Watch the ships come and go at four port terminals

There are few things as awe inspiring as watching a 700-foot-long ship sail in front of your eyes. But you can from many spots along the shipping channel in Coos Bay.

Established in 1990, this deep-draft port still claims a worldwide market in wood products. Ships and barges call on local docks weekly to pick up or drop off cargo loads of wood chips, logs and lumber.

Unlike largely inaccessible ports in other cities, there are many places to watch ship traffic and dock operations on Coos Bay.

While ship arrival and departure dates are hard to predict, due to ocean weather and other factors, those lucky enough to visit the South Jetty when a vessel arrives will be treated to an exciting display as towboats assist these huge vessels in crossing the bar.

Four terminals attract vessels to Coos Bay, including:

- Roseburg Forest Products wood chip facility is located on the North Spit, just west of the Coos Bay Railroad Bridge. The dock is located across the bay from the airport.

- After sailing up the channel, through the railroad bridge, under the McCullough Bridge and into North Bend, ships and barges can stop at Ocean Terminals off the foot of California Street. People can watch loading and offloading operations from downtown or from the North Bend Waterfront.

- Wood chip ships sailing farther into the bay may stop at the Oregon Chip Terminal, which borders U.S. Highway 101 at the city line between the North Bend and Coos Bay.

- From the Coos Bay Boardwalk, people can watch barges on their way to the Georgia-Pacific docks and beyond.

Visitors might wonder how 600- to 700-foot-long vessels can turn around in the bay. It takes teamwork with captains piloting seemingly tiny towboats. There are two turning areas in the bay - one in front of The Mill Casino-Hotel and another in the upper bay past the boardwalk. During the undertaking, the towboats actually push an idle ship 180 degrees to prepare it, once loaded, to sail from the bay at high tide.

Remember, ship loading is dangerous work and docks are not public places. People hoping for close views of the magnificent vessels should not trespass. Use a camera lens or binoculars instead.

Coos Bay Boardwalk

Go bay watching on the Coos Bay Boardwalk. The boardwalk parallels North Bayshore Drive (U.S. Highway 101 North) downtown, offering an interesting - and short - tour of the bay, joining with a trail along the waterfront that meanders for roughly half a mile.

Pleasure and fishing boats and yachts are moored along the docks and sometimes, tall ships such as the Lady Washington pay the Bay Area a visit.

A Boardwalk visit also can be a local history lesson. A pavilion area features an old tug boat that used to work the bay, as well as historical kiosks and pictures revealing much about the community's history. There also is a paved trail that takes off from the Boardwalk and continues along the bay.

Check with the visitor center across the street for information about tours of the bay.

Visit Old Towns in Bandon, Florence and Reedsport

Old towns at Florence, Reedsport and Bandon are favorites with visitors. Slide into some comfortable shoes and head for a Southern Oregon Coast old town for some serious fun. Browsers find a touch of local history mingled with bargains, treasures and recreational opportunities.

Indians once paddled their canoes along the banks of the Siuslaw River, a major path of commerce where the town of Florence had its beginnings. Today, Old Town Florence retains its historical atmosphere with the salty flavor of a genuine coastal river town where there is much to see and do. More than 60 businesses flourish within the four or five blocks that make up Old Town. A sprinkling of antique shops, restaurants, specialty shops, galleries, boutiques and gift shops for kids and adults alike delight visitors staying for the day or spending the night in one of several bed and breakfasts or motels. Visitors looking for fun on the water can take a cruise on a sternwheeler or rent a kayak, surfboard or scuba equipment.

Old Town Reedsport still exists and offers a different experience from some of the more touristy towns. Located near the middle of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, visitors can view the ever-changing dunes landscape, then head to Reedsport's historic waterfront. The popular Umpqua Discovery Center can take visitors back in time to learn about the pioneer citizens who manned the canneries, fisheries and timber operations that shaped the community.

A sampling of more than 100 unique businesses in an area overlooking the Coquille River can be found in Old Town Bandon. Old Town is the home of the Second Street Art Gallery, one of Oregon's largest galleries, featuring art work in oil, acrylic and watercolor; sculptures of stone, bronze, wood and steel; glassware; wearable art; and gold, silver and beaded jewelry.

The Coquille River Museum also is nearby, operated by the Bandon Historical Society. It offers locals and visitors alike an opportunity to learn about history along the Coquille River. Fine dining is available in and around Old Town, as well as many types of lodging including bed and breakfasts and motels.

Tour museums, trails, shops of Port Orford

Some of the most spectacular hiking paths along the Oregon Coast can be found in Port Orford, located 52 miles south of Coos Bay, in headlands along an oceanside bluff above the town.

Port Orford is the westernmost incorporated city in the 48 contiguous states and offers some of the most scenic views along the coast. Port Orford Heads is the site of the U.S. Coast Guard lifesaving station, decommissioned in 1970, but opened by volunteers as a museum. Volunteers also have built easy trails through the headland's meadows.

To get to the station, turn west off U.S. Highway 101 in Port Orford at milepost 301 at Ninth Street. The street and signs will direct you to the museum, which is open from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Thursday through Monday.

Behind the museum, a concrete path leads across a picnic area and to the Cove Trail trailhead. The easy quarter-mile trail, which leads to where the former lookout tower was located, offers magnificent views of the ocean. From the tower site, a path leads up and forks to the left, exposing a meadow, full of wildflowers in the summer. Stay to the left to the end of the trail, which offers a view of offshore rocks where harbor seals bask in the sun.

While you're in the area, don't forget to take a stroll through the art galleries and visit the shops of local artisans, some of which will allow you to watch them at work on their latest creation.

Blossom Gulch

This self-guided walk takes visitors through the watershed stretching from the shore of Coos Bay, meandering through downtown to Blossom Gulch.

This underground waterway is part of a small watershed, an area of land that collects rainwater from the surrounding uplands. The Mill Slough Watershed is a tiny but important piece of the much larger Coos Watershed.

To make a watershed connection from the bay to Blossom Gulch, start on the Coos Bay Boardwalk and follow the map available at the Bay Area Visitor Center. At the waterfront, explorers can start with a stroll along the interpretive walk and tour a working harbor. Through town, walkers can discover some of the buildings that were here before the Mill Slough tunnel and search for four bronze plaques that highlight Mill Slough history. At Blossom Gulch, there is a short hike along an elevated boardwalk through wetlands and uplands. Or visitors can just enjoy nature from the covered viewing area.