Cape Perpetua

Cape Stone shelter atop Perpetua

  • Easy (to tidepools and Devils Churn)
  • 1.8-mile loop
  • 100 feet elevation gain


  • Easy (to Giant Spruce)
  • 2 miles round trip
  • 100 feet elevation gain


  • Moderate (to viewpoint at shelter)
  • 3 miles round trip
  • 700 feet elevation gain



Most tourists at Cape Perpetua merely pause at the parking pullouts and drive on. They’re missing a lot. Trails fan out from the visitor center toward old-growth forests, tidepools, and viewpoints you’ll never see from a car window. The three easy hikes described here are short enough that a sturdy hiker can cover them all in an afternoon. If you don’t already have a parking pass, expect a $5-per-car fee.

English explorer Captain Cook named the cape in 1778 while sailing into the teeth of a storm. Irritably, he noted in his journal that the same cape had loomed before him for five days straight. It was March 11, the holy day of St. Perpetua, and the faith-tested martyr’s name apparently struck a chord.

View of Cape Perpetua from the stone shelter

Cooks Chasm

Start by driving Highway 101 south …

For the next easiest hike from …

For the most difficult and most rewarding of the three short hikes described here, follow the …


This chapter taken from the book 100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Oregon Coast & Coast Range.