Seth A.
Yelp
Devil's Punchbowl is one of many popular landmarks located right off Highway 101 going up and down the Oregon Coast. It's a natural wonder, but needs to be timed well for late afternoon and during high tide. Let me explain...
Devil's Punchbowl (according to Wikipedia)...is a "large bowl naturally carved in a rock headland which is partially open to the Pacific Ocean. Waves enter the bowl and often violently churn, swirl, and foam".
The key to visiting is...when the tide is coming in. Otherwise, you're looking at a large hole in the ground from an observation viewpoint.
And unfortunately, that was my case for stopping by. I showed up around 2:30pm back over the summertime and the waters were barely budging. There was no movement or any action. That was deflating because...all I needed was 15 minutes to hang out by the overlook before losing interest.
The good news in terms of if you don't catch the crashing waves exploding from the punchbowl, there are other opportunities down Highway 101 to catch those perspectives...
Devils Churn is a very similar setting to here and situated just 35 miles south. There's also Thor's Well right next to Devils Churn. And Spouting Horn is also right beside them all.
So...Devils Churn, Thor's Well and Spouting Horn are all located in Yachats, OR. You can pick one or two of them to watch their tides coming in and then spend the night in Yachats before continuing back on Highway 101 wherever your destination may be. That's what I'd suggest.
In fact, Cape Perpetua Campground is great for spending the night under the stars, but you do need a reservation for camping there.
Here are details about this Devil's Punchbowl...
- Parking can be tricky because the lot is small. You may have to drive around a few times to find space.
- Although a bunch of the attractions along Highway 101 cost $5 entrance fee, it's free to visit here.
- Viewing Devil's Punchbowl is done from an observation point along the edge of the coast. There is a fenced in railing protecting you. Pictures can be difficult unless you're taking a selfie.
- After hanging out looking at Devil's Punchbowl, there's a Moe's West Seafood and Clam Chowder shop which was nice for having a comforting bowl of soup as a midday snack.
- Off to the side of Devil's Punchbowl, there's a staircase leading you down to the beach. I read it's a good spot for surfers.
- I also read that you can actually enter inside Devil's Punchbowl when the waters are calm. That's scary (in my opinion). Even chancing it during low tide sounds safe, but if something were to happen and you get stuck inside the bowl, it's game over.
In the end, Devil's Punchbowl probably has a lot of potential for visiting after storms or when the weather is rugged and Pacific Ocean waters are turbulent.
If you happen to come by during peaceful summer days, you are missing out. It's tough to judge and wait for the right moment to come by, especially if you don't have unlimited time on your hands.
Now that I'm more informed about the conditions and have reset my expectations, I hope to return in the future and discover better moments for capturing nature at its finest.