After a delicious fish and chip lunch in Depoe Bay, Oregon, we headed back south towards Newport, with a stop at Cape Foulweather, one of the most popular and picturesque areas along the Oregon Coast. To access Cape Foulweather you exit Highway 101 at Otter Crest Loop.
Ben Jones Bridge on Otter Crest Loop
We crossed over and then stopped at Ben Jones Bridge. At the bridge there are amazing views of the back of the Cape Foulweather visitors lookout and Rocky Creek Falls. This loop climbs up to the top of the cape where you can visit the lookout.
The visitor's center lookout looks so small from the Ben Jones Bridge
Rocky Creek Falls
Rising 500 feet above the ocean, Cape Foulweather is “where Oregon began.” It’s the first Oregon land formation that Captain Cook spied in March, 1778. Cook coined the name for the fierce weather and rough ocean conditions that he and his crew encountered.
Top of the cape
Cape Foulweather Gift Store’s history reaches back nearly a century when Buck and Ann Badley built the place as a coffee shop. They named it ‘Fairweather Coffee Shop,’ but they found out that wasn’t really what the visitors wanted. Folks wanted souvenirs that they could take back with them, so the Badley’s changed it into a gift store.
Top of the cape with the visitors center in view
Oregon State Parks acquired the site in 2013 and quickly made changes. OSP opened up the store’s space to give visitors more opportunity to enjoy the views. They cleared shelves away from the windows and put in benches and binoculars to invite people to stay longer.
Below the cape
View from the top of the cape, old stone rock wall keeps you from falling off
View to the south from the cape
Unfortunately, because it was a Sunday, the visitors center was closed but that didn't stop us from taking in the view!
We found this video from Gran't Getaways that tells all about beautiful Cape Foulweather!
The next leg of our journey took us from Newport to Florence, Oregon, with many stops along the way!
