Pacific City Beach & Cape Kiwanda

Pacific City Beach at Cape Kiwanda is one of the most distinctive beach settings on the Oregon coast, located in Tillamook County approximately 100 miles southwest of Portland. Cape Kiwanda is a massive golden sandstone headland that shelters a broad sandy cove to its north, creating a natural amphitheater that reduces wind and produces consistent surf breaks suitable for novice and intermediate surfers. The sand is fine and warm-toned, the beach wide and gently sloped, with the Pacific stretching unobstructed to the horizon. A smaller Haystack Rock—distinct from the famous one at Cannon Beach—rises offshore and is accessible at very low tides. The back of Cape Kiwanda is carpeted by an enormous sand dune that visitors can climb for panoramic views of the Pacific and the bay, though the ascent is strenuous and steep. The Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area is a protected site, so climbing on the sandstone headland itself is prohibited, but the dune remains open. Pelican Brewing Company, one of Oregon's most celebrated craft breweries, sits directly at the beachfront with indoor and outdoor seating facing the ocean and headland. The Pacific City Dory Fleet—a community of small flat-bottomed fishing boats launched directly through the surf—operates from this beach, a tradition unique in the United States. Watching the launches in the early morning is a memorable experience. Parking is free and the lot is large, though it fills on summer weekends. No public transit serves Pacific City.