Cape Meares (Octopus Tree) Oregon

Cape Meares was a fantastic place to visit with a Lighthouse, a beautiful ocean view, and the Octopus Tree!! You won’t need long at this stop (plan on an hour or less) to take everything in. But the tree is breathtaking and one-of-a-kind.

The day we stopped at Cape Meares, we started out at Seaside, OR and then worked our way down to Cape Lookout State Park (Tillamook, OR). We stopped at The Port of Garibaldi as well as the Tillamook Creamery. We dropped our trailer at our camp spot at Cape Lookout State Park and then we drove back up to Cape Meares and then stopped at Netarts Bay on the way back and kayaked in the bay. This was SO much fun! I will talk more about it in a minute.

Cape Meares State Park

Cape Meares is part of the Three Capes Scenic Loop. The other capes include Cape Lookout and Cape Kiwanda. While you are at Cape Meares you will have the perfect view of the largest colony of nesting common murres. The Lighthouse is from the 1890s and is really beautiful. You can walk right down to it and during certain hours, you can go on a tour of it.

Octopus Tree in Oregon

From the parking lot, you will hike east to get to the largest Sitka spruce tree in the state of Oregon. This is the Octopus Tree. It is so amazing! It is believed to be between 250 and 300 years old. The base of the tree is nearly 50 feet around. But instead of shooting straight up like a normal tree, it has a number of small trunks that have grown upwards (like an upside-down octopus).

You can learn more about the Cape Meares State Park here.

Planning a trip? Be sure to check out our other stops on our trip from Utah into Washington and down Highway 101:

• Top 5 Favorite Things to Do at the Thunderbird RV & Camping Resort
• Thunderbird RV & Camping Resort Review
• Lodgepole Campground in Washington
• Grove of the Patriarchs
• Narada Falls in Mt. Rainier National Park
• How to spend 1 day at Mt. Rainier
• Salt Creek Recreation Area
• Cape Flattery Trail Hike
• Shi Shi Beach Trail Hike
• Klahowya Campground in Port Angeles, WA
• Ruby Beach in Forks, WA
• Kalaloch Beach (Tree of Life)
• Quinault Rain Forest in Washington
• Ape Caves Washington (Lava Tubes)
• Multnomah Falls in Oregon
• Astoria Column in Oregon
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Park
• Snoqualmie Falls
• Port of Garibaldi