Coastal Thrills and Hidden Trails: Visiting Florence, Oregon 

I grew up hearing stories about my mother’s favorite vacation touring the Pacific Northwest and knew that one day I needed to plan the same trip with my own family. She traveled along the coast making her way to Florence, Oregon. Listening to my mom describe the sea lion caves and sand dunes, I longed to see all these places for myself. This summer, we finally had the opportunity to recreate my mom’s adventure, adding in some new things that appealed to my two teens. 

Birds, Breeze and Big Trees – Visiting Florence, Oregon

Our first stop was Cape Perpetua and is a sight not to be missed. Overlooking the Marine Garden shoreline, it’s the highest viewpoint on the Oregon Coast at 800 feet. A truly breathtaking view, we watched birds both big and small floating as they caught the drifts from the wind colliding against the mountain. Our America the Beautiful – the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass allowed us to park here for free. 

South of the viewpoint at the bottom of the cliff is Cape Perpetua Visitor Center. The building was specifically designed with large viewing windows inside and a spacious deck outside for better bird watching. I had no idea how many beautiful birds I was going to see on this trip and was wishing I had brought our binoculars, so we were especially grateful the visitor center had some to borrow. Here I learned how to correctly pronounce Siuslaw (S-eye-EWE-slaw) from a volunteer, who also explained that this temperate rainforest receives more of its precipitation from fog than actual rain. Exhibits on display explain why Marine Protected Areas, like Cape Perpetua, are important for conservation and research. 

There are many beautiful trails here, some which wander from the shore all the way to the top of Cape Perpetua; but since we had other places to see, we opted to hike the short Giant Spruce Trail. It was still morning so the forest was misty and quiet and all we could hear was the creek rushing and birds singing. We felt secluded, surrounded by what we thought were extremely tall trees, until we saw the giant spruce. At over 185 feet in height with a 40-foot diameter, this 500-year-old tree was truly a goliath. 

Forest Meets Ocean – Visiting Florence, Oregon

We then stopped at the Hobbit Trail. The one-mile trail to the beach was an easy but unique walk, with twisty trees and bushes making tunnels as the dirt suddenly turns to sand and opens upon a secret beach. 

We dipped out feet in the ocean for first time, and I was wishing we hadn’t tried to pack so much into one trip. I could have stayed there for the rest of the day. On our way back, my daughter made sure to add a shell she had picked up to a small shrine welcoming visitors to this magical beach. 

Another short ten-minute drive and we stopped at Heceta Light House. Built in 1892, this is the most photographed lighthouse on the west coast and the brightest light on the Oregon coast. Looking down at the water, we saw more birds coming and going from an enormous rock jutting out of the ocean. Again, friendly volunteers told us the names of the birds we couldn’t identify and even shared a sweet poem about pelicans. 

Just below the lighthouse is a gift shop with sandwiches and is a great place to stop for lunch so you can take your time to enjoying the beach here or the forest trails which connect to Hobbit trail. 

Sea Lions, Seals and Cormorants Oh My! – Visiting Florence, Oregon

Crossing a beautiful bridge we had seen from the lighthouse, we stopped at Sea Lion Caves. By afternoon it was busy, but there was plenty of parking across the street. Tickets are purchased inside the gift shop (which sells delicious homemade fudge) and then a short, paved walk to an elevator takes you down 200 feet into the cave. I was told that in summer most of the sea lions would be outside the cave, but as far as I could tell that cave was full! 

Wider than a football field and as tall as a twelve-story building, this monstrous cave was completely covered in bellowing sea lions. I thought I was hearing the wind echoing throughout the chambers until I realized that sea lions are just noisy! My daughter described them as humongous grumpy potatoes. It was funny watching them clamor and argue over who got to sit upon which rock as they flopped about. The larger animals were the Stellar sea lions, but also living in the cave are harbor seals and a variety of birds, including black cormorants. 

The cave itself was beautiful too. At the opposite end is a staircase which opens to a stunning view of Heceta Lighthouse as well as a hidden cove where more birds stop to rest. After coming back up the elevator, we walked to another viewing platform where we saw even more sea lions resting in the summer sun. 

