Location: Yachats
Top Things to do in Yachats
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Things to do in Yachats, Oregon (OR): The Best Nature & Parks
Yachats (/ˈjɑːhɑːts/ YAH-hahts) is a small coastal city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. According to Oregon Geographic Names, the name comes from the Siletz language, and means "dark water at the foot of the mountain". There is a range of differing etymologies, however. William Bright says the name comes from the Alsea placename yáx̣ayk (IPA: /ˈjaχajkʲ/). At the 2010 census, the city's population was 690. In 2007, Budget Travel magazine named Yachats one of the "Ten Coolest Small Towns of the U.S.A.", and Yachats was chosen among the top 10 U.S. up-and-coming vacation destinations by Virtualtourist. In 2011, Arthur Frommer, founder of Frommer's Travel Guides, listed Yachats number seven among his ten favorite vacation destinations in the world.
Restaurants in Yachats
1. Cape Perpetua Scenic Area
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,161 reviews
Reviewed By YvonneP1979
My family and I are lucky enough to call this area home! Cape Perpetua is a regular stop for family or solo day trips. This area is majestic to say the least and there is so much to explore in just a few miles. Go to the top and view the most Amazing view from the historic look out or hike down to a giant spruce tree through a magical forest, check out the Spouting Horn on high tide or venture down to Thors Well on a low tide (high tide can be very dangerous to get close)! Walk along the trails and stand in awe of the Native American shell Middens leftover from hundreds of years of gathering from the ocean!
2. Yachats Ocean Road State Natural Site
3. Devil's Churn
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 540 reviews
Tidal Pools along Oregon Coast Highway
Reviewed By DanW440 - Portland, United States
This is an amazing water sight, a phenomenal creation of nature that helps define what the ild Oregon Coast is all about. Mesmerizing to watch, an easy hike down and worth the time to stop.
4. Smelt Sands State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 39 reviews
Reviewed By Happycoastalgirl - Yachats, United States
Smelt Sands provides very close access to the beach and now sports an upgraded and paved parking lot making access even easier. Enjoy a mile or more of a beautiful rocky shore stretch by walking along the oceanside 804 trail.
5. Yachats State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 65 reviews
Reviewed By E5774JSlauras
My husband and I spent over an hour enjoying the views from Yachats State Park. We walked on the rocks and enjoyed the tide pools, rock formations and drift wood. It was fun to watch the water come in and splash up on the rocks. It was fun to see kiddos and older people enjoy their visit to the park.
6. Thor's Well
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 200 reviews
Reviewed By WaitForIttttt - Hazlet, United States
My husband and I visited Thor's Well on our trip exploring the west coast, and it ended up being one of our favorite stops. Thor's Well is such a unique and interesting natural feature! On the path down, there are all sorts of signs warning about the dangers of the waves so, obviously, exercise caution if you proceed down. Once we got to the bottom, we had to traverse the rough rocks and the tidal pools to get to the well itself. We were both wearing waterproof hiking boots, which held out just fine against the water of the pools. The water was pretty rough as it crashed into the rocks and filled the tidal pools, so there was good reason for all of the warning signs. There were a few other visitors down there as well, including a couple with two dogs, which made us nervous for the dogs but they seemed to do ok. We were able to stand on rocks that were adjacent to the rocks of the well itself and got a crazy cool view of the water rushing into and out of the well. If you decide to go down, you're going to get wet. The water jumps pretty high out of the well. This ended up being one of the most unique and fascinating places we visited on the coast, so I definitely recommend checking it out if you're in the area!
