This post title was supposed to read “Haystack Rock & Sea Lions Rock,” but as my mother says, “Uno pone y Dios Dispone.” It’s basically the equivalent of “[Wo]Man plans, God laughs.”
We were driving into Ecola State Park when we came across multiple signs saying the entrance was closed. I had service and was able to find out why. According to Oregon State Parks landslides damaged the road and wiped out a portion of the Crescent Beach Trail. Unfortunately there is no timeline for when they would reopen. And no trail for me to write about 😦
With nothing left to do in the area, we set our sights on Haystack Rock. I used Google Maps on my iPhone and it brought us to a road named Pacific. We made sure to read all the signs regarding street parking and found a spot. Honestly, the Nissan Frontier was overkill. But I won’t bore you with those details today.
Across the street from where we parked there was a sandy strip to access the beach. There is a garbage can and baggies for dog poop (very thoughtful). They make it super easy to carry in/carry out, so please do your part. Also, be respectful of the residents in the area and don’t walk through private property. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk lol.
From this point it was easy to see the rocks and walk on the sand towards them. Make sure you look behind you to see which two houses you walked between. This will help you a great deal on the way back as they all seem to blend together at some point.
Okay, here is where instagram vs reality kicks in. It was already the afternoon and there were plenty of two-legged and four-legged beings running around enjoying the intermittent sun. High tide was slowly working its way in and occasionally caught some people off guard. We saw at least two people going into the wet sand post wave for the ‘gram worthy picture, only to be caught with a new wave filling their hunter boots with plenty of water.
Don’t get me wrong, it is very possible to take a picture alone with an awesome haystack background. It will require some angling and patience. Keep in mind however, it was February and the summer months will most certainly have many more visitors.
And for those of you who are as curious as me, there are plenty of birds and a sign on Haystack Rock.
And as soon as we got back to the car the sleet started coming down. It was so sunny out we almost forgot we were in the Pacific Northwest lol.
The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea.
Isak Dinesen
SALVI NOMAD 