Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area

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Yaquina Head is a rocky headland extending almost a half mile out from the Oregon coast just north of Newport. From the rocks there are outstanding views up and down the coast. What is easy to miss about Yaquina Head, though, is the depth and breadth of subjects, best experienced and worked over the course of several days. A rocky head land jutting a hundred feet out of the sea, Yaquina is the summer home to seabirds (including common murre, cormorant, tufted puffin, and pigeon guillemot) that nest here in the thousands and brown pelicans skim the tops of the waves from June to September.

It also has a magnificent lighthouse, which is what most tourists flock to see. There is a resident pod of whales along this section of the coast and these may sometimes be seen at Yaquina, though the best time for whale watching is late spring. Seals and sea lions swim in the lagoon to the south of the headland or haul out on the rocks. Stairs (96 of them) lead from the parking lot down to the black pebble beach from which you can get eye-level shots of the pinnepeds. As with any wild animal, be sure to keep your distance out of respect for not only your own safety, but out of respect for their space.

This is a year-around site. Spring brings whales, summer and fall are best for birding, and winter brings the colossal storms for which the Oregon coast is justifiably famous. In the summer tourists invade the headlands, but you can beat them by getting there early and your effort may be rewarded by moody shots of the lighthouse through the fog.

This is an area that will take anything you can throw at it. Wide angle lenses will capture the expanse of the coast while super-telephotos are needed for close-up studies of the sea birds nesting on the offshore sea stacks. Tidepools adjoining the lagoon can take macro equipment. A tripod is a must for photographing the birds with long lenses – the constant wind makes hand-holding a difficult proposition.

Yaquina Head is 3.5 miles north of Newport on highway 101. There is a daily entrance fee of $5.00, though if you are working the coast over the period of a week or more you’d do better to purchase a full year pass for $35.

There is such a wide range of subjects here that no single film is best for it all. I prefer Velvia 100 or E100VS for the scenic elements while, as always, I prefer E100SW for wildlife. I customarily work with at least two bodies here so as to have a saturated film and neutral to warm film both at hand.

I have already noted the ever-present wind; summer mornings can be cool, foggy and damp. In the summer arrive early to avoid the crush or tourists or to stake out a prime location to work the birds on the sea stacks. There are numerous other worthy working locations north and south of Newport and in a stay of several days you will find plenty to photograph. Boiler Bay, Cape Foulweather, Otter Crest, and Beverly Beach are short distances to the north, while the nature trail at the Mark Hatfield Marine Science Center just south of the Yaquina Bay Bridge will produce plenty of opportunities for working a tidal inlet.

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