The best running trails around Lincoln Beach

Sometimes the best part isn't the beach at all, looking east...

sunset can be beautiful

Depoe Bay is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, located on Route 101 on the Pacific Ocean. The bay of the same name is a 6-acre (2.4 ha) harbor, which the city promotes as the smallest navigable harbor in the world. Depoe Bay was named after Siletz Indian Charles "Charley" Depot, to whom the land was originally granted in 1894 as part of the Dawes Act of 1887. There are conflicting accounts of the origin of his name. It is said that he received the name "Depot Charley" because he worked at the military depot near Toledo, Oregon. The family later became known as "DePoe." His original tribal affiliation was Tututni. In 1975, the fishing trip sequence in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was filmed in Depoe Bay. In 1983, the harbor sequence in Hysterical was filmed in Depoe Bay, with the Depoe Bay Bridge prominently featured in the background. In 2008, restaurant scenes from The Burning Plain were filmed in Depoe Bay at the Tidal Raves restaurant. On March 11, 2011, the Depoe Bay harbor was damaged by a tsunami caused by the Tohoku earthquake off the coast of Japan. On August 21, 2017, Depoe Bay was one of the first places in the United States to experience the entirety of that year's North American solar eclipse.

The world's shortest title was lost in 1989 when Guinness named the Roe River in Montana the shortest in the world. In an attempt to reclaim the title, the people of Lincoln City submitted a new measurement to Guinness of about 120 feet (37 m) marked at "extreme high tide." At the time, the Lincoln City Chamber of Commerce described the Roe as a "drainage dike being studied for a school project." Montana supporters shot back that the D was just an "ocean water backup," pointed out that there was an alternative fork to the Roe that was only 30 feet (9.1 m) long and suggested a new survey . Guinness apparently never decided the dispute and let the Roe claim stand, but as of 2006 decided to no longer list the shortest river, perhaps because of this ongoing dispute.

Perched on a seawall with sweeping ocean views and a large observation deck, the Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay is the perfect place to spot whales. Park staff and volunteers are ready to answer your questions and help you identify whales and other marine life. The center is equipped with binoculars for visitors and displays facts about whales and information about what swimming patterns you can see. During the busiest weeks, thousands of gray whales migrate past on their way to and from the waters of Alaska and Mexico. We observe all year round; you never know what might swim by. Humpback whales, orcas, dolphins, porpoises and even blue whales can also be seen.

When you reach the Salishan Spit's northern tip, be prepared for a warm welcome from the resident harbor seals. Your return journey offers two choices: the beach or the paved street, with a reminder that northern beach access is limited due to private ownership.

The D River is one of the claimants to the title of “World's Shortest River”. While this claim is disputed, there's no denying that it's run from Devil's Lake to the Pacific is incredibly brief (either 440 feet (0.13 km) or 120 feet (36.58 m), depending on how/when it's measured). Aside from that, you'll find easy access to the beach from the nearby recreation site that is also home to 2 of the largest kite festivals in the world during summer and autumn.

Once you make it to the Salishan Spit at the northern tip of the beach, there is a good chance that you will be greeted by the harbor seals living here. From here you can decide whether you want to go back along the beach or take the paved street. Please be aware, that there is only one access to the street in the north of the beach, as the other paths are all privately owned.