Oregon Coast Highway - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 92

Take an elevator 280 feet down to experience Sea Lion Caves, a 12-story high formation filled with countless sea lions.
11. Sea Lion Caves
Eleven miles north of Florence the drive reaches Sea Lion Caves, a popular attraction on
thecoast.Discoveredin1880byalocalshipcaptain,thegrottoisoneoftheworld'slargest
sea caves (despite its name, it has a single cavern). It is also one of the few places where
wild sea lions live year-round on the U.S. mainland.
From the top of a cliff, a high-speed elevator transports visitors down 208 feet to an
observation window that looks in on a vast, vaulted chamber at sea level. Inside this mul-
tihued cavern—12 stories high and a hundred yards long—hundreds of sea lions, some as
heavy as 1,200 pounds, delight spectators with their playful antics. On warm, sunny days
theyoftenmoveoutdoorstobaskonrocks.Twospeciescanbeseenhere:thegoldenbrown
Steller sea lion and the darker California sea lion.
Framed by the cave's natural window is Heceta Head Lighthouse, Oregon's most
powerfulbeacon,whichsitsonabluffacrossthewater.Justsouthofthelighthouse,Devils
Elbow State Park offers fabulous views of the coast.