Sea Lion Caves

For more than 70 years, Sea Lion Caves has attracted hundreds of thousands of people to gaze at the sea lions and rare birds. The caves have attracted hundreds of the barking visitors, too.

These pinnipeds gather in large colonies in caves or more typically just about on any rocky outcroppings, but Sea Lion Caves is the most dramatic setting.

A descent into the cave is an adventure unlike many others on the South Coast. Visitors may ride an elevator into the cave 208 feet below the surface of the seaside cliffs, but don't just focus on the wildlife. The cave itself deserves close attention.

The sea cave is 310 feet long, 165 feet wide and about 50 feet high. The wave-cut passage to the sea is 1,315 feet long. Its main chamber, where the sea lions congregate, covers nearly 1 acre and the total cave floor area is 1.8 acres.

The cave, discovered in 1880, was formed by a river of molten rock from erupting volcanoes about 23 million years ago. Over time, fractures that developed on the north and south ends of the rock became connected. Ocean action loosened and washed away rock, creating the cave.

Sea Lion Caves is 11 miles north of Florence along U.S. Highway 101. Parking is available on both sides of the highway.

More information about Sea Lion Caves can be obtained by calling (541) 547-3111.

Look for birds on the beach

Birdwatchers don't have to limit themselves to the South Coast's sloughs and marshes. Beaches can be prime bird viewing spots, too. Sanderlings are easy picks for those toting binoculars. Watch for flocks of little birds dipping their beaks into the sand along the waterline.

If hiking where there are rocky outcroppings watch for black oystercatchers with their pink legs, and bright red bills.

Other bird species you might see include plovers, sandpipers, gulls, kittewakes, crows, pelicans, scoters, guillemots and more. You might even be lucky enough to see a peregrine falcon dive-bombing ducks below the rocks at the Simpson Reef Overlook near Cape Arago State Park at Charleston.

For beach birdwatching, the best time to hike the sand in the summer months is early. Not only will you see more birds, you won't have to push against gusty north winds. It's best to carry a small backpack with water, snacks, sunscreen and a birder's field guide.

Here's a legal caution. In beaches designated as Western snowy plover breeding areas, be sure to stay out of the dry sand or upper beach area, for example south of Horsfall Beach just outside of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Most any beach is worth a look, including the beaches around jetties and near rocky outcroppings. They tend to attract a wider range of species.

Watch elk

Want to see a Roosevelt elk up close?

A herd of the large mammals lounges at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area, operated by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Interpretive signs telling about the elk are found at a wayside a few miles east of Reedsport, but the animals are most apparent as they spend their time in pastureland adjacent to several miles of Highway 38.

Take binoculars or a spotting scope. There also are a variety of wading birds and songbirds that visit and live in the area.