Situated between the larger Oregon Coast towns of Newport and Lincoln City, Depoe Bay tends to fly under the radar. That was perfect for us as we recently planned a long weekend on the Oregon Coast and wanted a place where we could get away from the crowds, sit back, and watch the ocean, all while being within driving distance of some of the coast’s biggest sights.
Depoe Bay checked all of these boxes as it is only 15 minutes from both Newport and Lincoln City, is home to some of the cutest hotels for a couples getaway, and has one very enticing attraction for nature lovers.
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, our arrival was perfectly timed with a very out-of-season storm that pounded the coastline with waves and brought down buckets of rain. But in the end, it turned out that we had booked the perfect hotel to be center stage for the show the ocean was about to put on for us.
About Depoe Bay
Depoe Bay is located along the central Oregon Coast and is famous for several reasons. First and foremost, it is the location of the world’s smallest navigable harbor!
Just getting into the harbor is a challenge for boaters as the channel passes through a literal crack in the cliffs and under a bridge where Highway 101 passes overhead. The harbor itself is only 750 feet long by 390 feet wide and is home to a few docks where the local fishing and whale-watching fleet reside.
Watching these boats zip in and out of the harbor is a treat as they have to navigate the 50 foot wide channel which looks a lot narrower than that!
Depoe Bay is also known as the whale-watching capital of Oregon and is one of the best places to see these majestic marine mammals during the summer months. Each winter, thousands of grey whales migrate to and from Alaska and Mexico, swimming right along the Oregon Coast.
There are a few, though, that make their home in the waters off of Depoe Bay rather than swimming all the way to Alaska, and these can often be seen directly from shore during the summer months!
Where to Stay in Depoe Bay
We spent weeks looking at hotels up and down the coast for that perfect combination of size, location, and amenities and eventually landed on the Channel House in Depoe Bay. This small hotel is situated right on the channel leading into the bay, and every one of its 15 rooms offers stunning views of the ocean.
What really sold us on the hotel, though, were the decks with private outdoor soaking tubs that overlooked the ocean. These ended up being a lifesaver as we spent the stormiest days relaxing at the hotel, soaking in the tubs, and watching the waves that were reaching nearly 20 feet tall lash the shoreline and send spray all the way up onto the roadway.
We loved that our living room in the The Bridge Suite looked right out over the ocean and even included a pair of binoculars to try and spot the grey whales that feed just offshore. And we were lucky to spot two on the one day when the ocean was relatively calm!
Other wildlife abounds in the area as we also watched seals play in the channel, sea lions feasting on fish, and hundreds of birds flittering around in the stormy winds.
Where to Eat in Depoe Bay
Depoe Bay may be small, but it has an impressive collection of restaurants, from fine dining establishments specializing in locally caught seafood to grab-and-go breakfast spots. During our four days in town, we managed to taste our way through almost all of the offerings and were pleasantly surprised. We never had a bad meal during the trip, and almost every restaurant is home to incredible views.
Whale Bites Cafe
Like most restaurants in Depoe Bay, Whale Bites Cafe offers delicious food with a view that would be the best in town in most places. But here, it is just par for the course that you’ll get a sweeping view of the bay while snacking on one of their delicious (and gigantic!) breakfast burritos or waffles. The apple pie waffles were to die for and a must-try for anyone looking for a sweet breakfast dish.
Bay View Thai Kitchen
Located right next door to Whale Bites Cafe, Bay View Thai Kitchen has an outstanding selection of Thai food with classic dishes like Pad Thai and salad rolls as well as our favorite, the Tom Yum Noodle Soup. This soup featured a delicious base of Tom Yum soup with rice noodles, shrimp, ground pork, and all the classic toppings. Grab a window seat so you can watch the boats come and go from the docks as they take visitors out on whale-watching tours and fishing charters.
Tidal Raves Seafood Grill
Tidal Raves Seafood Grill takes the cake as one of THE best seafood restaurants on the entire Oregon coast. This Depoe Bay institution has been around for over 30 years now and serves up outstanding dishes with an equally outstanding view of the Pacific Ocean. We loved the herb-crusted rockfish Dungeness crab mac and cheese.
