After we visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory Tour we drove through the little mainstreet of Tillamook – lots of cute storefronts and restaurants – before heading toward the coast and Cape Meares, about a 20 minute drive. The drive, however, is gorgeous. The winding coastal road reveals views of  the bay, cliffs, rocks, farms, and beaches. So pretty!

Our destination, Cape Meares, is both a park and a light house. Admission to both is free.

The light house is no longer working.. apparently nowadays with GPS they aren’t really needed anymore. But we got to walk around the giant lamp and admire the craftsmanship. A guide explained how it was ordered from France and shipped across the seas for months, and craned above the cliffs to where it is now. Wow!

There is a gift shop in the base of the light house with knick knacks. But the best part of Cape Meares is the scenery overlooking Tillamook Bay.

Closeby is a path to what they call the “Octopus Tree” – a remarkable multi-trunked Sitka Spruce with a trunk circumference of about 50 feet. It is quite large in person.

After the park we had to head back to Portland, but there are other things to do in & near Tillamook – notably an air museum which looks fascinating. If I went back I would definitely spend time walking around the town also, or check out one of the beaches.