Ecola State Park

Ecola State Park, just north of Cannon Beach, is among the most dramatically beautiful state parks on the entire Pacific coast. The park occupies a series of forested headlands above the ocean, with clifftop trails that give sweeping views of the coast: Haystack Rock to the south, the sea stacks at Indian Beach, and — on clear days — the lighthouse on Tillamook Head. The old-growth Sitka spruce forest that covers the headland adds a primeval quality to the scenery.

The main trail runs through the park from the Ecola Point parking area to Indian Beach, about two miles of well-maintained path through forest with periodic ocean viewpoints. A more strenuous extension leads to Tillamook Head, a demanding six-mile trail with outstanding views and the remains of a World War II military installation. Indian Beach itself is less busy than Cannon Beach and popular with surfers. Entry to the park requires a day-use fee.

things to do sight
A story
Ecola — the name comes from the Chinook word for whale — was named after an 1806 encounter Lewis and Clark had here with a beached whale. The Corps of Discovery walked south from their winter camp at Fort Clatsop to see it, one of the few times the expedition diverted from its path for curiosity rather than necessity. Sacagawea argued for the right to join the excursion, making it one of the earliest documented assertions of a Native American woman's agency in U.S. exploratory history.