What a beautiful destination. We started out by walking down to the tide pools. We got there at low…read moretide and the Ranger there was very helpful. To get to the tide pools, you have to walk across uneven rocks, so it is not easily accessible for people with balance issues. It's worth noting that the staircase in the lighthouse is under construction and not available. From there, we walked up the incline to get views of the cove and the north beach areas. It was just one perfect photo after another. We then hopped back into the car and drove down to the Cove parking lot. There are not many parking spaces there, but we were there early and had no problem. Just another wonderful set of views.

Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area is just amazing. But I will admit that I am heavily biased in…read moremy opinion as I love Newport, Oregon and could easily see myself having a second home here. Perhaps even a primary home as well but I do like living in a large metro area because of the various services and entertainment options at your disposal. I have been to this Natural Area twice now and it's just so beautiful! The first time I really took advantage of taking pictures of the lighthouse here as well as the view. The second time was a repeat of that particular activity but in addition to that we went down to the tide pools and were immediately entranced with all of the aquatic life in those pools. We took pictures of that and were just so revitalized immersing ourselves in the nature there. I t was beautiful and simply amazing. Really nothing else needs to be said other than if you are touring along the Oregon Coast and are hitting the lighthouses this is a must stop... well they all are actually but this one really is. There is another lighthouse on the south end of town so Newport has scenic and at another time more practical advantage of having two lighthouses in the same town all within very close proximity. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area is truly a beautiful place!

This is a beautiful stretch of sandy beach. The park itself features a huge picnic area and…read morerestrooms with running water. As of August 2020, the trash seemed to be picked up regularly and the restrooms were open. To get to the beach from the parking area, you follow a paved trail for a few hundred yards and cross a creek over a bridge (this was the highlight for my 3 year old).

We were just kind of stopping at anything of interest so decided to check this park out. Lots of…read moreparking and a huge open area. So many picnic benches around to chill at. Right by the water and we even saw a guy fishing. Watch out for all the adorable caterpillars trying to get around. It seemed like a really nice spot to hang out when the weather's nice. There's a cute bridge that leads to easy beach access. You can't tell just by driving by but on a map you can see this place is surrounded by water. I feel like people might pass by but realizing it's a great place to park and go to the beach. They have large public bathrooms with changing benches inside. I thought that was a nice touch for anyone wanting to get into a swimsuit or out of wet clothes and not something I see too often. We stayed a bit and wandered around. Nice place.

A short and sweet flat trail with some boardwalk. It pretty much is on the outskirts of an Oceanic…read moremuseum, park and various Federal nature office stand alone buildings. One can expand the walk and continue walking into some residential areas. Even more beyond, there is Rogue Brewery and more wharf like areas. I enjoyed the University's Oceanic museum there. A good place for a leisurely stroll to take in the sheltered estuary to the bridge. Parking seemed open almost everywhere except where there were no parking signs. No actual restrooms or water fountains.

This short little trail is totally worth a visit. Despite going to the Marine Science Center many…read moretimes over the years, we had never noticed this trial, which is accessible in the northeast corner of the parking lot. We enjoyed reading the signs to teach my kids about estuary ecosystems and looking at the birds and boats. The trail is less than half a mile, but we spent about 40 minutes in total.

We stopped here on the way to go to a trail by Devil's Lake. The area, which was across the lake,…read morewas on fire so we stayed on the side of the lake and enjoyed the ducks. There is a nice playground for kids and in the ramada, some information about the ducks you can see on the lake. Some of the ducks were close to shore so we were able to see them up close. It was a nice spot to stop and with good information.

This place is giant!! Huge castle like wooden structure with tire swings, things to climb, etc…read more There is also an area up the hill with more modern play structures to spin on and swings. This playground will keep your kids busy for a while! The is a smaller parking lot that might get filled on warm summer days. Bathrooms are available in the parking lot.

