Visitors who stop at the Rocky Creek State Park and take the time to explore the trails at the park's north end will come out overlooking the Little Whale Cove. This protected lagoon is home to a herd of seals, flocks of sea birds, spectacular views, and the only bona fide private beach in Oregon.
Accessing Little Whale Cove, Oregon
Under the Oregon Beach Bill enacted in 1967, the public has free and uninterrupted use of the beaches along Oregon´s 362 mile-long coastline. But because Little Whale Cove is a private cove and generally not accessible from the public beaches, In a court contest in the 1980s the small beach within the cove was designated as a private beach.
With the exception of the private beach on the north side, the cove is ringed by sheer sandstone cliffs on the east side and rugged volcanic rock on the south. Access to see the cove is either through the grounds of the Whale Cove Inn or the trails in Rocky Creek Park.
Stay and Play at Little Whale Cove
Whale Cove Inn provides an ideal location for enjoying views of the cove from their rooms, lobby, dining area, decks and yard. It is the only lodging on Little Whale Cove. For visitors who want to wake up to a view of the cove and be lulled to sleep by the sounds of the waves rolling across the rocky basalt sill that protects the cove from the open ocean, this is the place to stay. Restaurant Beck provides on-site, world-class dining for guests and diners.
Little Whale Cove Offers Brilliant Scenery
Visitors can enjoy the contrast between the multi-hued blues and greens of the water in the cove, the reds and golds of the sandstone cliffs, and the black basalt. Seen from the south side, the overall pallete of the of the cove provides unparalleled photo opportunities from dawn to dusk as the sun arches across the small cove shifting shadows and light continuously though the day.
Whale Watchers Welcome
Little Whale Cove and Rocky Creek Park are ideal locations to watch the California Gray whales while they make their annual migration up the Oregon coast in November and December, and back south in February through April each year. Any time of year visitors are likely to catch glimpses of the resident pod who stay all year in the area. When I stopped by in September, I watched one of the local Grays as it forayed around the mouth of the Little Whale Cove.
During the migration season, visitors should keep an eye out for the "Whale Watching Spoken Here" tent signs. The signs herald the availability of trained whale observers, who assist novice watchers where to look and what to look for, to improve every visitor's chance of seeing one of the migrating California Gray whales.
Little Whale Cove’s Mystery in History
Bob Ward, an amateur English historian, theorizes that Sir Francis Drake landed in Oregon in 1579, 199 years before Captain Cook reached the northwest coast. Ward has been collecting evidence to support his theory that Portus Nove Albionis, where Drake put in to make repairs to his ship, was Little Whale Cove in Oregon. Although his theory has not gained wide acceptance, and is warmly contested by other sites that claim to be the location of Drakes landing, the similarity to Drake’s description of Little Whale Cove adds a hint of mystery to the site. Thus far, there is no definitive evidence to identify the actual location of Nove Albionis.
Starting out at Rocky Creek Park
The parking lot at Rocky Creek State Park offers the best starting point to access the cove for visitors who are not staying at the Whale Cove Inn. There is plenty of no-fee paved parking for any sized vehicle but no overnight parking. The walk through the forest from Rocky Creek to Little Whale Cove is dirt and gravel, but it’s easy to negotiate and well maintained by the park rangers.
Rocky Creek State Park is two miles south of Depoe Bay and eleven miles north of Newport, right on Highway 101. Whale Cove Inn is a tenth of a mile north of the park.
Sources
Did Sir Frances Drake spend a summer in Whale Cove? Finn J.D. John, June 8, 2009
The Oregon Beach Bill text, Oregon.gov, HB 1601
Jon Thompson - Jon Thompson - freelance article and commercial writer with background in education, business, advertising, sales and emergency ...
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