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    11.24.23 Thor's Well and the Tide Pools
    May A.

    Thor's Well (aka drainpipe of the Pacific) in Yachats OR We parked where the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center was but the center was closed. Our visit was in November, the day after Thanksgiving. We were fortunate to have nice weather and spent a sunny and clear 4-day weekend on the Oregon coast, no rain or fog, not even cloudy skies. The Captain Cook Trail was about 1-mile (roundtrip). The trail is paved for the most part. It was an easy hike to the tidepools. Thor's Well was amazing to see as some people went down towards the rocks to get a closer look at the "well." The area around Thor's Well is extremely dangerous. I was too scared to go further down especially with the uneven and slippery rocks in the tide pool. Beware of the sneaker waves and always remember that rule: Never turn your back on the ocean! The "well" in Thor's Well is actually a hole in the rock that looked like it was draining water from the ocean. The huge hole provided amazing sights as waves from the mighty Pacific Ocean came crashing onto the rocks. When we arrived around 1:00p it was at low tide. We came back the next morning around 9:00a to see Thor's Well at high tide and it was very cool to see. Can't help but fixate my eyes on the angry waves... it's a really amazing experience for people who've only ever seen the ocean rolling up on beaches. When visiting the Oregon Coast Thor's Well is not to be missed. Review #3248

    Danielle P.

    Thors Well in Oregon is one of those natural wonders that you never hear about. I do most of my research before leaving home. Do yourself a favor and do the same, saves alot of time. This was indeed on my list and it didn't disappoint! Lots of parking and I saw one seafood restaurant on location. There was a volunteer on site to ask question about the area. I just love Oregon's hospitality and the volunteers who clearly enjoy what the do! I saw a small water shooting in the air during our visit, nothing very high but I still enjoyed. This is a great place to relax and view the ocean. The well was amazing to say the least! ~Enjoy @glampedlife

    Caitlin U.

    This place was really cool. Make sure to get there at high tide. So check online to find out when high tide is. It's the best time to see the Well. We got there a little bit before high tide and went down to the water. However, you want to make sure you are not by the water at high tide since the roads are very slippery, and it is easy to get swept away.

    Thor's Well, take 1
    Jim W.

    Visiting Thor's Well was more challenging than I'd anticipated, but for unexpected reasons. We had lunch a bit to the north at Waldport. We were readily able to consult navigation apps there. However, once we headed south on Hwy 101 along the coast, the cell signals soon disappeared. Hence, we had nothing other than road signs to guide us. We drove south past Yachats and saw no signs. There was a "Devil's Churn" but nothing about Thor's Well. We eventually gave up and headed north again. We stopped at the Suslaw National Forest visitors' center for a restroom break and to see if they offered paper maps. I walked up to a table set up just outside the building where a couple of rangers were waiting to answer questions. I said we had missed Thor's Well and were curious as to how far away it was. They pointed to a large sign behind me (visible only from the door of the building, and not from even the approach road). The sign read "Thor's Well" and pointed to a trail at the side of the building... This became a running joke in our party me humiliating myself with the rangers. As an aside, while at the visitors' center, you can pick up a 5-day parking pass for coastal parks for $10. It may save you time / money if you are going to be there for a day or more and visit multiple sites. Before I go on, my advice would be to take a screen shot of an online map on your phone before leaving Waldport (or heading north from whatever the next sizable town is to the south, depending on your route). That way you can at least gauge how far it should be. Or you can just look for the sign for this visitors' center. We did check after leaving and there were NO signs on the highway. From the visitors' center, you hike down an asphalt path that descends towards the coast. It winds among tall bushes for a bit, but it is probably about 0.3 miles. Near the end, there are some stairs to descend to access the beach, which here consists of rough rock outcroppings, small stones, and pools of seawater. You have to traverse about 100 yards of this to get close to Thor's Well. It is possible to do this and keep your feet dry, though. I observed some others out at the well as I started out, and saw that the ones standing to the right (as you face the ocean) were prone to get sprayed when a large wave broke on some rocks adjoining the area of the well. So if you want to stay reasonably dry and take photos, work your way around to the center or left side. Once out near the well, you basically just have to wait for the right wave combination to come in such that the spray erupts from the well, which is basically a ~ circular hole about 20 feet across. Not every wave produces much spray, but every 2 or 3 minutes the right combination lines up and you get a neat effect like a small geyser. It was cloudy / foggy when we visited around 1:30 p.m. However, based on my limited experience in the area, it seemed like the sun often came out a bit later in the afternoon (maybe between 2 - 3 p.m.?). You could probably get much better photos with a blue sky background and better lighting. We enjoyed stopping here and hiking down to the well, but I definitely would have appreciated better signage along Hwy 101.

    Kim R.

    Fun and spectacular stop-off when you're driving through the area. There's parking along the 101 in a few different spots. We parked a bit past the overview and took the path across from the visitors center back towards the well. The well is cool to see, kind of mesmerizing to watch the water flow through it. We actually enjoyed the spout to the left of the well and it's surrounding area even more than Thors Well. We hit the area at the right time of tide and at a fabulous time of crashing, violent waves sending water to crazy heights while giving the spout a workout...Mother Nature's water show. It's a very beautiful area and a must-see at the coast!

