Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area is just amazing. But I will admit that I am heavily biased in…read moremy opinion as I love Newport, Oregon and could easily see myself having a second home here. Perhaps even a primary home as well but I do like living in a large metro area because of the various services and entertainment options at your disposal. I have been to this Natural Area twice now and it's just so beautiful! The first time I really took advantage of taking pictures of the lighthouse here as well as the view. The second time was a repeat of that particular activity but in addition to that we went down to the tide pools and were immediately entranced with all of the aquatic life in those pools. We took pictures of that and were just so revitalized immersing ourselves in the nature there. I t was beautiful and simply amazing. Really nothing else needs to be said other than if you are touring along the Oregon Coast and are hitting the lighthouses this is a must stop... well they all are actually but this one really is. There is another lighthouse on the south end of town so Newport has scenic and at another time more practical advantage of having two lighthouses in the same town all within very close proximity. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area is truly a beautiful place!

You can't miss this place! It does cost a few dollars to drive in, I believe it is free for bikers…read moreand walkers. They direct all traffic through the visitor's center where you can ask the knowledgeable staff about anything and grab brochures and maps if needed. We went up to the lighthouse, down to cobble beach and the tide pools, and everywhere in between, it was so much fun. It was sunny and started raining after we arrived, it's fantastic either way. We were here close to low tide, so that helped improve our tide pool experience, but you can't go wrong fitting this into your schedule while on the coast!

My fiancé and I went to escape the heat in pdx this weekend, and I found this scenic retreat just…read morenorth of Newport, and we fell in LOVE!! We got up to the entera de and paid $7 to park and walk around a whole preserved Oregon park! It was so worth it because there were very few people there (compared to any other beach we've been to north of Tillamook). We drove around, parked, and walked on some of the trails to start out. We went over to the lighthouse that's kind of stunning because it's been kept up so well. Once we got over there, I realized MY FAMILY BROUGHT ME HERE GROWING UP UNTIL I WAS OLDER!!! I got emotional and my fiancé was just so excited to be apart of where I used to travel to in the summers. The steps to get down to Cobble Beach are kind of steep - but not too bad. Probably around 200 steps to get all the way down to the charcoal stones that line the beach. If you want sand, don't come to this part of the peninsula; this cobble stone coastline is meant for people who just want to be with the sounds of nature; by that I mean sit on some of the smoothed over rocks and just LISTEN!! The stones cascade together creating an amazing sound that just humbled us. We sat on the bottom of the stairs (there's a small ledge that's right at the base kind of hidden) and just watched the waves and listened to the cobble stone clatter. There were a few seals hunting at that time right were we were sitting and they kept checking out the few people that were down on the beach. We were here for around 2 hours, and I wish we didn't have to rush up to tillamook because I would've stayed here probably until sunset. Hands down beautiful, and we are going to be back within the next month or so

Cute little beach that's part of the lighthouse park ($7 entry). Cool park to bring the littles…read morewith tide pools & historic info on the area

Nye Beach is another place to visit while visiting Newport, Oregon. A town that I have very fond of…read moreand always look forward going to. My last visit here was when we had some in-laws come visit us. They are from the landlocked Midwest so naturally going to a beach let alone this one was a real lure for them and a must stop. We wondered around on the beach itself which is beautiful and so very sandy... something that is not always a guarantee up where I live in Washington where there are often pebbly beaches which are beautiful and fun in their own way. But here you can really dig your toes into the beach here and let the water rush onto them. The water is still pretty cold even if it is the summer. You have to go quite a ways to Southern California before the water gets warmer... something to consider. Still it's very refreshing on a hot day. The view is perfect as you can see a lighthouse, the one to north of town as well as out towards the ocean itself. I was born and raised from a landlocked state too and while I have lived on the west coast for over ten years the ocean still remains very enchanting to me. I think it would for most people and going to the Oregon Coast and going to beaches like Nye Beach here will keep that allure going nice and strong.

Such a peaceful spot to take a walk on the beach. When it's low tide you can go look at many…read moredifferent creatures within the rocks. I absolutely love this spot!

May 2024 visit. We…read morehad to stop by twice to catch them when they were open... and I'm so glad we did. My favorite part was the view, but I also enjoyed exploring the old lighthouse. It's pretty small but the self guided tour was free so we didn't mind. I currently feel more peaceful just thinking about being there.

