Prepare to be amazed by all of the purple sea urchins, red sea cucumbers, giant green sea anemones, colorful sea stars, hermit crabs, harbor seals and sea birds your family can handle at these seven protected intertidal ecosystems, known as marine gardens, along the Oregon coast. All of the gardens are hands-on sites that enable your little scientists to carefully touch the starfish or pick up hermit crabs. Click through our album for the splash-tastic scoop on where to find them.

For Harbor Seals: Otter Rock

Just south of Lincoln City, you can access the Otter Rock Marine Garden via a gravel trail down from the Devil’s Punchbowl State Natural Area. Here, you'll find seabird habitats and harbor seals just hanging out. Surfers and surf watchers will be your companions and a scenic picnic area is the perfect spot for picnics, or waiting for low tide, up on the cliffs above the churning foam.

Devil's Punch Bowl State National Area
851 1st St.
Otter Rock, Or
541-265-4560
Online: oregonstateparks.org

Photo: Harbor seal, credit wikimedia.org via Creative Commons

 

Where is your favorite tide pool to explore? Let us know in the Comments below!

–Suzie Ridgway

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