After hearing from many guests about how great Pacific City is, love the Pelican Brewery, hiking the dunes and rocks, we decided we had to go see for ourselves! We took Meadow Lake Rd west out of Carlton to the Coast. This is a very scenic drive and took about 1 hour 45 minutes. There are a few spots to stop and take a hike if so inclined but we drove straight through. The road is paved most of the way and when you come upon the gravel part - never fear, it only lasts for about 3 miles. But go slow, because it is a little rough.
We got to 101 and you turn left, headed south. Follow the signs into Pacific City and then to Cape Kiwanda and the Pelican Brewery. The beer was great and I had a scrumptious hamburger and Andy fish/chips. Pick up a couple of bottles of the special Belgian brews to take with you too!
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| Dunes hill climb! |
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| Cape Kiwanda from the Air |
After lunch, we hiked up the dunes - not for the faint of heart! I thought I was in good shape but there is little hiking more difficult than sand (except deep snow). But, the views from the top and the hike around to see the waves crashing on the cliffs below is well worth it!
The beach is great walking beach too and offers many photo opportunities from haystack rock (yes, they have one too Canon Beach!) and the surfers playing in the waves. If you like climbing around on rocks, this is the beach for you too!
We took 101 back to 22 to 18 and then home to complete the loop. About 1.5 hours. A great day trip!
