Nestled along Oregon’s northern coast, Nehalem Bay is where the Nehalem River meets the Pacific Ocean, forming an estuarine bay that blends fresh and salt water, marshes, and tidal flats. It sits in Tillamook County, framed by the small coastal towns of Nehalem, Manzanita, and Wheeler and one of our favorite places on planet Earth. As Oregon’s fifth-largest estuary, Nehalem Bay drains a watershed of more than 850 square miles. The Nehalem River is its primary tributary, bringing fresh water, sediments, and nutrients down from the Coast Range. On the ocean side, the bay is shielded from direct waves by a long sand spit that hosts Nehalem Bay State Park, a natural buffer between the bay and the open Pacific. Landscape, Rivers, and Geology The
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