Cape Lookout State Park is a Bortle 2 scale site with excellent dark skies due to its distance from cities and other light pollution.

A popular campground and day-use area, Cape Lookout State Park is located on a sand spit between Netarts Bay and the ocean. This scenic park is a destination for hiking, beachcombing and visiting sites along the Three Cape Scenic Route. The 5-mile round-trip Cape Trail features views of the ocean and shore peeking through Sitka spruce and hemlocks on the way to the tip of Cape Lookout. On a clear day, you can see south 39 miles to Cape Foulweather and north 42 miles to Tillamook Head.

The park has magnificent views to be enjoyed with easy access to the beach. Popular activities include whale watching, bird watching, and hiking are very popular at Cape Lookout. There are more than eight miles of hiking and walking trails wind through old-growth forest.

Location

• How far outside of Portland? ~82.2 miles depending on the route taken. This make the drive around 1 hour and 35 minute drive depending on traffic and stops.
• Google Maps Location

Overnight Accommodations

Reservations can be made 6 months ahead of time. The park has a total of 230 sites, which includes 38 full-hookup sites, 170 tent sites with water nearby, 1 electrical site with water, 13 yurts (6 of which are pet-friendly), 6 deluxe cabins (3 of which are pet-friendly), and 2 group tent camping areas.

Weather

The current weather can be found here.

Current Seeing Conditions/Forecast Charts

The following cleardarksky chart is near Netarts, Oregon, which is roughly 6 miles from Cape Lookout.

The following clearoutside.com chart will provide a great resource for the skies for those who want to visit.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and make sure to view our other unique astronomy sites such as this one for more places to view astronomy in the Pacific Northwest.