Beach and Bay Adventures on Central Oregon Coast: Lincoln City by Day and Night

(Lincoln City, Oregon) – The central Oregon coast town is big on fluffy sands that go on for miles and miles, broken only a few easily traversable streams, until it dead-ends at Siletz Bay. It’s a mixture of pleasant walks on the beach and bayside repose, along with just about every modern convenience you could ever want just a few steps from the beach – or at least a short drive.

At its northern end sit beach accesses like the Grace Hammond access, near NW 34th (seen above). Here, a touching dog memorial sign pays tribute to faithful furry friends of the past, a small sign that seems to welcome people with their pets, as if to say: “Our pooch loved this spot. Yours will too.”

Periodically around Lincoln City, the sand at the tide line makes a slightly steep downward turn, which creates interesting tidal conditions, adding to the fun.

Other spots, given the right conditions, you can see the sands shifting before your eyes, as wind sends masses of the stuff soaring on a low level flight that’s a bit mesmerizing and hypnotizing.

Sometimes the best options are viewing the beach from above. There’s actually a new park for this, located next to The Coho Oceanfront Lodge. It’s called Oceanview Walk Park, built and funded by the family that owns the hotel – but it’s considered part of the city’s park system. It’s a tiny place, perfect for reflection on the action of the waves below.

Down at Siletz Bay, the view from the southern end is one of the more famous views on the Oregon coast, an iconic bit of a rocky bulb sitting in this picturesque bay.

Up close on the bay, it’s all logs - all the time. Behemoth wooden monsters have been tossed here with regularity by storms, creating some magnificent hiding spots for creating bonfires and for sitting down next to them.

As if the scenic beauty of this central Oregon coast hotspot during the wasn’t enough, at night it’s a stunning, surreal and new world. The bay itself presents all sorts of engaging images to take in after dark, whether it’s watching fishing boat lights in the distance, listening to the lapping of the waves against the dock, or seeing what fun and funky dances the moonlight gets into on the water.