Pacific City Beach

Pacific City Beach is a hugely diverse landscape, though the attention of most people will fall immediately on the its wide expanse of gently undulating sand.

At its southern extreme is a spit of land created by the Big Nestucca River entering the Pacific Ocean which attracts everything from herons to puffins, making the beach popular with bird watchers. Seals, sea lions, otters, and porpoises can all be seen in the surf.

To the north are the large sand dunes of Cape Kiwanda, which can be climbed up and even jumped off with a hang glider for the adrenaline junkies among us. This is also the beach’s most frequently used access point.

The large offshore sea stack known as Haystack Rock creates some unusual wave patterns that tempt more competent surfers. September’s International Longboard Championships attract surfers from right around the globe - a sure sign of the quality breaks.

While the boat ramp at Pacific City Beach is still used by fishermen who land their catch on the beach as they have done for a hundred years, it also means the beach is accessible to those in wheelchairs and with limited mobility.