• The Octopus Tree - Tillamook, Oregon


      Photo by Harry Kline
      Cape Meares is a nice place to visit for its lighthouse, cliffs, coastal views and hiking trails, but one partly hidden attraction is the huge Octopus Tree, This 105 foot tall Sitka Spruce has no central trunk, instead, its individual branches spread out as much as 16 feet and then bend upward to form a candelabra-shaped tree. The short trunk is 46 feet in circumference, Nobody knows for certain whether nature or Native Americans formed this wonder, but it is an estimated 250-300 years old.

      If you go:
      The tree is a short hike from the parking lot in the opposite direction from the lighthouse path, so many uninformed people miss it entirely. Don't be one of them.

      Links:



      Cape Meares
      Cape Meares Lighthouse Drive
      Tillamook, Oregon 97141 USA
      capemeareslighthouse@earthlink.net

      Mailing address:
      Friends of Cape Meares Lighthouse
      PO Box 262
      Netarts, OR 97143 USA

      Phone Numbers:

      Cape Lookout State Park
      +1 (503) 842-3182