Tidal Raves does not take reservations, but you can add your name to their waitlist from your phone so you can get an idea of the wait time and avoid standing around in their lobby area.
The Horn Public House
Depoe Bay’s local brewpub, The Horn Public House, serves locally made beers and, quite frankly, better-than-expected food. We stopped in for lunch one day and expected mediocre pub fare but ended up with the best fish and chips we had during our entire trip to the coast. We went with the halibut option, which was perfectly battered and cooked.
And even though we sound like a broken record at this point, the views, once again, were on point as the restaurant looked out over both the bay and the ocean.
Bigfoot’s Beach House
Bigfoot’s Beach House was our go-to spot for a morning (or evening) coffee or to grab some snacks for the road. Their pastry display enticed us into buying something almost every time we visited, and the fact that you can get a cup of Stumptown coffee bumps them up a level.
They also have a gift shop featuring locally made products, and we ended up with some gifts for the kids as well as an awesome foraging t-shirt.
What To Do in Depoe Bay
Go On A Whale Watching Tour
Depoe Bay is one of the best places on the Oregon coast to go whale watching because of the resident population of grey whales that call the offshore waters home. During the summer months, these whales slowly swim up and down the coastline looking for food and can frequently be seen even from shore!
The best way to see the incredible animals up close (but not too close!) is to take a 1-hour whale watching tour. There are multiple companies that run tours out of Depoe Bay and they are quite affordable at less than $40 per person.
We went on a tour with Dockside Charters, and within a few minutes of leaving the harbor, the boat’s captain spotted our first whale. We slowly made our way down the coast as the juvenile grey whale would spout 2 or 3 times before diving for a few minutes. After 30 minutes we headed back towards town only to spot another whale that was feeding in the coves near the mouth of the harbor.
All in all it was a great way to get out on the water to see the coast from another angle and the wildlife that call this area home.
Try Out Deep Sea Fishing
The day after our whale watching tour I headed out on a rockfish and lingcod fishing trip, again with Dockside Charters. While the weather had been relatively good the day prior, the forecast for our trip was ominous, with gale wind warnings and seas exceeding 15 feet.
Luckily we were able to get out early in the morning and get some fishing in before the worst of the weather hit. The captain knew just where to take us to get on the fish, and within minutes of dropping our lines, we were all pulling up rockfish to fill the coolers.
In all, we spent around 3 hours (the charters are normally 5, but the wind really started to pick up), and everyone came home with their limit of 5 fish and a partial refund for the shortened trip. Employees are stationed right at the dock to quickly fillet the fish and even vacuum seal and freeze it for the trip home.
Explore the Tidepools
The coastline around Depoe Bay tends to be rockier than the wide sandy beaches of Lincoln City to the north and Newport to the south. While this isn’t great for sunbathing and building sand castles, it is ideal for tide-pooling.
We were lucky in that, even though the weather wasn’t ideal, the tides were some of the lowest of the year, so we were able to sneak out when the rain eased up a bit to explore the tide pools at the nearby Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area.
Here we were able to see sea stars, sea anemone, hermit crabs, and all kinds of other life that call these shallow pools home.
Go Beachcombing
Rock hounds have been making their way to the Oregon coast for decades, hoping to pick up some of its famous agates. These translucent stones are formed in volcanic rock and washed down rivers into the ocean, where the surf then deposits them along the beaches. Some of the best agate hunting in the state is found further south near Yachats, but we had luck at the beaches at Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area.
This beach is better during the winter when the seasonal storms wash away much of the sand, exposing the gravel beds below, but we still managed to find a few tucked away near the tide pools.
Watch for Whales at the Whale Watching Center
Depoe Bay is home to the Oregon Whale Watching Center, which looks out over the Pacific Ocean and is staffed with volunteers ready to help you spot your first whale. With telescopes set up, a wide viewing deck, displays for kids and adults alike, and a board documenting all the sea life spotted, this is a must-stop for anyone passing through town.
During our visit they had seen two grey whales earlier in the day, numerous sea lions, and harbor seals.
