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ABOUT TILLAMOOK "Land of Many Waters". Or if you speak the language of the Chinook indians, it's simply "Tillamook". Nestled into the southern shores of Tillamook Bay, this tiny town of 4,400 residents easily earns its name. The Tillamook, Trask, Wilson, Kilchis rivers, and Dougherty slough all pass through or near the town - part of a network of more than 20 rivers and streams that feed into Tillamook Bay, and out to the Pacific Ocean.
Only six miles from the Pacific Ocean by car, Tillamook features coastal living at its best. Despite its size, the area is one of the most most developed on the Oregon coast. In addition to the Port's features, Tillamook features the Tillamook Cheese Factory, maker of world famous cheeses and ice creams, as well as the nearby Blue Heron cheese factory, offering gourmet food tasting, cheeses, wines and other gifts in a converted Dutch barn.
And no ocean visit would be complete without a visit to a lighthouse, and the Tillamook area has its own as well. With a tower a mere 38 feet tall, the Cape Meares lighthouse is the shortest in Oregon, though it sits higher that 200 feet above the ocean. When it was lit, its beacon was visible for over 23 miles on a clear night.
Construction began in 1889, and the light was lit for the first time on January 1, 1890. The parking area, approximately nine miles from downtown Tillamook, sits in the same spot that the keepers' residences, a barn and gardens once occupied.
Today, the tower has been replaced by a more utilitarian modern beacon that sits just behind it. The sentinel remains as a standing interpretive center. Inside the lantern sits a true jewel in lighthouse design - a first order Fresnel lens. Standing over 10 feet high, the first order lens is a feat of engineering. Handcrafted out of polished glass, the lens focuses light from a simple bulb into a high-powered beam.
See more photos in our Scenic Tillamook Album.
For more information on Tillamook, and its attractions, you can visit:
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For those that aren't hungry, Tillamook offers attractions like the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum, Latimer Quilt and Textile Center, and Tillamook Air Museum. A short drive leads to Cape Meares State Park, with plenty of hiking, and scenic views of Tillamook Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
Tillamook is 74 miles from Portland and Salem, Oregon, and 66 miles from the mouth of the Columbia River, the place that Captain Grey thought he had found when he first sailed into Tillamook Bay in the American sloop Lady Washington 1788. Its location puts it right in the heart of some of the most wild and scenic area on the Oregon Coast. Nearby coastal towns include Seaside, Cannon Beach, Lincoln City and Newport.