    Thor's well
    Joelle S.

    We stopped by during our road trip and were very disappointed. It is not well marked where to go once you park and honestly, the swell was not very impressive. We did not go all the way down and it was so windy it wasn't worth sticking around. I would not go out of my way to stop and see this again.

    Wendell R.

    We initially went to Florence for the week and decided to take a drive north and meet some friends at Thors Well. We never heard of Thor's Well so we were excited to check it out. It's one of those natural wonders. On this day we didn't see anything very exciting. We've seen some YouTube video with water shooting pretty high into the air. That wasn't our experience. We saw the water shoot up a few times but not very high. Anyway you can beat the ocean, good friends and the fresh air.

    Thors Well emptying
    Hannah S.

    This was one of my fave spots on my coastal trip! It's exhilarating and fascinating...There's so many beautiful natural wonders all packed into this one area, I could've stayed captivated for ages! You'll also get a little adrenaline rush too bc it's a tad treacherous...it's rocky with turbulent ocean waves pounding all around! So be careful and vigilant! Parking is in a small lot in a turnout off the coastal highway. We had plenty of parking but I can see how it could fill up quickly during peak tourist season. You're actually parking at "Cooks Chasm". It holds Thors Well, the Spouting Horn, and lots of tide pools and other chasms and such. There are platforms to view it all from above, with a well-labeled walkway down the hill to the rocky ledges where you get a lovely view of the quaint bridge above. There are cute little markers on the paved walkway that point you in the direction of Thors Well. When you get down to where the sidewalk ends, you'll see the Spouting Horn to the left, across Cooks Chasm (I included a video to show you what to watch for)! When the wave comes bounding in, water sprays up through a formation in the rocks and it looks like a whale spouting! Thors Well is off around the rocks out to the right from the chasm. It's easy to find if you spot it from above on top of the walkway first - not hard to find at all. It's thought to be a sea cave that collapsed. It fills and empties endlessly, crashing and rising and falling in rhythm with the waves. Very cool! There were 2 chasms we saw, the other one to the right of Thors Well bombs so loud with the heavy waves that it makes your chest rattle!

    Stephanie J.

    Thors Well is an absolute must visit if you are traveling along the coast. The water shoots up like a geyser then gets swallowed back into the hole. The views from all of the surrounding areas are amazing, you really have to experience it because you can't capture all of the beauty in photos.

    The sea churns all around you here
    David L.

    There is so much great stuff to explore here that it was hard to put it into words! You will definitely want to make the hike down to Cape Perpetua to see some of the interesting rock forms here. We visited at low tide, which I would not recommend. However, the ocean was pretty rough so we still saw some pretty amazing waves crashing. It was VERY windy here. Definitely, bring a raincoat and sunglasses to make the wind more bearable. The rangers at the visitors center were also very helpful. Shout out to them for doing such a great job of getting us started in the right direction. There is also a cool museum that is worth a visits explaining the local flora and fauna.

    Thor's well
    Boon C.

    This is one of the famous stop for the Pacific Coast Highway 101. It is located mile marker 167. This attraction is part of the Cape Perpetua Area attraction. The parking here is very limited. We were lucky to have one next to the trail. The bridge serve the opening of the Captain Cook point where the crack of the cliffs. Beyond two of the bridge has the overlook. The parking on the north side of the bridge can have about 20 cars. There is trail lead you to the rock. As always, climbing is not recommended. This is sharp rock area but still see a lot people walking on it. The a good view to the well. If it is low tide, you can walk on on it. The wave in and out the blow hole well which made a spectacular scene. Sometimes big waves just shot out from the hole. According to guide of visit. It is to visit the well one hour before the high tide. Then you can see the hole without the tide. Then during the high tide, the violent rumbling is great to watch.

    Andie G.

    We stopped by here on our coastal road trip in late May. We arrived just before sunset and the tide was on the lower side, but it was still worth the trip. We were staying about 30 minuets from here and drove our car, as the parking is very limited and hard to stop when in a RV, but the drive from Florence and back was beautiful and we stopped at almost every turn out for the photos and view. The hike down starts off with a nice trail, then stairs and finally rocks. But the trail is easy and it's not super long, so even younger kids can do it. But do wear shoes appropriate for the area. There are also benches to sit on and look over the water, but the closer views are amazing. Nature is beautiful. If you will be driving the coast, plan ahead and try to make the stop.

    Long exposure of Thor's Well during a really high tide and big surf
    Tom S.

