Cape Lookout State Park — Attraction in Tillamook

So, I lived out on the east coast for 12 years, where I got married. When I brought my wife (who'd never been to a Pacific beach) to this place in 2004, she was astounded by the width of the beach (distance from tree line to ocean) and space to spread out. She'd been used to Ocean city and Virginia beach - both narrow, steep and terribly overcrowded.

Even when it's 'busy', this beach usually has 50-100 feet between groups of people, rather than the 3-5 feet at those places I mentioned above. It's really pretty, and has plenty of little streams and some big rocks for the kids to climb on (nothing too high or dangerous) and an area on the north end where there is a massive sand dune (30+ feet high) which the kids also will have fun with. The weather was great that day - sunny and 70F. There was a pretty steady wind, so the place is good for flying kites too. There is a tent & RV campground there which is pretty good (to the right on the entrance road) and a day area (to the left), which has a nice, shady, covered area, multiple picnic benches, pretty clean bathrooms, great beach access (50 feet from parking area), and ample parking, etc.

We had a great time - mostly. Near the end of our stay, my poor little 6-year-old daughter was caught unawares by a sudden gust of wind which ripped her kite (an old one I'd had since I was like 10, and was dear to her heart) out of her hands. It flew away to the south, buoyed by the wind, and eventually landed in the ocean and was dashed against the rocks of the cape itself, and perished - sent down to Davy Jones locker. I have rarely ever seen her so upset, mostly because she thought I'd be upset (I was only upset because she was sad, and explained 'it's just a thing, it can be replaced, don't worry, it wasn't your fault', etc., etc.)...so that little experience put a damper on the afternoon, but the stay was otherwise quite pleasant. We got ice cream at the Tilamook creamery on the way home, which helped cheer her up. sigh

So, all in all, I would definitely recommend this place, with a few important suggestions for anyone who goes:

Bring a jacket or sweater or something wind resistant. Even when its warm, the wind is often strong and will chill you quickly.

Go during the hottest part of summer for maximum comfort.

The water is always really cold - roughly 45-55 degrees, so limit your kids time in it. It'll make you go number very quickly.

There's a rip current which moves rapidly to the south, so I wouldn't recommend swimming too far out - the chances of getting carried away like the kite are better than average, there are sharp rocks on the cape, and it all represents a safety concern. KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON YOUR CHILDREN - DON'T LET THEM GO MORE THAN ABOUT THIGH-HIGH IN THE WATER FOR MAX SAFETY!

If you plan to fly kites (especially for kids) make sure to get a safety strap which will attach to the wrist in case they drop the spool/handle. The wind can be gusty and unpredictable, and I hope you don't experience the heartbreak of a lost kite. I've included the last photo before...

Great find! There's 3 trails, 2 that go to the cape and one that heads down to the beach. The ones for the cape are mild to moderate in difficulty. Just don't fall off and you'll be fine 😜. My favorite is the South Trail which goes down to the beach. It's about 2 miles on switch backs heading down. About Midway you'll find a bench where you can see the entire scenery. Very beautiful indeed. Keep going, you'll encounter a very narrow trail at times, one person width but it's not difficult at all. Just know that if you don't like foliage in your face, then this is not it for you. While on the beach, it was just amazing views. The water is turquoise and blue, it appears very tropical, but of course it's Oregon. When we were there we couldn't believe the weather we had, beautiful sunny day. The beach is mostly empty so it's perfect for playing around, picnic, letting the dogs loose or whatever. Note it's a primitive beach so there's no amenities. Just beach. Have fun! Also remember it's also 2 miles back up. So pack with that in mind. I imagine it's so empty because of this fact, nobody wants to do the trek back up. Nonetheless, I would definitely do it again in...

We came to Cape Lookout for the day to check it out for some future camping. There was only a handful of tent sites that looked appealing to us because they were more private and not camping staring at your neighbor. We had a great time on the beach then decided to take a look at the cabin rentals right next to the restrooms since they were vacant and we were interested in possible renting one. We only looked for 2 min's, started to walk away with our two small children and this rude park ranger on a power trip approached us yelling at us and making a huge scene. She said we were trespassing and was grilling us like a mad Nazi. She accused my husband of being a peeping-tom for looking in the windows....Are you kidding me?! We were all looking in the windows of a very vacant cabin. She practically ran us out of there yelling. I told her we were considering renting here but not after our rude encounter with her. She ruined our afternoon treating us like we were criminals. Never going here again it's supposed to be a vacation spot and our short experience was far from relaxing and fun. That women had no right to yell at us making my kids and us feel...