Cape Meares Lake

North Oregon Coast

Getting There

This is a beginner friendly SW, W, NW wind spot, good for windsurfing and foiling, do not kite here. Mostly a flat water spot, scenery is beautiful, for when the winds are blowing with a lot of west in them and the ocean is gigantic, or for enjoying west winds in calm beautiful waters.

This spot is best in the fall, winter and sprint, when the water level is high. In the summer, when the water level is low, weeds are a problem especially if you want to foil here, use your judgement in the summer.

This is a very safe lake to sail, in the fall, winter and spring, this place has plenty of water and is pretty awesome.

Easy access:

Go to Tillamook, then take Bay Ocean road, to go to the town of Cap Meares. Once you get to the dike, keep going and park at the boat launch.

This spot requires a lot of West in the wind. There's a small wind shadow at the boat launch on SW winds. 

It's beginner friendly. No tides to manage. Avoid getting too close to the dike obviously and the newly built dock on the SW corner, shouldn't be a problem since you should never find yourself there. Also, there are sometimes underwater logs with branches by the road side, so watch for these. This lake water level is regulated by a drainage by the south end of the dike, which empties into the Tillamook bay on the other side.

The best way to get an idea of the wind on the water is to either drive on the dike and check the wind there, as what you feel on the dike is what you will feel on the water; or walk on the dock and feel the wind there too.

Spots nearby are Manzanita, Barview and Oceanside.

Map and Directions