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Pacific Coast Scenic Byway
Highway 101 is also known as the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway, Oregon Section, and is both a state and federal scenic byway. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) designates scenic byways.
The portion of the Scenic Byway that passes through our area abounds with breathtaking Pacific Ocean views, pristine beaches, rugged cliffs, lush rain forest and charming villages. Hiking, camping, surfing, windsurfing, beach combing, kite flying, bicycling - there's a way for everyone to enjoy the area along the Byway's route.
To the south of Cannon Beach, the byway (Highway 101) rises to 700 feet - the highest roadbed above an ocean view on the Oregon Coast.
See also the Oswald West State Park and Nehalem Bay State Park pages and take the time to visit both parks - one a lush rain forest with many walking and hiking trails and the home of Short Sands Beach and the other a grassy, sand dune environment, home to a large variety of birds. Cameras are a must!
Heading south on Highway 101, leaving Cannon Beach you pass thru the Arch Cape Tunnel and Oswald West State Park. After leaving the park, look for a large vista point on your right, and be sure to stop. If you are traveling north, the vista point will be on your left about two miles north of Manzanita, after several smaller viewing turn-outs. From this vista point, you can see the Oregon Coastline to Rockaway Beach and beyond, with the village of Manzanita and its seven mile beach in the foreground, the Nehalem River and Nehalem Bay in the background (no, that's not a lake!).
There is a plaque at the vista point that reads:
If sight of sand and sky and sea has given respite from your daily cares - then pause to thank Oswald West, former governor of Oregon - 1911-1915. By his foresight nearly 400 miles of the ocean shore was set aside for public use from the Columbia River on the north to the California border on the south.
While at the vista point, be sure to notice the rock wall supporting Highway 101 as it clings to Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain. The wall was built in the 1930s by Italian and Greek stone masons imported for their masonry skills. Each rock was chipped to fit snuggly with the others without the use of mortar! The men who built the highway worked with very little safety equipment other than ropes tied around their waists.
The other, smaller turn-outs south of the large vista point each offer a different perspective on one of the most breathtaking views of the Northern Oregon Coastline.