To mark the state’s 1959 centennial, Oregon issued auto license plates bearing the motto “Pacific Wonderland,” and justifiably so. Oregon’s 362 miles of oceanfront is a sea-stacked, highway-winding, sailor-challenging, tourist-pleasing coastline to rival any in the world for scenic beauty. Where rocky capes don’t jut into pounding surf, monumental golden dunes meet the waves.
Landmarks ranging from Cook’s Chasm, named for Capt. James Cook, at Cape Perpetua, to Devil’s Punchbowl, at Otter Rock, reflect the coast’s rich human history of exploration and its natural history of fierce, swirling seas.
It’s no hyperbole to call it a wonderland for travelers.