What: Haystack Rock Marine Garden and National Wildlife Refuge at Cannon Beach, Oregon.
Where: Haystack Rock is located off of the Oregon Coast Hwy (U.S. Route 101), about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of downtown Cannon Beach and is about 80 miles (130 km) west of Portland.
Ramblers: Susan, Mary and Emilia
Season: Spring
Haystack Rock is an impressive monolith that towers
235 feet over the beach. It is home to nesting seabirds in the spring and summer, and to tidepool creatures all year long. The tidepools at the base of Haystack Rock are accessible by foot, but only during low tide.
You can check daily times for low tides at Cannon Beach HERE
The Haystack Rock Awareness Program is a mobile environmental education program that visits the beach during low tides in the spring and summer months.
Trained, knowledgeable, and friendly volunteers are happy to point out easily missed wonders such as....
...Nudibranchs!
(small, fancy sea slugs) like this Opalescent Nudibranch which is
swimming upside down. This particular one was spotted by Emilia, after
we were educated as to what to look for.
The area surrounding Haystack rock was designated as a Marine Garden in 1990 and as part of a National Wildlife Refuge in1976. All climbing is prohibited on Haystack Rock- as is
operating low flying aircraft (including gliders) near the rock. This protects the seabirds (especially ground-nesting
seabirds) that nest on the rock.
TIDEPOOL ETIQUETTE: "No poking, prodding, prying, removing, eating, squashing,
stomping, kicking, licking, collecting, crushing or otherwise injuring
plants and animals." Check out the Tidepool
Etiquette page to learn more.
Birds that nest on Haystack Rock include Western Gulls, Tufted Puffins, Pelagic Cormorants,
Pigeon Guillemots, and Black Oystercatchers.
To learn more about this beautiful sea garden visit the
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What: Haystack Rock Marine Garden and National Wildlife Refuge at Cannon Beach, Oregon.
