Quick Guide to Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases through the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, providing a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon at no extra cost to you. I am very grateful for these orders, which help fund the blog.

When you see something on the Oregon Coast called a viewpoint, it can mean a lot of things. Sometimes, it’s a widened shoulder on Highway 101 where no one lingers for more than a few minutes. Others, like Cape Meares State Viewpoint, make you want to stay all day. With an octopus-shaped tree, Oregon’s shortest lighthouse, old-growth Sitka spruce and hemlock trees, seabirds galore, and more viewpoints than you can shake a stick at, Cape Meares deserves more than a quick stop. Here is everything you need to know about visiting Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint and Wildlife Refuge.

Cape Meares picnic area — *My favorite picnic area at Cape Meares*

Know before you go

It’s free to visit Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint. You don’t need a pass or permit to park.
Leashed dogs are welcome at Cape Meares. Only service animals can enter the lighthouse.
Restrooms are next to the main parking lot.
Cape Meares has a couple of picnic areas. One you can’t miss. It’s right next to the main parking lot. The other is tucked away in the trees just to the south.
The viewpoints at Cape Meares are fenced and family-friendly. You can reach many areas with a stroller, including the lighthouse, the Octopus Tree, and several viewpoints.
The viewpoints on the north and south ends of the main parking lot are easy to reach with most mobility devices. There are flat, paved paths without steps. The 0.1-mile trail to the Octopus Tree is unpaved but flat and even. These areas also have benches.
Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint has several miles of hiking trails but also plenty to see with little to no hiking.

*The accessible viewpoints at Cape Meares overlook crashing waves and rugged cliffs*

Where to park

Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint has two parking areas. Both are free.

Small parking area at the entrance: Use this lot to access the trailhead for the Big Spruce Trail and the steep trail down to the beach. It has no amenities.
Main parking lot: Park here to see the most famous attractions at Cape Meares, like the Cape Meares Lighthouse, the Octopus Tree, and the best viewpoints. This lot has restrooms and picnic tables nearby. It also has accessible parking spots, walkways, interpretive information, and viewpoints.

*This structure by the main parking lot has interpretive information*

When you first turn into Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint, you'll see the small parking area. I’d suggest driving past it, at least for now, and heading to the main parking lot about a quarter mile down the road. If you have more time and energy after seeing the sights near the main lot, return to the smaller lot to hike the other trails. It’s all worth doing, but the views around the lighthouse are knockouts.

Cape Meares Trailhead sign — *There is a small parking lot and trailhead by the park entrance*

Things to do at Cape Meares

Lighthouse Viewpoint

Starting at the main parking lot, an easy, paved 0.2-mile loop will bring you to the Cape Meares Lighthouse at the end of the headland. At 38 feet, this squat little lighthouse is the shortest in Oregon. Its most interesting feature is its large, kerosene-powered Fresnel lens, first lit in 1890. The lower level of the lighthouse is open to the public during the summer. It’s free to have a look around with donations welcome.

The Cape Meares Lighthouse has a lot of charm, but the main attraction in my mind is the scenery around it. The lighthouse stands over 200 feet above the waves, providing ocean panoramas for miles around. Viewpoints on the Lighthouse Loop Trail overlook the towering cliffs and wave-buffeted sea stacks of Cape Meares, both favorite perches for visiting sea birds like tufted puffins, cormorants, pigeon guillemots, and common murres. When the ocean is calm, these viewpoints are excellent whale-watching spots. In early summer, look for wild roses and salal blooming along the trail. To the south, you’ll see Short Beach, Three Arch Rocks, and the jutting headland of Cape Lookout.

Cape Meares Lighthouse Loop Trail — *Lighthouse Loop Trail*

Octopus Tree

The Octopus Tree is one of the most fascinating oddities on the Oregon Coast. Starting from the main parking lot, an easy, 0.1-mile hiking trail leads through the woods out to a whopping big Sitka spruce somewhere in the ballpark of 300 years old. Although unpaved, the trail is flat and even enough to make it doable with strollers and wheelchairs. Once you reach the tree, you can make a little circle around it to admire all of its unusual contours.

Measuring 100 feet tall and 14 feet across at its base, the Octopus Tree is much larger than its neighbors but its strange shape is what makes it stand out. Rather than a central trunk, six thick limbs radiate out from a central hub like the tentacles of an octopus. In front of the tree, one of my all-time favorite informational signs explains that either human influences or natural processes formed the Octopus Tree. In other words, we have no idea whatsoever why it looks like that.

Continue about 50 feet past the Octopus Tree to one of the best viewpoints on Cape Meares. The bench here is the perfect place to relax while you take in the sweeping views of the Oregon Coast to the south, including Short Beach, Three Arch Rocks, Oceanside Beach, and Cape Lookout.

