Oregon’s rugged North Coast boasts one of the best parks in the state: Ecola State Park. It’s a place where pine forests meet crashing waves and where visitors can experience the great outdoors and see ocean wildlife up close. Ecola State Park is one of the best places on the coast to go tidepooling, there’s so many different critters to see.
In the tidepools
At Ecola Point, keep an eye out for:
- Colorful purple and orange sea stars of various sizes.
- Anemones, mussels, barnacles amongst slippery rocks.
- Small crabs and octopi in shallow water areas.
- Occasional sea slugs and tiny fish hiding around rocks.
Best tips for visiting tidepools
- Check the tides and the weather: Plan your visit around the lowest tide for the best tidepool access.
- Look but don’t touch: Tidepool creatures are delicate. Gently observe but avoid handling animals.
- Watch the ocean: Never turn your back on the waves – sneaker waves can appear suddenly.
- Respect nature: Ecola Point is a state park and a marine conservation area. Collection of marine life, shells, or rocks is prohibited.
Exploring Ecola Point gives you a front-row seat to Oregon’s wild beauty. It’s a unique spot where the ocean meets rocky headlands encompassed by steep cliffs. There’s wildlife in the tidepools, in the forest and sky and out at sea. We should do all we can to keep places like Ecola Point wild for our future generations to enjoy.
