Depoe Bay

World’s
Smallest
Navigable
Harbor
Again, I’m following a Unilocal friend’s lead-​in to Unilocal reviews and, again, I’m quoting a slogan, though I’m sure I could come up with one of my own. It might be this:
Quaint,
Small,
Don’t Blink,
See It!
Depoe Bay has one seriously small harbor and, when you stand and look over the harbor’s entrance, it is so small and narrow that it is remarkable vessels can work that bend and sail under the bridge into it. Instead of running inland, US 101 is perched right above the coastline, with the Pacific Ocean on one side through the town’s center and merchants across the street on the other. The layout is great and practically asks the motorist to pull over and savor the unpredictability of the surf hitting the seawall, along with the spray it sends up, the shingled or clapboard shops along the Coast Highway, the views of the ocean and the surrounding evergreen studded hills, the shoehorning of this little harbor, or just the slow pace of it all.
Note that this is additionally known as the «Whale Watching Capital of the World.» There is a visitor’s center right next to the inlet to the harbor that is all about whale watching and there are additional places where you can sign up for whale watching excursions. Another interesting tidbit is that its best known watering hole type dive is named «The Sea Hag.» Nice, huh?
Depoe Bay is a cool little town located along the Oregon Coast, just south of Lincoln City and not that far north of Newport. Pull over, walk around, take photos, buy something kitsch, get a bite to eat, and, while you can’t «save the whales» and might not even be able to buy such a bumper sticker, you can certainly watch them.