Mile 226 Report
Otter Crest, State Wayside
June 20, 2024
There were no people observed on or near the shoreline due primarily to its inaccessibility.
Report Details
There were no people observed on or near the shoreline due primarily to its inaccessibility. This relates directly to lack of human modifications. The erosional resistance of the basalt-cliffed shoreline also accounts for minimal natural change with time, but see photos for arch that collapsed the last week of December 2023. Human accessibility is to Otter Crest Loop Road and to Otter Crest State Lookout hundreds of feet above sea level. There, vehicles were traveling along the road with only one seen parked and vehicles were coming and going at the Lookout, where people were getting out and seeing the incomparable views, but not going in to the Lookout gift shop, as it was closed. What may have been a little unusual was the complete lack of observed wildlife, which could perhaps be accounted for in part by the height of the tide, meaning the no wave-cut platform or tide pools were exposed.
Conditions
Temperature: 60 F. Cloud Cover: Partly Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: 4.5 feet.
Human Activities
Other Activities: There were no people or their dogs anywhere near the shoreline.. The only human activities were well above the shoreline on Otter Crest Loop Road and at the Lookout (Otter Crest State Lookout). There was one small motorhome parked along the road and some vehicles coming and going at the Lookout. Otherwise, there was no human activity.
Concerns
Apparent violations: There were no violations or concerns..
Notable Wildlife
Nothing notable was observed.
Beached Birds
n/a
Stranded Marine Mammals
n/a
Dead Fish or Invertebrates
Nothing observed.
Driftline Content
Small rocks. With a moderate tide at the time of observation, there was very little wrack line exposed on this very rocky shoreline.
New Development
Nothing was noted. Note that coastline on this mile is virtually inaccessible so that people can't get to it to make any changes.
Man-made Modifications
Nothing was noted.
Natural Changes
No natural changes were noted between this report and the last one from March 2024. This shoreline is composed of erosion-resistant basalt upon which natural change occurs very rarely or very slowly, but see photos for an arch that collapsed the last week of December 2023. This is along a fault where erosion and failure are more rapid than elsewhere along this portion of the coast.
Arch, south end of mile 226, Feb. 2022
Notch where arch at south end of mile 226 was, January 2024.
Report Images
George Meyer
CoastWatcher
All Mile 226 Reports
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
On a partly cloudy, breezy afternoon, there were no changes, natural or otherwise, noted along or near the shoreline of mile 226.
George Meyer
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
There were no people observed on or near the shoreline due primarily to its inaccessibility.
George Meyer
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
No human activity was noted on or near the shoreline, the only activity noted being people driving along Otter Crest Loop, with a few parking for short periods of time at the Lookout at Otter Crest Wayside for the views.
George Meyer
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
On a nice, fairly calm and partly cloudy day on the central Oregon coast, there were only a few people driving along Otter Crest Loop and even fewer stopping to enjoy the view from the the Lookout at Otter Crest State Scenic Wayside.
George Meyer
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
It was a very pleasant sunny day and the ocean was calm, so visibility at and slightly below the surface of the ocean was excellent.
gsmeyer
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
There was nobody observed along the shoreline of mile 226, however there were a number of people driving and stopping along Otter Crest Loop, the roadway that provides excellent overviews of the mile.
gsmeyer
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
There were no human activities noted near the shoreline, which is usual for this mile, but there was activity at the Lookout, where there were a moderate number of people parking and going to the viewpoints and into the Lookout building gift shop.
gsmeyer
Mile 226
Otter Crest, State Wayside
It was a nice day to be observing the coast, what with the moderate temperature, light wind, and clouds that covered the sky thinly.
gsmeyer