Sea Lion Caves

While on the Oregon Coast we decided to check out Sea Lion Caves, a tourist attraction built around the largest naturally formed underground cavern in America that is home to – you guessed it – local sea lions.

Nowadays, visitors can view the cave by way of an handy elevator. But before 1961 you’d have to climb down a steep 1500 foot trail and then a 135 step ladder enclosed in a wooden cage. Hooray for technology!

A bit about the sea lions themselves (click photo to zoom in)..

To read more about sea lions, including information about their diets and family life, click here.

Because we visited during Summer, the sea lions weren’t in the cave. Which was fine by me, as I can only imagine how badly it would have smelled if they were enclosed!

Instead, they were sunning themselves on the large rocks jutting out into the ocean.

You probably can’t see them but I promise that they were there. Probably hundreds of them.

Because the Sea Lion Caves attraction is located right on the ocean, we were treated with gorgeous views up and down the coast.

In the far distance is Heceta Head Lighthouse which, depending on who you ask, may or may not be the most photographed lighthouse in the world.

The headland is named after Spanish explorer Bruno Heceta, who sailed along the coast in 1775. The lighthouse, built in 1894, flashes its 1 million candle power beacon every 10 seconds and can reportedly be seen over 20 miles out to sea.

And here’s the closest we were able to get to a sea lion, and I’m totally okay with that!