An Underrated 'Ghost Forest' Along Oregon's Tillamook Coast Is A Quiet, Eerie Escape

While many flock to Oregon for its rustic valleys, deep canyons, stunning waterfalls, and rugged mountain splendor, its largely unspoiled coast also remains a unique place. This wild stretch of Pacific shoreline is home to hidden coves, America's largest sea cave, windswept patches of sand, and cool towns like this charming little city. It is one of America's last true refuges, where you can find solitude while wandering the wide beaches to the soundtrack of squawking seagulls and the ocean waves detonating on the shore.

The Oregon coast is not just beautiful, but a place that will continually surprise you, and one spot that will open your eyes is the Neskowin Ghost Forest. Situated near the town of Lincoln City — home to this mysteriously-named, under-the-radar-lake state park — the Neskowin Ghost Forest is a collection of tree stumps placed starkly in the sand, the remnants of an ancient stand of woods. The collective effect is otherworldly and a reminder of a past when the landscape looked very different than it does today.

Around 100 sitka spruce stumps stick up out of the ocean-slicked beach at low tide, creating what is known as the Neskowin Ghost Forest. They are estimated to be around 2,000 years old and were only made visible after a storm in the late 1990s tripped away the sand, revealing the eerie bones of a once-thriving forest beneath their grains.

Scientists posit that the forest was wiped out due a cataclysmic seismic event, most likely an earthquake and subsequent tsunami that the region — firmly placed on the Pacific's volcanic "Ring of Fire" — is known for. What remains is one of America's most hidden gems, a smattering of still-decaying stumps on a beach that was already beautiful to begin with. 

This is a raw, unspoiled stretch of sand that — while scenic in its own right — also boasts the stunning sea stack known as "Proposal Rock." Adjacent to the ghost forest is the village of Neskowin, home to some 177 residents. This sleepy community is made up of people who value the relative isolation that this stretch of coast provides. And while it's not home to a bustling dining scene found elsewhere on the Oregon shoreline, you can still get a scratch-made pizza feed in town at the Hawk Creek Cafe, or hit up the deli case for cheese, meats, and wine at the Neskowin Trading Company.

The Neskowin Ghost Forest is two hours from Portland, and the scenic route through Tillamook leads you through some of Oregon's prime wine country, especially if you like pinot noir. Be sure to stop at Tillamook Bay, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean that's home to untamed shoreline, several major rivers, and the iconic cheese company that takes its name from the location. While you'll never be battling crowds at Tillamook Bay, if it's true solitude you're after, head straight out to this uncrowded peninsula known for scenic views and sea glass.

The edge of Tillamook Bay is also home to Cape Meares, which — aside from its arresting views and thriving populations of marine mammals such as seals, whales, and sea lions — also boasts a classic lighthouse whose beacon is visible 20 miles out to sea. The area is also a terrific place for boat-based exploration, with the Tillamook Water Trail offering 200 miles of navigable waters across five river systems. For more adventures on Oregon's pristine coast, check out this secret beach.