Adventures with Holly & Bryan

Updated 1/23/2023

At Cape Perpetua Lookout, Bryan and I accidentally stumbled upon one of the most incredible sunsets of our lives. In today’s post, I’ll share the highlights and how to see the best Oregon coast sunsets yourself.

It was a January weekend when we made this unexpected discovery. We were on a short trip to the Oregon coast. A crisis at work had materialized Friday night, so I spent the mornings of our trip shut in our room, pacing around on phone calls. And so it was that we set out on our adventures in the afternoon, and the short winter day meant beginning our hike to Cape Perpetua Lookout about two hours before sunset.

In hindsight, this timing was perfect. Go at sunset. It’s magical.

Eager to check out the nearby tide pools at low tide, I explained we’d need to hike to Cape Perpetua Lookout quickly. But like everything on that trip, that part didn’t go according to plan either. Once we got to the top of Cape Perpetua Lookout, we couldn’t look away from the sun as it dropped lower over the ocean. We just stood there, eyes fixed on the horizon. My work problems seemed to shrink against the sheer vastness of that view. I was transfixed.

Far below Cape Perpetua Lookout, I watched the ocean waves crashing against the rocky headland, and decided we were probably seeing the tide pools anyway, just from very far away…

The Cape Perpetua Lookout Hike in a Nutshell

The hike to Cape Perpetua Lookout is in the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, a stunning headland in the Siuslaw National Forest on the central Oregon coast (about a 3-hour drive from Portland).

For a mid-length hike (4.4 miles), you can combine the Cape Perpetua Lookout hike with a hike to a giant old-growth spruce tree (aptly called the Giant Spruce trail). The giant spruce is more than 500 years old, and you can actually crawl through a hollow area around its roots.

I’d recommend the combined trail. Here is the link to the trail entry on AllTrails so you can find the trail map easily. I’d recommend bringing the map with you, because combining the trails is a little confusing.

For a shorter hike, it’s also possible to skip the giant spruce and hike straight to Cape Perpetua Lookout. This version of the hike is 2.7 miles.

Either way, the Cape Perpetua Lookout hike begins in a lush forest of spruce trees. It’s green any time of year (we went in January!), but it’s at its best on a sunny day. The mist in the air catches the sunlight, creating visible sun beams that make the forest seem to glow.

The trail climbs steeply up the ocean headland to reach Cape Perpetua Lookout, eventually emerging from the trees to reveal a grassy hillside and a sweeping view of the coast below. The ocean seems to stretch on forever. Near sunset, the huge sun ball hovers just above the ocean.

I don’t know why it’s so calming to watch the sunset, but it is. Perhaps the enormity of the view takes up so much space, it blots out everything else. The enormity is no illusion. According to the Forest Service, it’s possible to see 37 miles over the ocean from Cape Perpetua Lookout!

The view from the first overlook is stunning, but don’t miss the second overlook. It’s a 1930s stone shelter constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Here the timbers of the stone shelter frame the sunset, creating another breathtaking scene.

The only problem with watching the sunset from Cape Perpetua Lookout is that it necessarily involves hiking back down the headland at twilight. I’d recommend a flashlight or at least a cell phone light to help with visibility on the way down.

Parking at the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area

The Cape Perpetua Lookout trailhead is at the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center. It’s a fee area, so you can either buy a day pass for $5 or use an annual America the Beautiful Pass, Northwest Forest Pass, or Oregon Pacific Coast Passport.

The trail itself begins at a signposted trailhead next to the restrooms. It’s labeled “Giant Spruce Trail,” but this is the beginning for both trails.

Can You Drive to Cape Perpetua Lookout?

Yes. While I’d recommend hiking up to Cape Perpetua Lookout, it’s also possible to drive there if you’re short on time or if the trail is too steep for your group. Here is the lookout location on Google Maps, so you can find it by car.

Other Highlights of the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area

The Cape Perpetua Scenic Area is a great place for hiking and enjoying other wonders of the Oregon coast. Per the Forest Service, there are 26 miles of trails within the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area. Here are a few other places we’d recommend while you’re in the area.

Cook’s Ridge-Gwynn Creek Loop Hike

This trail travels through moss-draped old-growth forest. Sunlight creates a similar effect here as it does on the first part of the Cape Perpetua Lookout hike. When it catches the ocean mist, it can create golden sunbeams that make the forest glow. It’s like walking through an enchanted forest.

Sea Lion Caves

Just down the road is a cave where hundreds of sea lions congregate every winter. Visitors can take an elevator into an adjacent cave to view the sea lions. This is a must-see if you visit the area in the winter months.

Thor’s Well & the Spouting Horn

The Cape Perpetua coastline is wild and wonderful. At a road turnout, the bizarre Thor’s Well can be seen in the distance. It looks like a giant ocean sinkhole. Waves perpetually churn into it and disappear, and then it refills again.

The adjacent Spouting Horn looks like a geyser continually erupting right in the ocean, but the effect isn’t actually geothermal. It’s caused by the waves interacting with the unique rock formations.

Other Adventures in the Pacific Northwest

Thanks for joining us at Cape Perpetua Lookout! For more adventure ideas in the Pacific Northwest, check out our PNW Trip Planner. You can find adventures near you and filter by season and difficulty level. There are weird and wonderful things to explore any time of year. The trip planner links to blog posts to help you plan your next adventure.

Happy exploring!