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This story is published in cooperation with Willamette Week and Visit Rockaway Beach.
Few towns on the Oregon Coast have earned the loyalty of multiple generations of Oregonians like Rockaway Beach has. In the early 20th century, this seaside resort boasted a “daddy train”: fathers and husbands would flock from Portland on weekends to spend their summers on the coast with their families. Today, the town has kept its friendly beach vibe, with much more to explore and experience.
What is there to do at Rockaway Beach? Well, we’re here with the best this beach has to offer.
Explore Seven Miles of Sandy Beach
Let’s start with the obvious. The beach boasts seven sandy miles of long and very wide shoreline (except during winter’s King Tides spectacle). Here, you can surf, boogie board, watch for whales, look for the Emily G. Reed shipwreck at low tide, fly kites, enjoy fireworks on the 4th of July, hound for rocks and shells, use a metal detector to find hidden gems or simply enjoy a long stroll. The ocean is here for you, but it can be temperamental, so don’t turn your back on it.
Hike Rockaway Beach’s Old Growth Cedar Trail
On the corner of Highway 101 and Washington Street at the south end of Rockaway Beach, you’ll find the parking lot and trailhead to a 50-acre wetlands preserve. It has remained untouched for eternity, managing to survive a handful of natural disasters, including earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, fires and human development. Once under the care of the Nature Conservancy, it was deeded to the city of Rockaway Beach, which has made it environmentally friendly and accessible with a specially designed yellow cedar boardwalk to accommodate wheelchairs and strollers.
Interpretive signage along the 1.1 mile boardwalk shares stories and photographs of the stewardship of the preserve, as well as information about local flora and fauna. At the far end of the trail is the grande dame of mother trees: a magnificent cedar, 154 feet high, 50 feet in circumference, and approximately 900 years old. She’s a marvel to behold. You’ll walk away wondering what she has seen and survived in all her years.
Fill Up on a Pronto Pup
Picture this: Rockaway Beach, Labor Day weekend, 1939. It was raining, raining, raining. George and Versa Boyington were running their hot dog stand on the beach. There was only one problem: the rain ruined all the hot dog buns. George decided to come up with a solution for this soggy predicament. How could he make a hot dog that you could eat in the rain? The answer was simple: cook the bun right on the dog! He invented the deep fried flour batter to cover the hot dog, and stuck a stick down the middle. It was portable, delicious, and could be made in a matter of minutes – thus the name “Pronto Pup.”
The “weiner dun in a bun” continues to thrive today in Rockaway Beach with a home dedicated to serving these delicious dogs. Atop the building is a giant Pronto Pup complete with a squiggly trail of painted “mustard,” and a mechanical Pup you can ride while you wait for your delicious order to be served. Located at the south end of Rockaway Beach on Highway 101.
Ride the Rails on a Vintage Train
Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad takes you back to the pleasure of a leisurely, clackity-clack steam-engine driven train ride that gets closer to the beach and nearby lakes than any car.. The locomotive is famous. It’s the McCloud 25 that was a star of the movie, Stand By Me in the scene where the boys had to outrun it on the trestle. It has both indoor and outdoor cars, and, on the 4th of July, hosts a front-row seat to the fireworks. In summer, it has a dinner train featuring locally sourced meals. The train travels round-trip from Garibaldi to Rockaway Beach. You can catch it at the train station at the wayside in the center of town.
Get Crabby
If you love seafood (and who doesn’t?), you’ll find dining options in town, including Old Oregon Smokehouse and the oceanfront Sand Dollar Restaurant and Lounge (grab an outdoor beachfront table). But hey, you’re at the coast where catching your own seafood is almost as easy as buying it. Six minutes north of downtown Rockaway is Kelly’s Brighton Marina; here, you can learn to fish and crab from the dock or a boat. The friendly staff will even help you cook your catch so you can enjoy your hand-caught meal with other crab-happy visitors at the picnic tables near their big cooker. Kelly’s Brighton Marina and Campground is at 29200 N. Highway 101.
No matter what your ideal Oregon Coast getaway looks like, one thing is for sure–you won’t be disappointed visiting Rockaway Beach. Plan your trip at visitrockawaybeach.org