    If you are driving along the beautiful Oregon coast, this wayside is a great stop. There is no sign saying Thor's Well in the Highway. The pullout is at the bridge at Cape Perpetua, maybe few 100 yards south of the visitors center. I missed it the first time I drove by. Basically it's a sea cave where the roof collapsed and you can watch the water flow in and out if the water levels are good. Please use your smarts approaching this hole as the waves can be unpredictable and powerful. There is also the spouting horn here as well. As of January 2020, there's a tree in the spout, so it doesn't make the noise it did the first time I saw it. Once the sea breaks it up, I'm sure it will be back. It looks like a whale spout, but on land. Worth a stop if you're reasonably close.

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    Review Highlights - Thor’s Well

    This weekend we were taking a road trip up the Oregon coast and so I made sure to plan a stop here.

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    Heceta Head Lighthouse - lighthouse and building with information about the lighthouse.

    Heceta Head Lighthouse

    (70 reviews)

    It's about a half mile hike from the parking lot at the beach and it's not too difficult. If you're…read morelucky the lighthouse will actually be open and there were Volunteer docents who were very helpful. Especially the educator inside the lighthouse who was telling us stories about the original interior versus the later developed. There was a smaller building that felt to be like a chapel but wasn't, it contained a small library and everything from gasoline/fuel to the original light bulbs that were the lamp. There's also a gift shop on the way up. And you could see the homeless where at least a couple of the lighthouse keepers lived perhaps with family. There was a soft mist rolling in as we left... the view is beautiful. One of the most beautiful things about reaching the lighthouse is the drive there. Take advantage of the vistas that you can pull over to take photos of the ocean, the wall, the lighthouse from afar. It's an incredibly beautiful part of the world.

    Stop here. Go here. Heck, stay a while…read more Heceta Head is one the most prominent sites on the amazing Oregon coast. The combination of Pinnacle & Parrot Rocks, the inlet with a walkable beach, and the iconic lighthouse & viewing spot makes it simply sensational. It is another fantastic Oregon state park, so be sure to pay your parking & visit fees to help keep this state as gorgeous as possible. The 'climb' (it's really like a long ramp) from the parking lot up to the lighthouse is a little over 1/4 of a mile, and it is paved with a very walkable, even wheelchair accessible, gravel. Even the Oregon rain doesn't make this a muddy, sloppy mess and the walk pales in comparison to the views. About halfway up the slope, there is a gift shop with plenty of keepsakes, souvenirs, and even a few snacks & drinks. The shop is open pretty much every day with limited hours, but it's a wonderful opportunity to commemorate your visit. When you get to the top near the lighthouse, the view of the rocks down below will almost always have wildlife. Cormorants and other seabirds will nest on the rocks and if you're lucky, you might see some California sea lions hanging out on the southwest part of Parrot Rock. Park rangers will frequent the lighthouse area in nicer weather, and sometimes will have scopes set up for a birds-eye view of, well, birds. My lovely wife couldn't get enough of the view of the nesting seabirds and their littles during hatch season. What a magic memory! Be mindful of the tides, and if your visit happens to coincide with King Tide season, then take the opportunity to view from above. The sea gets ANGRY, the winds get crazy, and it is a humbling reminder of how powerful Mother Nature can be. Heceta Head is still a functioning lighthouse, and when the ocean is super choppy, then you can certainly see how valuable a light can be to warn ships along the coast. The mariner's friend is always a beacon in a storm, communicating safe haven or dangerous rocks, dependent on tides and winds. The turn to the state park comes up quickly off the 101, so keep your eyes sharp. There's plenty of parking, there is an accessible restroom, and if you don't make the climb up to the lighthouse, then the beach is a wonderful alternative. If you have the time, then just don't miss it. It is one of the most beautiful spots on the beautiful western edges of a beautiful state.

    Shelton-McMurphey-Johnson House - The view from the street

    Shelton-McMurphey-Johnson House

    (19 reviews)

    When you visit it, the Shelton-McMurphey-Johnson House comes alive with history. Here, you'll get…read moresome good insights into some strong women's lives. Tip: The stairs are steep so be aware; they're not recommended for small children or people with mobility issues. When you ascend to the attic, you'll find an impressive replica of the house, and also a nice collection of war memorabilia (Swords, flags, photos, medical instruments, etc.). We very much enjoyed learning more about the history of Eugene; the docents were both friendly and knowledgeable. The furnishings and architecture are from a different time and the tour was informative.

    Read a review from 3 years ago and it said it was only $6 to get in and guess what? It's still only…read more$6 to get in! The docent was a very kind and friendly lady who knew the most about Aida but knew something about all of them. I appreciate her honesty when we asked a wished didn't know she would tell us she was not sure but would offer a maybe because... or probably because.... She pointed out what pieces of furniture were original to the home and explained how the rest were donated. So much history! She said the last lady who owned the home was raised in the Campbell House Inn which is actually where we stayed! I didn't take a bunch of photos as I was enjoying the moment and listening to the docent tell us the history of the home. Also many other people have posted great photos here already so no point in being redundant. The docent said it is decorated for Christmas during the holidays and recommended to visit it if I'm the area during that time. The theme was weddings do when we visited as the docent explained that someone had donated a tremendous amount of wedding gowns to the museum.

    Thor’s Well - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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