Oregon Coast Photographer | Covering the Oregon Coast {Vol. 6} Arcadia Beach
Arcadia Beach is a little area about a mile or 2 south of Cannon Beach and just north of Hug Point. We decided to stop here one day last year and have been back many times since then. It is close enough to Cannon Beach and to Manzanita if we want to hit one of the towns for lunch afterwards, but away from the crowds of people that often inhabit those popular places. Depending on the weather and the day of the week, the small parking lot can get filled pretty quickly at Arcadia. But we have also gone several times when there are just a couple of cars. Either way, there is limited parking which means there aren't usually too many people around on a beach outing there.The scenery at Arcadia Beach is different every time, depending on the tides of course, and the variation was made extremely apparent this year on our adventures there. We went to Arcadia Beach in April and June this year and then again in July when the tide was negative. The very low negative tide uncovered worlds that we would never get to explore otherwise. It was probably the lowest tide I have ever seen at the Oregon coast in all of trips we have taken there and I was in awe.There were ladybugs by the dozens on the beach in both April and June and pretty blue Velella, the jelly-fish like creatures that are also called by-the-wind sailors. My boys and I first saw these mysterious blue creatures last year on a visit to Arcadia Beach and we have seen them on almost every coast adventure since then.April brought warm enough temperatures for plenty of time in the water.
June brought the start of a hot summer and the promise of more Oregon coast adventures.
The pressure was on in July when I saw there was going to be a negative tide (-1.5) and I needed to decide where we would go. I knew it had to be somewhere with tide pools, but I also knew it needed to be fairly close when driving from Portland because the negative tide was in the morning. My husband was able to go along this time and we had to wake up around 5am to get everybody going and ready. We opted for Arcadia Beach since there are lots of rocks and sea stacks normally covered by water during higher tides and I'm so glad we did. The tide pools filled with creatures were unlike any I had ever seen at the Oregon coast. Here are a few side-by-side comparisons to give an idea of just how low the tide was that day.
Our boys brought along their glass floats and tossed and chased them in the water and sand. {Sidenote: We get asked a lot about the glass floats. We were given a glass float a few years ago at the beach and it provided hours and hours and hours of entertainment, more than any other beach toy they have. These ones were purchased at an antique store in Astoria. Lincoln City tosses glass floats out for people to find, but we have yet to find one on our own.} It was foggy and cloudy but still warm enough for another great day at the Oregon coast. And hey, I even made it into some photos!
Visit these links to see more of our Oregon coast adventures.{Vol. 1} Pacific City And Oceanside{Vol. 2} Cape Kiwanda{Vol. 3} Devil’s Punchbowl{Vol. 4} Hug Point{Vol. 5} Neahkahnie Beach and Neahkahnie MountainMany more posts to come from the northern and central coast.
Heidi Heaphy Photography is a Portland photographer and an Oregon coast photographer specializing in weddings, seniors, and family sessions. Portrait sessions are available in the greater Portland, Oregon area, the Oregon coast, and are also frequently available in western Montana. Contact me to schedule your own customized session.