Finally Florence 

My parents who drove ahead of us had already explored Florence’s waterfront by the time we arrived. They enjoyed a lunch of clam chowder at The Firehouse so much that my mom told the waitress they would be back. So, upon her recommendation we went there for dinner as well. After a full day with lots of hills and hiking, we were happy that The Firehouse was only a two-minute walk from our room at the River House Inn on historic Bay Street. 

That evening, my dad and I strolled down Bay Street along the Siuslaw River. From a small park, we watched a jellyfish floating back out to the ocean with the tide and birds coming and going from houses built for them on posts. A beautiful bridge was the perfect backdrop for this picturesque scene. We continued past quaint shops and restaurants which were starting to close for the night as families were heading home after getting ice cream from BJ’s Parlor. Down at the docks, the last fishermen were cleaning their day’s catch of albacore tuna. Across from them was a dock specifically for harbor seals who were also done fishing for the day. Roped off to protect their space, we saw babies cuddling close to their moms for the night. 

Sand Everywhere – Visiting Florence, Oregon

What brings many people to Florence is the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. The 32,000 acres of sand and shoreline stretches over 45 miles from Florence to Coos Bay and is managed by the US Forest Service. This special place is the pride of Florence and locals work very hard to educate others and protect it for future generations. We had gotten just a glimpse of these dunes from our hotel but couldn’t see how vast they were until we arrived at Siuslaw Ecotours the next morning for the ride of a lifetime. 

Siuslaw Eco Tours has ATV rentals for those wanting to do their own driving, but we opted to have their expert guides take us out. The size of the dunes can range from two feet to 300 feet and you won’t know what’s on the other side until you reach the top. The best way to describe it was like a roller coaster you create yourself.  It was truly a thrill, and we would absolutely do it again! Along the shore is a 25 mph speed limit, which added a nice break to the 40-minute ride, although it felt much shorter since we were having so much fun. 

Sand Master Park – Visiting Florence, Oregon

It’s unique to see towers of sand behind a grocery store on a main street, but that’s just the way Florence was built. At Sand Master Park, the world’s first sandboarding park, we met owner Lon Beale who brought the sport of sandboarding to the U.S. As we waited for our rentals, we watched a reel of professionals flying off dunes in Honeyman State Park just 20 minutes south of Florence. I was hopeful we would be able to try the bigger dunes there, but I didn’t know how tired we would be by the end of our lesson. 

Our certified sandboarding instructor helped us stretch out and practice our stance and posture. She then showed us how to correctly wax and buff our boards. We started off small, and it was harder than it looked. My snowboarding husband got the hang of things quick, but if you don’t wax your board well enough, you just end up stuck. 

What wears you out is climbing back up the hills of sand repeatedly. But my kids who were loving it didn’t complain; it was me who quit first. We saw other families with younger kids who opted for sleds over boards, and it looked like just as much fun. The sand was so soft and warm I was happy to wait until my kids had their fill. 

Farewell to Florence 

Craving burritos after our adventure, we took a five-minute drive to Los Compadres which totally hit the spot. After dinner, my parents and I took another walk through town. This time I stopped at BJ’s for a cone as we wandered past the docks and pioneer museum to Exploding Whale Memorial Park. Another of Florence’s claims to fame is the story of a sperm whale that washed ashore in 1970. The smell was a concern, so local officials decided to use dynamite to destroy the carcass. It was a terrible method as the explosion left a mess over 800 feet away and most of the whale remained on the beach. 

Yet, Florence residents hold this story in their hearts. The Exploding Whale Memorial Park is not the actual location of where the whale landed; it’s a quiet and gorgeous spot on the Siuslaw river where we saw a crane up close and sat in trees shaped in just the right way to make a bench. It was the perfect place to say goodbye to the dunes as the sun set over the sparkling river. 

While traveling, I explained to my kids that road trips were just what we did before the internet could instantly find you dozens of flight deals. Going with the flow and stopping where you liked was the vacation. Florence is a fantastic destination for making the journey part of the experience. I honestly wished we could have spent a whole day at each location we stopped at there was so much to do and so much beauty to behold. 

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