Ecola State Park

Ecola State Park ($3 day-use fee) is just north of the Cannon Beach [1] town site. Thick conifer forests line the access road to Ecola Point. This forested cliff has many trails leading down to the water. The view south takes in Haystack Rock [2] and the overlapping peaks of the Coast Range extending to Neahkahnie Mountain. This is one of the most photographed views on the Oregon [3] coast.

Out to sea, the sight of sea lions basking on surf-drenched rocks (mid-Apr.–July) or migrating gray whales (Dec. and Mar.) and orcas (May) are seasonal highlights.

From Ecola Point, trails lead north to horseshoe-shaped Indian Beach, a favorite with surfers. Some prefer to drive the steep narrow road down to Indian Beach as a prelude to hiking up Tillamook Head [4], considered by Lewis and Clark the region’s most beautiful viewpoint. The 2.5-mile Clatsop Loop trail begins and ends at Indian Beach and climbs through Sitka spruce to a viewpoint. Ambitious hikers can do the first half of the loop, then continue another four miles north to Seaside [5].

The name Ecola means “whale” in Chinook and was first used as a place-name by William Clark, referring to a creek in the area. Lewis and Clark journals note a 105-foot beached whale found somewhere within present-day Ecola Park’s southern border, Crescent Beach. This area represents the southernmost extent of Lewis and Clark’s coastal Oregon [3] travels.