Ecola State Park

In January 1806, a small party from the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed this headland on foot. They had heard that a whale had washed ashore to the south and was being harvested by the local Clatsop and Tillamook people, and they set out over Tillamook Head to trade for its blubber and oil to feed their hungry camp. William Clark's journal entry from the summit describes the coast below as the grandest and most pleasing prospect his eyes had ever surveyed.

That crossing is now remembered along the park's Clatsop Loop Trail, a roughly two-and-a-half-mile historical route that climbs through the forest of Tillamook Head. Today Ecola is part of the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Park, tying this stretch of coast into the larger story of the Corps of Discovery's winter on the Pacific.

The park's most famous overlooks sit at Ecola Point, a short walk from the main lot, where the ground falls away to a panorama of surf, sea stacks, and the long curve of Cannon Beach with Haystack Rock rising from the sand. It is one of the most photographed views on the Oregon coast, and it changes hour by hour as fog, sun, and tide move across it.

Look north from the headland and you can pick out the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, a small stone light standing on a lone basalt rock more than a mile offshore. Built in the 1880s in one of the most storm-battered spots on the coast, it was so relentlessly hammered by the sea that keepers gave it the grim nickname Terrible Tilly. Long since retired, it now sits empty and unreachable, a haunting punctuation mark on the horizon.

A short, winding drive through the forest from Ecola Point leads to Indian Beach, a wilder cove tucked below the headland. It is a favorite with surfers for its consistent break, and a fine place for anyone to explore tide pools, hunt for driftwood, or simply walk the wave-swept sand under the cliffs.

From Indian Beach and Ecola Point, trails climb into the spruce forest of Tillamook Head, including an eight-mile segment of the Oregon Coast Trail that runs all the way toward Seaside. The park's mix of quick viewpoint strolls and serious forest hikes means you can spend twenty minutes here or a whole day. Filmmakers noticed the same drama long ago; parts of a famous 1980s adventure film were shot in and around the park, and its moody coast has drawn cameras ever since.

The park entrance is just north of Cannon Beach, off Highway 101, with a state-park day-use fee at the gate. From there a narrow, winding forest road leads first to Ecola Point and then on to Indian Beach, so take it slowly and watch for oncoming cars and pedestrians. The lots are modest, and on sunny summer weekends they fill early, so an early start or a weekday visit pays off.

Come dressed for the coast, with layers and rain protection even in summer, since Tillamook Head catches wind, fog, and drizzle. Give yourself at least a couple of hours to walk out to the viewpoints, drive down to Indian Beach, and, if you have the time and legs, climb a stretch of the Clatsop Loop into the old forest where Clark once stood and looked out over the same wild ocean.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.