Oregon Coast Scenery That Makes a Scene: Overlooks at Manzanita, Video

Published 04/19/2018 at 3:16 PM PDT - Updated 04/19/2018 at 8:07 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Manzanita, Oregon) – The term “killer views” takes on new meaning on one part of the north Oregon coast. They're called the Neahkahnie Overlooks above Manzanita, and it's a non-stop supply of oceanic eye candy.

As you drive above Manzanita, on the curvy, lofty part of Highway 101 that stands hundreds of feet above the surf and yet a few hundred feet below the tip of Neahkahnie Mountain, you will be awed. Guaranteed. These are, afterall, some of the most photographed spots on the entire Oregon coast.

One after the other, these rather famous viewpoints pop into existence as you round the turns towards Manzanita - all with rather charming little basalt rock walls surrounding them.

During stormier weather, this cliff top is the target of high winds, and it's not uncommon to feel them quite sternly while driving in your car. They knock you about a bit.

It’s near this viewpoint where you’ll find the entrance to the hiking path up Neahkahnie Mountain, where more aerial views of this area are to be had.

That climbs up to a total of 1600 feet, making it the highest peak on the Oregon coast.

Along one of the pullouts, a pyramid-like rock is one of the more recognizable features of the Manzanita area – and one of the more often photographed structures on the coast. It’s even briefly featured in an RV commercial on TV.

One of the lookouts lets you look southward as well as straight out west to the vast ocean. Unbelievable sights are regularly spotted while looking deeply into this seascape. Unusual waves colliding and making bigger waves. Whales. Blobs of sunlight shining on the water. Or boats. Lots of boats.

As you stand above all this wondrous spectacle, you don’t need massive storm systems to make impressive waves below. They tend to happen on days that are simply a medium shade of unruly. It helps that the breakers have large, basalt land masses to contend with, and thus have no choice but to smack up against the rocks in a gleeful display of oceanic pyrotechnics.

Wintertime is a perfect time to catch these monsters of the surface plodding in towards the beach, however. It doesn’t have to be uncomfortably windy on the viewpoints to see these, either. Bring food to gobble in your vehicle and you have a dinner and a show. If you haven't visited this part of the Oregon coast yet, you might want to put it on your bucket list.

See more on this area at the Manzanita / Nehalem Bay / Rockaway Beach Virtual Tour. More photos below. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this - Where to eat - Maps and Virtual Tours

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