I just visited the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse a couple of weeks ago (in the beginning of March) and it…read morewas open for tours. This is the original, smaller, and, in my opinion, the more interesting of the two lighthouses in Newport. This lighthouse is built into an actual three-story house, which you can walk through most of. Although it was not possible to walk to "the top," I'm not aware of any lighthouse that is currently still allowing this in 2026. (Lighthouse lenses are extremely expensive, and, unfortunately, it's not difficult to imagine how one or two bad tourists might have ruined this for the rest of us.) But you can still walk through the first three stories of the house, and I thought that was pretty cool. On the first floor of the house, there was a replica of a fifth order Fresnel lens, which is the smallest standard size lens used in lighthouses. For the lighthouse enthusiast, it's really interesting to compare the size of this lens to the much larger first order lens at Heceta. I also found it interesting to think about the lightkeeper walking through their actual house with hot oil, rather than filtering it in an oil house and then carrying it up to the separate lighthouse. While the rooms were roped off, it was possible to walk right up to the doorway of each one, and see that they were filled with replica furniture similar to what would have been used in the late 1800s. Eventually, this small lighthouse was replaced by the much larger Yaquina Head Lighthouse, which is 4 miles to the north. The Yaquina Head Lighthouse was not open for tours when I visited, but I've seen pictures, and it looks almost exactly like the Heceta Lighthouse, except it's still whitewashed. So, in my opinion, this smaller lighthouse is actually more unique, and maybe even more worth visiting than its replacement. This Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is managed by State Parks. Parking is $10/day or free with an annual pass. The Yaquina Head Lighthouse (the newer, taller one 4 miles to the North) is managed by BLM, which charges the same daily use fee, but is covered by a different (federal) parking pass. So, you can't see both with the same pass. If you absolutely have to choose, in my opinion, Yaquina Bay has the better lighthouse, while Yaquina Head has the better beach, museum, and hiking trails.

Abigail was awesome, and funny! My husband and I went on the offroad foraging adventure, and we…read moreboth enjoyed it a lot! She was able to describe things for me, a novice adventurer, but also went into depth on some plants, which was great for my husband, who knows a bit more than I do. We didn't go off trail too much, except for a couple of mushroom clusters that were found (which we kept and tried that night!) , and thankfully the trail was pretty even, so not a ton of hills or anything! It also was a great variety of nature along the trail, so we got a bit of everything! Can't wait to visit the area again and try another tour!

I got a foraging tour as a birthday gift and just cashed it in today. It was FANtastic! Abigail…read moretook me to some spots near Neptune State Park. I learned about some edible (and medicinal) greens, berries and mushrooms that are growing now and info on what to look for from those same plants in different seasons. She is a fun guide with a lot of useful knowledge. Highly recommend it!

The lap pool is great except the hours at times is extremely limited. It is not uncommon for the…read morepool to close unexpectedly. It is very unprofessional to operate an operation this way. The spa has been closed for many months. It not known when it will be opened again. Very disappointing. It need better management.

Welp....I returned to my favorite place to work out while I'm in Newport, "The FRIENDLIEST TOWN ON…read moreTHE COAST" for the week. So happy to return and was hit the new changes as of July 1, 2023..... price gouging much. Day passes are $8, 10 day pass is $65 bucks for those 18 & older..... It's unfortunate because it's a a cool place but I can see those prices will really drive us out of towers away but maybe that's what the goal is...not so friendly. If you're for sure are going to make it every day within the 10 days, the pass will only get you 6-8 days considering they're closed Sunday and Monday. Might as well purchase the $8 day pass as that is the cheaper option....

Apparently the tallest lighthouse in Oregon! Found out I came here before but never went past the…read morevisitors center lol! It was super gorgeous and not busy at all. There wasnt a ton to do because we didn't book a tour of the inside but it was still fun to learn the history and see it for myself.

A beautifully kept example of coastal lighthouses. Very well preserved. The interpretive center is…read morea must visit. There's a massive body of historical knowledge relevant both to various stages of lighthouse operation and the growth and expansion of Oregon and the US in general.

We love visiting and staying in Newport! Their beautiful bridge gives picturesque views…read more A couple of our favorite restaurants are Clearwater and Local Ocean. There are plenty of activities for families, namely Ripley's Believe it or Not, The Wax Works, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Sea Lion Docks and Yaquina Head Lighthouse. There is plenty of RV Parks for camping and many hotels, motels, B&B's and VRBO rental options. The Historic Bayfront is a great place to walk with shops, museums, restaurants and gorgeous views of the bay and marina. They have plenty of public parking and restrooms available. We've always enjoyed our time here. Would highly recommend.

My review is based only on the Day Use fee system and not on the RV park or moorage. The Port, a…read morepublic agency, has a recently added Day Use fee system applicable to the entire port property at the south beach marina location. The fee is $7/day and is only sold in day long increments (always expiring at midnight) unless you buy a $75 yearly permit. Since this fee is applied to all of the Public port parking at the south beach facility this means it applies to parking by the fishing pier, the non-motorized boat launch area, or anywhere else that you might park to go out on a boat or simply park for a few minutes to walk around. The fee is payable via app on a smart phone as well as one pay kiosk. But while the area is festooned with signs for smartphone payment, from the company that collects the fees, there is no signage to direct you to that kiosk. It's way over on the north end by the boat ramp, and not apparent or visible from most of the parking areas. I feel this fee is exorbitant, unnecessary, and generally implemented in an unfriendly manner for the visiting citizen or tourist.