we got back. We called Mom and Dad and had nice conversations with them. 

It was truly a blessed day!

God Bless you all,

Brian and Patty