N. Oregon Coast from a Different Perspective: Aerial Views of Manzanita to Seaside

Published 09/15/22 at 12:05 AM
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Cannon Beach, Oregon) – One thing that is a constant along the Oregon coast is that it's always changing. Sands shift around on beaches like fidgety children, tides toss the interesting and the odd onto the shoreline with regularity, and rock structures that anchor your sense of place can hide or emerge with various conditions. (Photos Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Above: tip of Tillamook Head and a feature you can't see any other way than by aircraft)

Nothing ever stays the same.

Have you ever really gotten the bigger picture, however? That would mean checking out the Oregon coast from above, and it's from this perspective that things really get intriguing. Oregon Coast Beach Connection managed to hitch a couple of rides by plane and helicopter over the region years ago. These images come from those adventures - and they're views you can't always get by drone.

Zipping over Tillamook Head, you can get a glimpse of a whole new world not normally seen by the visitor. The contours and indentations of this vast and varying landscape become apparent. There’s a definite sense of glee to look at beaches and hidden coves you’ve never seen before – especially if you’re a seasoned coastie who’s seen it all.

Seaside's famed Turnaround is seen here, above, framed by various rooftops, and looking quite a bit more claustrophobic than it does in the expansive, open air point of view that you usually see it from. The sand disappears off the frame, however, and you get a sense of how broad this beach actually is. You still can’t see the tideline from this shot, which is usually about 800 to 1,000 feet from the Prom.

The highlight of any such aerial adventure would, of course, be cruising over Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, which has been around since the late 1800’s. It was decommissioned in the 1950s, but it’s still one of the more mesmerizing and mysterious landmarks of the entire Oregon coast, sitting a good mile offshore.

Indian Beach, part of Cannon Beach’s Ecola State Park, is a huge surfing hotspot. But up here, it looks like a giant slug.

Ecola State Park itself is known for dramatic views and stunning ocean vistas. Up here, that massive parking lot is a mere spot in the photo – slightly larger than a bug from this perspective. This view also gives you glimpses of numerous secret beach spots – some of which can be reached via very rough trails.

Arch Cape, just south of Cannon Beach, is often known for the landmark sea stacks that cap the northern end of a hidden beach beneath these cliffs. They don’t look so gargantuan anymore. You can see much more of that secret rocky beach as well.

Above the area near Manzanita, Cape Falcon and the cliffs below Neahkahnie Mountain downright create revelations. You never see them, but there's a ton of sea caves down there: gaping holes in the rocks that practically scream for exploration and discovery. Pieces of Legendary Oregon Coast Spanish Galleon Wreck Retrieved Near Manzanita - Part 1

Indeed, in recent years a remarkable find was made there. Archaeologists discovered chunks of an old shipwreck, determined to be from a Spanish galleon in the 1700s. In fact, it's likely this is the same galleon that provided this part of the north Oregon coast with beeswax for centuries, until recent decades.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees nearly 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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