Ecola State Park - Incredible Scenery of Oregon Coast

A beautiful coastal forest, Ecola State Park offers breathtaking views of the ocean, rocky shorelines, abandoned "Terrible Tilly" Lighthouse, and see Pacific Northwest flora and fauna. The park stretches 9 miles between Cannon Beach and Seaside and provides access to Indian Beach and Crescent Beach. This area is a great destination to enjoy a scenic nature and practice your favorite activities including picnicking, surfing, wildlife and tidepool watching, hiking, and rockhounding.

Trails here will take you through the dense Sitka spruce forest to multiple viewpoints. You can even take an extended hike to get to both cities of Cannon Beach and Seaside.

Ecola State Park requires a standard Oregon State Park access fee. Remember that it is a day-use area only, unless you are hiking the Oregon Coast Trail. Please, keep in mind that some trails and roads might be closed due to the danger of landslides or to repair landslide damage. Pets are allowed in the park but must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet long.

Hiking

The state park has miles of scenic trails spread out along the 853-acre area. The 8-mile-long part of the famous Oregon Coast Trail runs through it. There are hikes of various difficulties, from easy family-friendly walks to challenging trails.

One of the best trails to explore the forest in the park is Clatsop Loop Trail. This is a moderate-difficulty, family-friendly 3-mile loop hike with some uphill walking. The easy 0.6-mile Tillamook Rock Lighthouse Loop from the Clatsop Loop 4-way junction will take you to the Terrible Tilly Viewpoint. Tillamook Head Trail is a 12.6-mile out-and-back hike that will take you to the city of Seaside. There are much more routes to explore and combine for the exact length and difficulty of the hike you want.

The park also provides access to multiple beaches nearby including Indian Beach and Crescent Beach. Hike to Indian Beach is easy and family-friendly from the trailhead. The trail to Crescent Beach from Ecola Point is 1.5 miles long and relatively difficult with steep and muddy places.

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse (Terrible Tilly)

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, also known as Terrible Tilly Lighthouse, is a unique piece of Oregon history located on the rock about a mile offshore from the Tillamook Head. Both the rock itself and the lighthouse construction claimed dozens of lives. It also happened to be the most expensive lighthouse ever constructed on the West Coast with the final price sitting around $3.51 million in today's dollars.

While you can't get to Terrible Tilly, you can see it from the Tillamook Head Viewpoint. There are multiple ways to get there including a moderate-difficulty 1.2 miles one-way hike from Indian Beach Day-Use Area State or 2.9 miles one-way hike from Tillamook Head Trailhead in Seaside.

Wildlife Watching

Ecola State Park allows you to see both the ocean and forest creatures. You can see bald eagles, gulls, brown pelicans, harlequin ducks, surf scooters, pelagic cormorants, and other birds. Seals and sea lions are guests in the area too, commonly playing, hunting, and socializing at Terrible Tilly or on the rocks nearby. During the whale migration season, you can watch those mighty ocean creatures as well. In the park itself, you can sometimes see Roosevelt elk, especially around sunrise and sunset.