Parks and Recreation
The Yachats area is home to a rich variety of plant and animal life. Its natural history affords the study of marine, montane, and riparian ecological communities and their complex interactions. The following natural attractions are dedicated to the protection, study, and exposition of the plants and wildlife of the central Oregon coast.
The Siuslaw National Forest borders Yachats on the east and consists of over 630,000 acres (2,500 km2) (about 5/8 the area of the state of Rhode Island) extending from Coos Bay in the south to Tillamook in the north. The Forest has numerous hiking trails, including those through the virgin stands of Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and Douglas fir in the Cummins Creek and Rock Creek Wilderness areas a few miles south of Yachats. Another network of hiking trails north of Yachats leads to summits such as those of Cannibal Mountain and Burnt Timber Mountain.
The Siuslaw National Forest features Cape Perpetua, located about 2 miles (3 km) south of Yachats. Named by Captain James Cook on March 7, 1778, this promontory rises to 803 feet (245 m) above sea level, making it the highest point on the Oregon coast. Its West Shelter observation point is a popular site for watching migrating gray whales. At the foot of the cape, the power of the waves has carved a rugged inlet called the Devil's Churn. Around on the north slope of the cape, the privately owned and operated Cleft of the Rock Lighthouse is visible from the U.S. 101 Highway.
Yachats Ocean Road State Natural Site is located on the south side of the mouth of the Yachats River. It forms a 1-mile (1.6 km) long strip on the bank overlooking the river’s estuary and the ocean. Picnic tables are available and a stairway leads down to the beach on the north end of the park. At Agate Cove on the south end of the park, waves crashing against the basalt rocks provide spectacular spouts from blow holes.
Yachats State Recreation Area is a day use only park located on the north side of the mouth of the Yachats River. It includes a viewing deck jutting out from the headlands 0.25 miles (0.40 km) west of downtown Yachats. It offers viewing of whales and other wildlife, tide pools, kite flying, fishing, and picnicking. Restrooms are available.
Smelt Sands State Recreation Site is a beach located on the northern edge of Yachats. At one time large numbers of smelt (a small relative of the salmon) came ashore here during annual runs. These runs have diminished in recent years. The beach can be reached by walking the historic 804 Trail, 0.75 miles (1.21 km) one way, from the parking area to the south end of the park.
Yachats Community Park is a restored marshland in the city's center. The park's boardwalks and paths present a wide variety of native plants and wildlife, including a preserved spruce forest. Migrating waterfowl visit the wetlands regularly, and ospreys nest on platforms provided especially for them. The park includes a picnic shelter, peace garden, tree house, and benches.
Gerdemann Botanical Preserve is a 3.5-acre (1.4 ha) native woodland on the northern edge of Yachats and the western edge of the Siuslaw National Forest. The garden contains and preserves the botanical collection of horticulturalists James and Janice Gerdemann. Among the native Sitka spruce, western hemlock and wildflowers, the garden is a unique experimental outdoor laboratory, featuring a great many exotic species such as South African honeybush, New Zealand and Tasmanian tree ferns, Chinese fig hazel, Australian Grevillia, and Chilean flame and lantern trees. Today the garden is dedicated to botanical research and education.
Ten Mile Creek Sanctuary is a 216-acre (0.87 km2) reserve 7 miles (11 km) south of Yachats. This protected stand of Sitka spruce and western hemlock is home to the federally listed species of marbled murrelet and northern spotted owl as well as other species such as the Roosevelt elk, black-tailed deer, cougar, black bear, and bald eagle. Ten Mile Creek has runs of steelhead trout, Chinook salmon, and threatened Coho salmon. The sanctuary is under the management of the Audubon Society, and offers extensive educational programs in addition to its conservation efforts.
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