Rockin it at Rockaway Beach Oregon

My first adventure to Rockaway Beach Oregon was in March of 2020, just before the shutdown hit hard.  I went with my sister Sharon and two nieces, Chloe, and Sassy for 3 days.  Later, in August, I spent 4 days there with my BFF Debbie who was visiting from California. She, of course, is used to the S. Cali beaches so this was a new experience for her.  We had some great adventures!  I’ve been back there a few times on my own too, I love it there.

Accommodations

Rockaway is a very small town, maybe 5 minutes from one end to the other, at the 25mph speed limit. There are though, quite a few hotels, condos, and house rentals available year-round.  In the summertime this is a very popular spot, so book early and expect prices to be double, at least!  My favorite place to stay is the Silver Sands Oceanfront Motel.  It is the only place I have stayed, but it has a lot to offer.  It is an older motel, and could use some updating, but it is very clean, and while they don’t offer daily room service, (pandemic), they are very accommodating if you need clean towels, or anything else.  Many rooms have kitchenettes, with all the cookware and eating utensils you need for 4 people. We always get one of these, saving a few $$ cooking meals rather than going out. Debbie and I cooked some great dinners.

If there is any way you can get a ground floor room, you also have beach access out your back door!!  I love that, but even the 2^nd room floors have a beautiful view of the beach.  No matter which room you have, it is a very short walk to the beach with many paths.  The motel does have an indoor pool, and jacuzzi, but since our March 2020 visit it has been closed.  Hopefully they will open again soon. And the location is right in the middle of town, with shops and restaurants right across the street, easy walking distance.

Food/Eats

If you do get a room with a kitchen, there is a small grocery store in town, but 20 minutes south of Rockaway is a Fred Meyer in Tillamook.  Groceries or anything else you might want, like beach toys, firewood, etc. is available.  Also, there are many restaurants in Tillamook, we did get pizza one night.

In Rockaway along the main strip there are some restaurants to enjoy, most are cafés or bar and grill.  I have eaten at Old Oregon Smokehouse, and it was very good. No indoor seating, but some tables outside.  We took the food back to our room.  I did get some smoked salmon, yummy, but pricey. The other place I have been to is Grumpy’s Café.  Right on 101, so very convenient.  We did have to wait to order lunch, but breakfast is served all day.  I got fish and chips and clam chowder, delicious.  My friend got the French dip. The place is small, but they do have indoor seating.  We took our meal down to the beach to enjoy, with the birds!! 

Also, on main street across the street from the hotels there is an ice cream shop, Schwieterts Cone and Candy. The kids did enjoy their ice cream, and they also had lots of candy and gifts. Must mention Pronto Pup, even though I have never eaten there.  It just looks fun!  Reviews are mixed, but the pandemic caused a lot of closures, so that may be the problem.

Souvenirs

Yes, a very strange category, but must mention Flamingo Jim’s.  Just across the street from the motel, it is a huge store with about every kind of souvenir anyone could want. A big variety of t-shirts for the entire family.  I collect Ray Troll t-shirts, a famous Alaskan artist.  They had quite a few there to add to my collection.  The have about anything else you can think of and at very reasonable prices.  They also have a big display of saltwater taffy. It is almost an adventure it itself.

Our Adventures

My favorite adventure when visiting the coast is always enjoying a walk on the beach, and the beach at Rockaway is amazing.  I often take a 2- or 3-mile walk, always walking in the surf. Yes, even in January I have been known to walk in the freezing water and loving it. On a recent walk on that beach there were people digging for razor clams, very popular sport on the coast, not to mention delicious to eat! During the March trip there the sand near the shoreline was super soft, and I did fall as expected.  But I was fine. Not sure why it was like that, but the Oregon coast seems to always present something new and different.

During Debbie’s visit we explored a lot outside of Rockaway Beach. There was a day we vsited Astoria, Oregon, but that is for another blog. 

One day of our adventures we started out visiting Tillamook.  The Tillamook Creamory, the factory where they make cheese and other goodies.  You can tour the factory but must pre book and it does fill up fast.  It was booked up the day we visited, but there is a small store down the road a bit, Tillamook Smoke House and bought some beef jerky and beef sticks.

Next, we visited the Blue Heron Cheese.  Lots of different cheeses, as well as a deli, gifts, and candy. I don’t eat candy, but their dark chocolate truffles were tempting me hard!  There is also a farm area with goats, llamas, a peacock, and other animals for the kids to enjoy. 

Munson Creek Falls was our next destination, and this was truly an ADVENTURE!  The road to the falls is about 7 miles south of Tillamook, then to the left, but to call it a road is misleading.  It is a 1 ½ mile dirt path, only 1 car wide in most places, and LOTS of potholes.  Wish I could have gotten pictures, but we were hanging on for dear life.  But it was worth it!  The walking path to the bottom of the falls is about 1/3 of a mile and so beautiful, and easy walking.

On the way back to the motel we stopped to admire “The Three Graces”, one of many rock formations along the Oregon coast.  They truly are spectacular.

Cape Meares lighthouse was our adventure for the next day.  Again, just south of Tillamook and to the right, toward the Pacific.  Much easier to get too!  The path to the lighthouse is an easy walk, and it takes you right up to it. This is the shortest lighthouse on the Oregon coast, and no longer active, but was one of the most powerful and largest of its day. Mariners could spot the distinctive red-and-white flashes from more than 21 miles away.

We walked back up the path on the other side and did notice a house nestled in a rock high above the ocean in the bay.  We did try to figure out how to get there, but it eluded us.

Once we got back to the parking lot, we saw another trail on the other side.  It led us to The Octopus Tree, what a treat!  The tree is 250 to 300 years old that extends from a central base that is nearly 50 feet around, and instead of shooting straight up with a central trunk, the body of the tree splits into a number of smaller trunks. It was fascinating and another easy hike. 

Between Tillamook and Rockaway Beach is a small fishing village nestled at the northern end of Tillamook Bay called Garibaldi.  The pier is the longest in Oregon and very near the marina and pier are several restaurants featuring seafood.

It is also home of the Oregon Scenic railroad depot. I haven’t experienced that yet, maybe next time I’m in the area

There are many trails, beaches, parks and wildlife viewing area to explore in the near Rockaway Beach also. Looking forward to seeing everything.

Please let me know of anything in the area you have enjoyed, would love to hear from you.  And check out my Pinterest (contact mermaid gypsy) page for lots of other ideas!!