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Free Traveling Guides » States » Oregon » Greater Oregon
Cape Perpetua Scenic Area
Cape Perpetua is well known for the scenic beauty of its 2,700-acre (4.2 square-miles) rain forest. The botanical mass per square acre in this forest is almost twice of that in the Amazon jungle. The rocky ledges and the isolated coves at the forest end are bombarded by the ocean waves all the time. This forest is known for spotted owls, colossal sword ferns, enormous trees, elk, deer, marbled murrelets, etc. However, you will rarely be able to find any parrots, poisonous plants, piranhas, and snakes here.
There is a lot to see and appreciate in the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area. The best place here is the Cape Perpetua Interpretive Center that features many "please touch" exhibits and killer panoramas.
Several family environmental programs are featured on Saturdays. These two hour long programs include the Child and Parent Environmental activities (CAPE) like hikes, identifying edible plants, and whale-watching.
There are many activities for children of ages 4 to 12 years. Older kids and parents are allowed to participate as junior interpreters. These activities include a bird program, edible-plant day programs, wood-products program, tide pool exploration, and the famous ‘predator and prey’ game. You can also plan to explore the many graveled trails along Cape Perpetua's rocky flanks. You can also see and enjoy the ocean coves full of a variety of marine life.
Another major attraction here is the one-mile (1.6 km) long Giant Spruce Trail. This trail will lead you to an enormous tree. This tree is about 500 year old and its thickness is approximately 15 feet (4.57 m). There is a gnarled root system with kid-size crawl spaces at the base of the tree.
Another well-known trail is the Captain Cook trail. It is a wonderful one-third mile trail leading to the sea level. Do not forget to visit the "spouting horn,'' which is a cave-top blowhole spewing spray along this trail.
One can search for agates on the gravelly beaches at low tide. The tide tables can be obtained at the interpretive center.
You can visit the West Shelter, located high above the visitor center, on a clear day. From here you can enjoy the magnificent view encompassing 40 miles (64.3 km) out to sea and 150 miles (241 km) north to south, that is, from Cape Foul weather to Cape Blanco.
The Cape Perpetua Scenic Area has a lot to offer and is a perfect holiday destination.
- Address: 2400 Highway 101,
Yachats, Oregon 97498
- Telephone: (541) 547-3289
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