Food & Drink
Manzanita Beach
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Spend a day at the beach - Manzanita Beach. Seven miles of pristine white sand with shiny-wet "hard" sand near the tideline. Stretching from the base of Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain to the Nehalem Bay jetty, between the dunes and the Pacific Ocean, the beach is perfect all year round. At the south end you'll find seals lounging on the jetty rocks or fishing in the waters.
Go fly a kite! The winds on Manzanita Beach make it one of the best kite flying beaches on the West Coast. If you don't want to fly one yourself, pull up a piece of driftwood and watch some of the kite flying experts maneuver fancy box kites.
Those same winds make Manzanita an awesome place for wind surfing, and wind surfers come from far and wide to take advantage of our ocean breeze - especially from June through September when winds range from 18-24 mph. There is a wind sensor located on the Sunset Surf Motel, which sits directly across from Manzanita Beach on Ocean Road. To get updated wind information for Manzanita Beach, see www.iwindsurf.com.
Take a horseback ride south to the jetty or along the beach at sunset. See our sports page.
Build a sand castle! Never made a sand castle? Give it a try. Do it from scratch, use molds garnered from household items or buy a set of sand castle implements at a local store. Either way, it's a great chance for the whole family to join in a communal activity.
Play fetch with your canine companion. Throw a Frisbee...or a football. Rent a beach bike - a three-wheel tricycle made for sand available by the hour from Fun Merchants in downtown Manzanita. The beach makes the perfect family outing, offering something for everyone!
Be sure to return at sunset for some of the most amazing light shows you'll ever see. Walk the tide line. Look for a special piece of driftwood on the beach. Drive to the overlook on Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain. Drive along the Pacific Ocean to Garibaldi. Whichever way you choose, sunset is always an amazing meditation - come see for yourself !
The beach facade is ever-changing. The winter storms, high winds and big waves can cover it with logs, the larger of which may remain, but many are cut up and removed for firewood. The driftwood left on the beach is a beachcomber's delight!
And speaking of logs, PLEASE don't sit on logs in the water or at the water line - and PLEASE don't allow your children to do so. We have had several close calls where a child has climbed on a log, and then a large wave lifted the log, causing it to roll and trapping the child underneath. Once recent incident required medical intervention by our paramedics. Also watch for "sneaker" waves (a sudden large wave that comes suddenly after a series of flat waves). Never turn your back on the ocean - be beach safety smart.
