Bayocean Peninsula, on the northern Oregon coast, is a sandspit that separates Tillamook Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It is, by any measure, a nature lover’s paradise, whether you’re a beachcomber, hiker, mountain biker, boater, birder, wildlife lover, or photographer.
Now an undeveloped county park, a century ago it was home to a thriving resort community of 2000 people. The town of Bay Ocean Park boasted a large hotel, dance hall, 1000 seat movie theater, bowling alley, shooting range, tennis courts, and a heated natatorium housing what was billed as the largest salt water swimming pool on the west coast, complete with a wave generator. The town featured paved and lighted streets, a public water system, telephone system, and a diesel powered generating station that provided the town with electricity, all at a time when most small towns in Oregon had few, if any, of those things.
Despite having paved streets and its own gas station, there was no road connection between Bayocean and the other coastal communities, much less to Portland and the Willamette Valley. Many residents and visitors traveled to and from Bayocean by steamship, a three day journey from Portland that involved crossing the notorious Columbia River bar and navigating the unprotected mouth of Tillamook Bay, a sometimes rough, frightening, and potentially dangerous experience.
To make crossing the Tillamook bar safer, the Army Corps of Engineers recommended jetties be built on both the north and south sides of the bay’s mouth. But half of the cost (a then considerable $2.2 million) would have to be paid by local residents. To cut the cost to a more affordable amount, the local port district proposed building only one jetty. The resulting north jetty, completed in 1917, did make crossing the bar much smoother and safer, but it also contributed to the town’s demise by changing the near shore currents, which began eroding away the beach in the 1920s.
In 1932 the north jetty was extended, further accelerating the erosion. The natatorium was destroyed by waves during a massive storm that winter. By 1938 almost 60 homes had fallen into the sea. Other storms over the years took many of the remaining buildings, and in 1952 another major storm breached the southern end of the peninsula, turning Bayocean Peninsula into an island. The Bay Ocean Park post office closed in 1953 and most of what was left of the town was bulldozed by the Corps of Engineers in 1956 during a project to build a dike across the breach created in 1952. The last house on the peninsula washed away in 1960, and the last structure, a long abandoned garage, fell into the sea in 1971.
The south jetty was eventually built in the 1970s and that stopped the erosion of the peninsula, but by then the town of Bay Ocean Park was long gone. Today, nothing remains of the town. What’s left, though, is a treasure trove of delights for the outdoor enthusiast: miles of untrammeled beach, unspoiled dunes, a bay shore sheltered from the prevailing winds, an upland spruce and pine forest, and an abundance of waterfowl and other wildlife. The haul road used in building the south jetty is now an ideal mountain bike and hiking trail on the bay side of the peninsula.
To reach Bayocean from the town of Tillamook, follow the signs for the Three Capes Scenic Route (Oregon Highway 131). After crossing the Tillamook River bridge, turn right onto Bayocean Road toward Cape Meares. At milepost five, turn right onto the old south jetty haul road (aka the dike road) and proceed to the trailhead parking area. There are pit toilets at the trailhead, but no water.
From the trailhead, the road continues north beyond a locked gate. You can also hike through the dunes to the beach from the trailhead parking area. The road along the bay shore is mostly gravel, with a few sandy stretches, and mostly flat. It’s an easy four mile bike ride to the south jetty.
Hikers can do a 7½ mile loop by hiking through the dunes to the beach, walking the beach to the south jetty, and returning along the bay side on the gravel road. There are several trails connecting the dike road to the beach, making shorter loops possible. And a longer hike or bike ride (10 mile loop or 9 mile out and back along the beach) can be done by starting at the beach access in the town of Cape Meares, instead of the Bayocean trailhead. See my Bayocean Peninsula Hike post for more details.
Back country camping is no longer permitted on the peninsula and there are no campgrounds. In the past, boaters frequently camped along the bay shore at a cove called Crab Harbor near the north end of the peninsula and backpackers sometimes camped in the woods or dunes near the middle of the peninsula.
The north Oregon coast has much to offer beyond Bayocean Peninsula, of course. Oswald West State Park and Hug Point to the north, and Cape Meares and Cape Lookout to the south are some of my favorite places on the north coast. But Bayocean Peninsula is unique. Nowhere else on the northern Oregon coast can you find such an extended stretch of roadless, yet accessible, beach. And it’s close enough to Portland and the rest of the population centers of the Willamette Valley to be an easy day trip. I’ve hiked and biked the peninsula a number of times and I’m sure I will return many more times. I never get tired of its sights and sounds.
Originally posted April 23, 2019 by Alan K. Lee, updated July 8, 2021 and March 4, 2024
All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted
There is so much here that you probably can’t see it all in one visit. My wife and I have visited the museum on a couple of our Arizona excursions, and on our last visit I was surprised at how much I had missed on our earlier visit. Plan to spend at least two hours at the museum. Allow half a day to more fully explore what the museum has to offer, if you can.
If you’re ever in the Tucson area, consider making the drive to the top of Mount Lemmon. A paved road takes you to the summit, more than 6500 feet above the valley floor. Numerous viewpoints along the way provide spectacular vistas of the mountain, the surrounding desert below, and the mountains beyond. And numerous trailheads provide access to the ridges and canyons beyond the road for those who want to lace up their hiking boots and immerse themselves in the desert or mountain environment.
The drive takes you through numerous climatic and ecological zones, from the iconic saguaro cactus of the Sonoran Desert at the base of the mountain to an aspen and ponderosa pine forest at the summit.
My wife and I made the drive to the summit in October 2019 while in Arizona to visit my brother and attend a wedding. I had never heard of Mount Lemmon and I wasn’t keen on making that long of a side trip, but my wife convinced me that it would be worthwhile, and she nailed this one. Mount Lemmon is more than just worthwhile, and worth more than just a side trip. It’s a worthy destination in its own right.
Windy Point, about seventeen miles from the beginning of the highway in Tanque Verde, has got to be one of the most spectacular viewpoints in southern Arizona. You’ll want to stop here and just wander around for a while. Take in the views of Tucson and the desert far below, the mountains beyond, and the rock formations around you. About four miles farther up the highway you’ll come to the San Pedro Vista, which gives you a panoramic view east across the San Pedro Valley to the Galiuro Mountains.
Another couple miles brings you to the 
If you go, note that the summit of Mount Lemmon can be thirty degrees cooler than Tucson, so dress accordingly. And if you plan to do any hiking, avoid mid-summer if possible and always bring plenty of water. There are no sources of safe drinking water on any of the hiking trails in the area, to my knowledge.
Not only am I glad we took the drive, I wish we could have spent more time exploring the mountain. For those that do have the time, there are several picnic areas along the highway and a few places to eat in Summerhaven, and there are several campgrounds a short ways off of the highway if you want to spend more than a day on the mountain. If you don’t want to camp, Summerhaven also has a few rental cabins, and a newly built small hotel. Check the 
Note: In the summer of 2020 the entire area was closed to the public because of the Bighorn Fire that burned 120,000 acres in the Santa Catalina Mountains. Photos taken after the fire showed some badly burned areas, but others that were largely untouched. All of the area is open again, including the Palisades Visitor Center.