We love visiting and staying in Newport! Their beautiful bridge gives picturesque views…read more A couple of our favorite restaurants are Clearwater and Local Ocean. There are plenty of activities for families, namely Ripley's Believe it or Not, The Wax Works, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Sea Lion Docks and Yaquina Head Lighthouse. There is plenty of RV Parks for camping and many hotels, motels, B&B's and VRBO rental options. The Historic Bayfront is a great place to walk with shops, museums, restaurants and gorgeous views of the bay and marina. They have plenty of public parking and restrooms available. We've always enjoyed our time here. Would highly recommend.

My review is based only on the Day Use fee system and not on the RV park or moorage. The Port, a…read morepublic agency, has a recently added Day Use fee system applicable to the entire port property at the south beach marina location. The fee is $7/day and is only sold in day long increments (always expiring at midnight) unless you buy a $75 yearly permit. Since this fee is applied to all of the Public port parking at the south beach facility this means it applies to parking by the fishing pier, the non-motorized boat launch area, or anywhere else that you might park to go out on a boat or simply park for a few minutes to walk around. The fee is payable via app on a smart phone as well as one pay kiosk. But while the area is festooned with signs for smartphone payment, from the company that collects the fees, there is no signage to direct you to that kiosk. It's way over on the north end by the boat ramp, and not apparent or visible from most of the parking areas. I feel this fee is exorbitant, unnecessary, and generally implemented in an unfriendly manner for the visiting citizen or tourist.

Beautiful bay with so much to see, to do, to breathe in…read more Take a hike. Walk on the beach , jog with your dog, or do a little cookout over the bay view. Free admission Highly recommend

If you enjoy bird watching add Yaquina Bay Estuary to your list!…read more We came across the estuary last weekend. We were unsure about the parking situation so we decided on the far end of the aquarium lot and walked to the bay from there. The out & back trail is paved most of the way, turning to gravel near the end. It's less than a mile one way, and flat and easy for anyone to enjoy. Birds are plentiful and the bay is gorgeous. We spent quite a bit of time watching all the different species enjoying the serenity of the estuary. There are a few educational signs along the way that we found useful while trying to decide what birds we were seeing. It's a lovely and quiet spot...bring your sunblock, camera, and binoculars!!

Fishing Rock located at mile marker of 124 of Oregon Scenic Highway 101. To access, you can park at…read moreFishing Rock Street and Lincoln Avenue. There is state park parking in this area. This park has the black rock bluff. From the parking area, the trail take you along the top of bluff. It will go through series of special bush plant cover cover tunnel. It is like a maze. Kid will love it. At the end tunnel open the shear cliff face of the rock. It is magnificent. The difference tone color cliff wall make this beautiful coastline. A few things you may want to know. The wind is strong there, if you wear contact lens, you may need to protect your eye with glasses. The top of the cliff can view many miles down the the coastline. There is mystery of the tunnel interconnected, so remember your way back. The trail may take you to other side of the entrance.

Don Davis Park offers panoramic ocean views, including the Yaquina Head, Lighthouse, and Cape…read morePerpetua sights. The park features a gazebo with a 180-degree view, a Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and a cobblestone pathway to the beach. Whale sculptures, a partial gray whale skeleton and the Ambassador's Portal Sculpture. The gazebo will always be special to us because our granddaughter got married there today. It was a lovely, intimate ceremony with their families present. Ambassador's Portal Sculpture Seeing this sculpture made me want to find out more about it. I found it peaceful and a serene piece of art looking out over the ocean. It was installed in September of 2023 and is the creation of Ken McCall. The sculpture stands 16 feet tall, is 8 or 9 feet across from wave to wave, and about 3 feet deep. It is made from Cor-Ten steel and stainless steel. It was sculpted to replace the city's beloved Ambassador, which was decommissioned due to disintegration. "It is a tribute to The Ambassador," McCall said. "It represents a borderline between land and water. The portal part represents land, and the aluminum waves represent water. The sculpture is a portal allowing travel home."

A small, but sweet, park & memorial with simply stunning views. There's a decent sized parking lot,…read moreas well as street parking and a city lot not a block away. Benches, beach access, with artwork and the Vietnam dedication....lovely lil spot.