Oregon Doesn’t Stop at the Beach

Cape Perpetua Area Activities Guide

Hike, dive, surf, explore. Adjacent to the reserve is a protected coastal rainforest where visitors have many opportunities for viewing wildlife such as marbled murrelets— a threatened seabird that nests in old-growth trees. Other fun activities in and around the area include the Sea Lion Caves, where you can view steller sea lions, and the Heceta Head Lighthouse.

Download the Cape Perpetua Area Activities Guide to assist in your planning.

Download Activities Guide

Tidepool Etiquette

Do you have proper tidepool etiquette?

Many tidepools in the marine reserve are special for people and animals alike but we need to take care and respect these animals’ homes. Be gentle with them, return everything where you found it, and make sure not to step on barnacles and muscles.

While exploring tidepools is fun, make sure to keep yourself and your family safe. NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THE OCEAN. Even if it looks fine, sneaker waves are real and can come out of nowhere, pulling you out into the ocean. Keep away from the edge of a tidepool to also avoid these dangerous waves. Before you head out, know the tide schedule of where you are heading or you could get trapped tidepooling.

You can also learn more at oregontidepools.org.

Download Tidepool Etiquette

Beach Access

Oregon’s beaches are ALL public!

Viewpoints

Tidepool Areas

Recommended Hikes

The hikes listed below include trails with viewpoints overlooking Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve and Protected Areas.

Be a Community Scientist

Citizen Scientists are an important part of the Cape Perpetua Collaborative. They are volunteers who help gather data monitoring wildlife and the ecosystem. This a great way to meet other people, explore nature, gain experience, and/or get community service hours for school. Some citizen science programs include:

Beach Cleanups / Marine Debris Monitoring
Join an event to pick up litter and marine debris to gather baseline data on humans’ impact on the environment (see our events schedule).

Blue Water Task Force
A 100% volunteer-run project that collects and tests water quality at local recreational beaches (year-round).

King Tides Photo Initiative
Contribute to an education initiative to demonstrate the impact of rising water levels by taking photos during different tides (year-round).

Brown Pelican Monitoring (May + Sept)
Track Brown Pelican populations and their numbers to add data to bird and fish conservation efforts (May and September).

Seabird Colony Monitoring (June-August)
Observe seabird nests and track the growth of chicks in marine reserves and marine protected areas (June to August).

Marbled Murrelet Training (July)
Track endangered marbled murrelets in their old-growth forest nesting grounds and coastal water habitats (July).

BioBlitz / iNaturalist Monitoring
Help build a species presence database through volunteer events (Summer to Fall).

Black Oystercatcher Monitoring
Monitor these birds with character on Oregon’s north, central, and south coast to provide baseline data about their biology (May to August).

Beached Birds Survey
Walk the coastline finding beached birds and recording their species, cause of death, and other factors to add important data to a 20-year-old citizen scientist project (year-round).