Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Exploding Whale Memorial Park

    2.7 (3 reviews)

    Exploding Whale Memorial Park Photos

    More like Exploding Whale Memorial Park

    Recommended Reviews - Exploding Whale Memorial Park

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Cass D.
    9
    15
    11

    10 months ago

    Nice park for kids playground or a short walk. Unfortunately I was looking for a dog park.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Verify this business for free

    Get access to customer & competitor insights.

    Verify this business

    Darlingtonia State Botanical Wayside

    Darlingtonia State Botanical Wayside

    (20 reviews)

    This botanical garden has become a traditional stop while traveling along highway 101. It's a…read moreperfect place to get out and stretch your legs or use the facilities. The walk to the Cobra Lilies, aka Pitcher Plants isn't long at all, maybe a quarter mile round trip. It's a beautiful walk through trees to a boardwalk through the Darlingtonia garden. We've never been when they're in bloom, but they are definitely something interesting to see any time of year. I would highly recommend!

    If you are headed to Honeyman or Heceta, this reserve is just one minute off the side of Highway…read more101 between those two parks. Darlingtonia is the only Oregon State Park dedicated to protecting one single species: the Darlingtonia. The only plant in this species is the Cobra Lily, which is the only pitcher plant native to Oregon. (In other words, this state park exists to protect the cobra lilies that grow here.) The reserve is small, but definitely worth checking out. A short accessible boardwalk crosses a bog filled with several hundred, if not a few thousand, cobra lilies. The 'pitcher' part of the plant, which is the part that resembles a cobra, is visible year round. In spring, it puts up yellow and purple flowers. Many of these flowers dry in place, and are still somewhat visible in winter. Even without the flowers in bloom, the pitchers themselves are neat and pretty to look at. There is no fee to visit Darlingtonia. The small parking area only has room for about ten cars or so, but it takes less than fifteen minutes to walk through.

    Old Town Park

    Old Town Park

    (3 reviews)

    What a great little village to stroll around. So many charming shops and lots to see…read more Even a character lowrider.

    This park is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it space on Bay Street located between Kitchen Klutter and…read moreMilk & Cookies. I was walking and almost didn't see it, because it's tiny and there are some bushes that shield the gazebo and benches from view. It's a great place to take a moment to rest whilst wandering Bay Street, and in some instances it can allow for a nice bit of solitude. When I was there in December, there was almost no one else around, but it wasn't raining nor was it too cold that I skipped taking a few minutes at this secluded park for myself. If you walk past the gazebo, there's a deck overlooking the Siuslaw river, where at times you might see some of the various animals (birds, otters, etc.) that call the river home. Though I tried, I did not see any otters playing in the water (I'm not sure what their season is). This park is located on what was once the ferry landing, prior to the construction of the Siuslaw River Bridge. I think it's cool that they preserved this area as a park. There is a cool water fountain just outside the park that has three levels for drinking, which is clever and makes it easy for the little ones to have a sip! There's a plaque right by the fountain pointing out that the Oregon Dune Mushers' Mail Run went through here. (As an aside, this is a quirky race that once took place, in part to commemorate a time when the beaches were used as highways--in fact, the beach area between low- and high-tide marks is part of the Oregon highway system.) You can rent the place for various gatherings; special use permits are free, but a permit is required, and the deadline for submission varies based upon the number of attendees so plan accordingly.

    Hobbit Beach Trailhead - Ocean view from the beach

    Hobbit Beach Trailhead

    (13 reviews)

    This is a beautiful short walk that goes from the beach parking lot to the lighthouse. I've gone…read morehere several times and it's always gorgeous, even when it's foggy and raining. There are wild blackberries that grow along the path that you can snack on or take home with you if you go at the right time of the year, which is an added plus! The bathrooms by the beach parking lot are rough. They are not for the faint of heart or faint of nose. You're better off holding it until you can get to downtown Florence and use the public bathrooms there.

    The Hobbit Trail would make JRR Tolkien proud. The trailhead is a subtle affair and easily found…read moremainly due to the other cars parked at the trailhead. Parking is available on both sides of the highway, but remember, it's hwy 101 and traffic can be heavy. Because there is so much vehicle traffic as well as hikers coming and going, there are enough eyes there to make you feel okay about leaving your car there locked up. The trail itself starts out fairly smooth with gentle ups and downs, but get a bit more aggressive as you continue. A walking stick of some sort really comes in handy on a few of the steps and turns. As you progress towards the coast the forest starts to get thicker and darker like Mirkwood. The rays of diffuse sunlight scattered by drifting mists definitely lends a mystical element to the surroundings. Some of the trees are so twisted and gnarled that you might almost expect Treebeard or another Ent to come pacing past you. We did come across a gnome that was cleverly hidden by someone. After about a mile the trail reaches the end where the last section gets a bit steeper with plenty of roots to avoid. This is a very well used trail and there are a lot of very friendly hikers going both directions. The trail then opens onto a very large beautiful flat sandy beach with a cliff wall to your immediate south and a long flat sandy beach to the north. We found our first sandfall! A waterfall but it was sand, not water. Sand from the hillside above the cliffs was just pouring and cascading over the rocky edge. I posted a brief video of one with this review. All in all it was a good hike for a guy with a bum knee, anything worse than that should probably not try the whole trail. Mainly because a couple places had steps in and around roots that were probably around 1 to 2 foot steps. If you do push on to the bottom, the beach is worth it. Lots of very friendly smiling people and an awful lot of very well behaved dogs. I think the magic in this is that it was all so clean. The hike back out was easier than I had anticipated but there is no ADA assistance.

    Jessie M Honeyman Memorial State Park - Down by the lake

    Jessie M Honeyman Memorial State Park

    (55 reviews)

    We stayed at this campground a couple weeks ago for the first time and had an excellent experience!…read moreI wasn't sure what to expect with this being the second largest campground in Oregon- would it be overwhelming with so many people, too much noise, etc? I was actually surprised how quiet it was (okay camping in a public campground is never silent but it was pretty moderate noise). The advantage of it being such a large campground too is that they had nice, well-equipped, clean facilities equally spaced out. Showers are free to use, though I didn't while we were there. A cute welcome center in the middle has info, games/books, and ice and firewood to buy and is located right next to a pretty good sized playground for kids. It's also a super dog-friendly place (we brought our 75# boy with us) and everyone there seemed to be mindful of their own dogs with leashes/cleaning up. Honeyman is located close to the heart of Florence and close to lots of recreation activities - dunes, beach, two lakes, etc. We enjoyed a quick walk over to Cleawox Lake each day to play, and rented a paddle boat too! The only downside is that like most Oregon State Park campgrounds you do need to plan quite a bit ahead to reserve your spot online. It's very difficult to get a spot last minute or day of in the busy times (late spring - summer - fall).

    Overall it's fine. It's a bit overpriced for what you get. Weekends are loud and there didn't seem…read moreto be anything being done about it. There are bright lights randomly throughout the campground which make for an interesting "camping" vibe. There's probably better, quieter and more secluded places nearby.

    Exploding Whale Memorial Park - parks - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...