Haystack Rock Marine Garden, Oregon

After our sightseeing adventure south on Highway 101 we headed back to Cannon Beach and down to Haystack Rock.  To get up close to the rock you have to visit at low tide so the night before we stopped by our hotel's office to ask for a tide chart.  They were happy to give us one so we knew low tide would be around noon. 

Haystack Rock looking south
The Needles, south of Haystack Rock

Haystack Rock is a unique monolith that towers 235 feet over the beach. It is one of the largest "sea stacks" on America's Pacific coast.  The rocky reefs of Haystack Rock and the neighboring Needles have abundant and rich intertidal life. Tidepoolers are drawn to its wonders every day. As many as 200,000 people visit Haystack Rock every year, mostly during the summer months when the tidepools are teeming. 
Patrick from Spongebob Square Pants

The rock is also home to many nesting birds, including tufted puffins, gulls, and cormorants.

Only gulls, no puffins, cormorants are a dime a dozen
Volunteer interpreters and protectors of the rock are at its base to answer your questions or to point out that you are too close to "off-limit" areas.

Volunteers and tourists surround the rock

With Haystack Rock checked off our sight-seeing tour we headed north to Ecoloa State Park to get a better view of the Tillamook Lighthouse.

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Ballard, Washington

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