Cape Meares Viewpoint — *Viewpoint by the Octopus Tree*

Big Spruce Trail

Big Spruce Cape Meares Oregon — *The Big Spruce*

The easy, 0.3-mile Big Spruce Trail leads to Cape Meares’s other remarkable tree, a massive Sitka spruce thought to be about 800 years old. This one is decidedly tree-shaped, but its size and age make it memorable. At 144 feet tall and 48 feet around, the Big Spruce is the largest Sitka spruce in Oregon.

From the small parking area at the entrance of Cape Meares, take the trail to the left until you reach the Big Spruce. Unlike the trails around the lighthouse, this one is lightly trafficked and quiet. The greenery along the narrow dirt path is dense and less maintained than the more popular trails. The journey wasn’t difficult even though I felt like I was walking through the jungle as I pushed leafy branches out of the way. When you reach the Big Spruce, you can circle it, then return the way you came.

How to find the beach at Cape Meares

Cape Meares Beach hiking trail — *Trail to Cape Meares Beach*

Almost all the things to do at Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint are well above sea level, but there is one seldom-visited trail that will bring you to the beach. It shares a trailhead with the Big Spruce Trail, making it easy to combine the two for about 2 miles of total distance. The beach trail is moderately difficult and sometimes muddy. If you’re looking for easy beach access, leave Cape Meares and drive five minutes south to Oceanside Beach. If you want to escape the crowds and have a little adventure, read on.

*A garter snake suns itself on the trail*

From the trailhead, take a right to head toward the beach. From here, the trail makes a meandering path through an old-growth forest full of dense ferns and giant, moss-covered Sitka spruce and hemlock trees. In spring you can spot a few wildflowers in the undergrowth like trillium and wood sorrel. In early summer, look for monkey flowers and false lilies of the valley.

Cape Meares Beach trail — *Horsetails surround the end of the trail to the beach*

The beach trail explores the Cape Meares Wildlife Refuge. It’s quiet and uncrowded enough to give you a good chance of seeing some animals while you’re here. I came close to stepping on a garter snake sunning itself on the trail. Later, a sparrow flew under my foot as I was mid-step. At the end of the hike, you’ll be at a beach with even more wildlife potential. A family of bald eagles was swooping overhead when I arrived. On the shore, a group of black oystercatchers waded.

The beach to the north of Cape Meares is tucked away and often deserted. The cliffs of the headland rise at the south end of the beach. If you walk north, you’ll reach the town of Cape Meares when the tide doesn’t cut off access around a little sandstone ledge.

Cape Meares Beach Oregon — *Cape Meares Beach*

Wildlife at Cape Meares

Bald eagle Cape Meares — *A bald eagle circles above Cape Meares Beach*

Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint is one of the best places on the Oregon Coast to see wildlife. The trails around the lighthouse are high enough above the ocean to make them ideal bird and whale-watching spots. Seabirds nest on the cliffs and sea stacks around Cape Meares, drawing the attention of bald eagles on the hunt. In summer, you can see thousands of seabirds here when they are nesting.

Black oystercatchers Cape Meares — *Black oystercatchers on Cape Meares Beach*

Bring good binoculars to look for Steller sea lions, California sea lions, and harbor seals lounging on the sea stacks near Cape Meares. Three Arch Rocks are great places to start your search.

Things to do near Cape Meares

Oceanside Beach

Tunnel Beach Oceanside Oregon — *Oceanside’s Tunnel Beach*

About five minutes south of Cape Meares is Oceanside, a small and tranquil coastal town on a hill. It has a coffee shop and restaurant but not much else in the way of services. The biggest draw here is Oceanside Beach, which connects to a neighboring, hidden beach by way of a tunnel through the headland separating them. You can walk through this passage to reach Tunnel Beach, one of the best places on the Oregon Coast to find agates and sea glass. Back at Oceanside Beach, use a good pair of binoculars to look for birds and sea lions on Three Arch Rocks.

Three Capes Scenic Loop

Cape Lookout sunset Oregon — *Cape Lookout*

Cape Meares is the first cape on the Three Capes Scenic Loop, a 40-mile driving tour connecting some of the Oregon Coast's most beautiful parks. The drive starts and ends in Tillamook with plenty of ocean views along the journey. After seeing Cape Meares, head south to reach the loop’s other capes, Cape Lookout and Cape Kiwanda, before returning to Tillamook. There are many possible bonus stops beyond the main attractions. My favorites are Tunnel Beach, McPhillips Beach, Sitka Sedge State Natural Area, and Munson Creek Falls.

Getting there

To reach Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint from Portland, take Highway 26 W until the exit for US-6 W. Make a slight left onto US-6 W towards Banks/Tillamook and continue for 50 miles. Drive through Tillamook, then turn right onto Bayocean Rd. After 5.3 miles, make a left onto Bayshore Dr. Look for the entrance to Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint on your right. The drive from Portland takes about 1 hour 40 minutes.

Enjoy your trip to Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint!

With love,

Emma

Quick Guide to Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint

Know before you go

Where to park