Depoe Bay, with only 6-square-acres of surface water, has the distinction of being the world's smallest navigable harbor, but can handle boats up to 50 feet in length, which must brave the narrow channel. To give more perspective: I don’t believe there is a place where you can’t get the entire bay into a single non-panoramic photo while standing at the water’s edge. In the film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest," this is where the fishing expedition begins, and here is the bridge they cruise under en route to the sea.
There is a place just south of the bridge along the seawall (which runs the length of the seafront) where you can safely park, with an area for viewing the phenomena known as the "Spouting Horn." Upon occasion, the ocean erupts in a geyser-like wave up to 60-feet high, which crashes inland, often into the southbound lane of Highway-101. This effect, which can be very unpredictable, is more vigorous during the winter, sometimes reaching into the northbound lane as well. Water being forced through fissures in lava rock is what causes these geysers and why they are unpredictable, as each wave is actually unique. There are other places along the Oregon coastline where this water-trick is performed, but this is probably the easiest to access.
A walkway passing under the bridge bridge provides an alternative to crossing the road, which can be thickly congested with traffic. There are an amazing number of little shops crammed into this town. Buy some salt-water taffy at one of the shops, which specialize in this, and watch the boats go in and out as you eat it. Depoe Bay bills itself as the "Whale Watching Capital of the World." It is the center of the whale watching cruise industry, and you have many choices as to vendor. The local radio station gives updates on viewing conditions.
Annual events: The third Saturday in September, the town cooks and consumes 3000-pounds of fish at its big "Indian Style Salmon Bake." You’re invited to join. Late May brings the "Fleet of Flowers Memorial Day Ceremonies" commemorating when in 1936: two local who men set out to rescue a floundering boat ended up loosing their lives in a violent storm.
Contact: Depoe Bay Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 21, Depoe Bay, OR 97341. 541-765-2889. dbchamber@newportnet.com