The Central Coast

On the Oregon Coast, we’re committed to welcoming all, and that includes celebrating LGBTQ+ visitors and residents during Pride month and all year round.  “Here on the coast, Pride isn’t just a parade or a party—it’s a commitment,” says Scott...

For years mountain biking on the Oregon Coast has existed quietly alongside the region’s better-known draws: wide beaches, cold-water surf and fog-draped headlands. But a wave of new trail development, events and long-term planning is beginning to change that. From newly opened public trails near Pacific City to shuttle-served descents near Gold Beach, the Coast is shaping a mountain bike experience that pairs well with everything else people already love about being here.

Spring on the Oregon Coast brings not only warmer weather but also more wildlife — migrating gray whales, raucous colonies of common murres on cliff ledges and charismatic tufted puffins perched on sea stacks. While all wildlife should be viewed from a safe distance, one species in particular requires extra care: western snowy plovers.

On most mornings, Duncan Berry watches Roosevelt elk quietly slip through woodlands outside his art studio in the United Nations Biosphere Reserve at Cascade Head on the Central Coast. Inside, as he practices gyotaku — the centuries-old Japanese art of pressing rice paper onto inked fish — Berry occasionally pauses to look out over the Salmon River estuary, a living corridor for wildlife and several of Oregon’s iconic salmon species. It’s one of many places he finds inspiration for artwork that speaks for the ocean.

Winter is a time for slowing down and cozying up, and few places are better suited for doing just that than the Oregon Coast. While many visitors come to the Coast for outdoor activities like storm-watching and spotting whales, it’s good to keep in mind that winter brings a host of indoor delights, too, designed for relaxation and rejuvenation. Here’s how to make the most of the quiet season on the Coast.

Oregon state parks cover our beautiful coastline, with day-use areas and well-appointed campgrounds residing in forests of fir and Sitka spruce, in view of dramatic sea stacks just offshore and atop wide-open bluffs that offer idyllic opportunities for whale-watching.