The Central Coast

Whatever your adventurous curiosities, there’s nothing like the promise of a new year to start turning aspirations into experiences. And what better place than the Oregon Coast to try an adventure that’s new to you. From mountain biking and disc golfing to guided fishing trips, fat-tire biking and paddling, the Oregon Coast is packed with adventure. Here are five to try.

Digging clams for dinner is a beloved tradition on the Oregon Coast. Whether they’re steamed, fried or the star of a hearty chowder, bivalves are a prized ingredient from the sea. Armed with a license and a few tools, you can explore an entire menu on Oregon’s coastal bays, which are home to five major clam species including the gaper, cockle, littleneck, butter and soft-shell. Or head to the North Coast, where you can find the succulent razor clam on ocean beaches. Here are some top places for clam digging and enjoying these briny treats on Oregon’s coast.

For centuries mariners grappled with how to navigate channels up and down the Oregon Coast. The Columbia Bar, for instance, sits where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean — and has been the site of roughly 2,000 shipwrecks since 1792. Though nowadays things are much safer with jetties and bar pilots, the bar’s rough waters earned it the nickname “Graveyard of the Pacific.” Other passages have less dramatic but no less powerful stories of their own.

Though better known for oceanside fish and chips and DIY crabbing and clamming in its many bays, the Oregon Coast is also the home of rolling pasture land and a long history of making cheese. The lush green pastures of the Coast Range foothills are home to herds of Holsteins and Jerseys, and some pretty cute goats, too, whose milk is the basis for delicious cheeses. Add one of these cheesy spots to your next Coast visit, or plan a whole cheese-tasting road trip.

For many people, winter is a time to slow down, get cozy, relax and reflect — and the Oregon Coast is just the place to do it. While the natural beauty of the Coast is enough to inspire a deep sense of peace in those who visit, it also features excellent hotels and spas where wellness takes center stage, many of which offer enticing off-season rates. Here are some of our favorite places for your winter wellness retreat.

As a new style in the cycling world, gravel riding has exploded in popularity across the country. Defined by its versatility, gravel biking allows riders to traverse a variety of less trafficked, nontechnical terrains that deliver ample opportunity for solitude, scenery and a variety of distances. Visitors find gravel riding perfect for mountainous states like Oregon due to the abundance of trails and nearly 30,000 national forest service roads in the state, where cyclists can explore for miles.