A Neskowin sunset is not complicated. The beach faces west, there is a rock in the middle of it, and the sun goes down behind the rock. But there are four or five places to stand that make it noticeably better, and a couple of timing tricks that most visitors miss. We have watched a lot of them. Here is where we go.
Proposal Rock, from the creek mouth
The classic. Walk down the beach access at the end of Hawk Avenue, cross or wade Neskowin Creek where it fans across the sand, and stand on the wet sand south of the creek looking back at Proposal Rock. In summer the sun sets to the right of the rock; in winter it slides left toward Cascade Head. Either way the rock goes black against orange and the creek reflects everything.
Wading the creek is usually ankle-deep in summer and knee-deep or worse after rain. Bring sandals you do not mind soaking, or stay on the north side and shoot across.
On top of Proposal Rock
Yes, you can climb it, at low tide, via the trail on the landward side. It is a scramble through salal and spruce, not a stroll, and you must come down before the tide cuts you off. From the top you get the whole bay, the Ghost Forest stumps to the south, and the sun dropping straight into the Pacific. Do this in summer when sunset lines up with a falling tide. Do not do it in the dark on the way down; bring a headlamp.
The Ghost Forest
South of Proposal Rock, the stumps of a 2,000-year-old Sitka spruce forest stand in the surf, exposed by winter storms and revealed at low tide. A sunset here in December or January during a minus tide is the best photograph on this stretch of coast. The stumps go silhouette, the wet sand goes mirror, and there is almost nobody around.
Check the tide table. You want a low tide within an hour or so of sunset. Winter sunsets are around 4:40pm, so this is a short, cold, spectacular outing followed by a hot tub. If you are staying at The Weekender, the walk back is a few minutes, which is the right amount of time to be cold.
Cascade Head, for the long view
If you want the sunset from above, drive ten minutes south to the Cascade Head trail. The lower trailhead off Three Rocks Road climbs about 1,200 feet through forest to open headland meadows with a view down the coast to Lincoln City and north across the Salmon River estuary. It is a real hike, roughly 2 miles each way to the lower viewpoint, and you will hike down in the dark, so bring a light and a layer. The upper trail from Forest Road 1861 is shorter but closed January through mid-July to protect the butterfly habitat.
Sunset from Cascade Head in late September is one of the finest things on the Oregon coast. It is also windy up there almost always.
Winema Beach, for solitude
Two miles north of Neskowin, a small gravel lot at the end of Winema Road drops you onto a beach almost nobody visits. Rocks to the north, a long open stretch to the south back toward Proposal Rock. No creek to wade. If you want to see the sun go down with your dog and nobody else, this is the spot.
Timing and what to bring
- Arrive 30 minutes before sunset. The color often peaks 10 to 20 minutes after the sun is gone. Everyone leaves too early.
- Check the marine layer. Summer fog can eat the sunset entirely at the beach while Cascade Head is clear above it.
- Layers. Even in August the beach drops ten degrees when the sun goes.
- A headlamp for the rock, the headland, or the Ghost Forest in winter.
- Tide table for anything south of the creek.
Storm season sunsets
From November to February a lot of sunsets are just a gray day getting darker. And then, once or twice a week, the front clears at 4pm and the whole sky goes on fire for fifteen minutes. Be ready. Watch the western horizon from the deck, and when a band of clear sky shows up under the clouds, go. We wrote more about that season in Neskowin in storm season.
For the rest of what to do here, from the tide pools to Pelican Brewing in Pacific City, see our Neskowin things to do page. But honestly, the evening plan is already made. Walk to the beach. Stand by the rock. Wait a little longer than you think you should.