Otter Rock Webcam – Oregon’s Wild Storm-Watching Coast

The Otter Rock Webcam looks west from the cliff-top lawn of the Inn at Otter Crest on the central Oregon Coast, straight out to Gull Rock, a dark pinnacle standing in the surf about 800 meters (half a mile) offshore. A wooden fence runs along the edge of the bluff, and beyond it the Pacific breaks white over the rocks below, with the cliffs toward Cape Foulweather closing off the right side of the frame. A second camera, on the player’s other tab, faces south across the lawn to the wooded headland at Devil’s Punchbowl. On a quiet day the sea is a calm gray sheet under the clouds. When a winter swell arrives, Gull Rock gathers the waves and the water in front of the bluff turns to foam.

About Otter Rock

Otter Rock is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, on U.S. Route 101, 8.7 kilometers (5.4 miles) south of Depoe Bay and 12.9 kilometers (8 miles) north of Newport. It takes its name from a rock about 0.8 kilometers (half a mile) offshore and 5.2 kilometers (3.25 miles) north of Yaquina Head, where sea otters once lived. Both cameras belong to the Inn at Otter Crest, a resort on 35 acres (14 hectares) of evergreen forest at the north end of the community. They are streamed on the website of Spyglass, the family-owned restaurant, lounge and gift shop on the property.

Gull Rock is the large rock pinnacle in the left half of the main view, roughly 800 meters (half a mile) west-northwest of Devil’s Punchbowl. It funnels and concentrates the incoming swell, which makes the wave sets wrapping around it the best thing to watch on this camera and draws surfers to the break nearby. At least 17 large rocks off this stretch of shore belong to the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and give a home to wildlife.

To the north, Cape Foulweather rises 150 meters (500 feet) above the Pacific, about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the inn. Captain James Cook named it on March 7, 1778, during his third voyage, after the very bad weather his ships ran into soon after sighting it. To the south, Devil’s Punchbowl is a large bowl carved into the rock headland and partly open to the ocean, so waves pour in and churn inside it. It lies roughly 550 meters (0.3 miles) south of the restaurant, on the headland in the middle of the second camera’s view.

Weather and Climate in Otter Rock

Otter Rock has the mild, wet climate of the central Oregon Coast. The 1991 to 2020 normals for nearby Newport put January between 4°C and 10°C (39°F and 50°F), April between 5°C and 12°C (41°F and 54°F), and August between 11°C and 18°C (52°F and 64°F). October still reaches about 15°C (60°F) by day. Snow almost never settles here: the yearly average is 0.25 centimeters (0.1 inches).

Rain is what defines the seasons. About 1,710 millimeters (67 inches) falls in an average year, most of it between autumn and spring. December is the wettest month at 295 millimeters (11.6 inches), while July gets only 15 millimeters (0.6 inches). Winter is when Cape Foulweather lives up to its name, and storm swell breaking around Gull Rock can fill the whole sea area of the frame with white water. In late autumn and winter the sun stays low in the southern sky, so the Devil’s Punchbowl camera looks almost straight into it during the afternoon, while the Gull Rock view stays evenly lit.

Things to Do Near Otter Rock

The closest walk is to Devils Punch Bowl State Natural Area, a day-use park at the south end of Otter Rock with an overlook into the bowl. At low tide the Marine Gardens north of the Punchbowl, reached from B Street, offer some of the richest tide pooling on the central coast, with sea urchins in the pools. Outside the bowl, surfers ride the waves that Gull Rock funnels toward the shore. North along the Otter Crest Loop, Otter Crest State Scenic Viewpoint looks over Cape Foulweather and is home to the Cape Foulweather Visitor Center.

Beverly Beach State Park, 8 kilometers (5 miles) north of Newport, has a campground with RV hookups, tent sites and heated yurts. Depoe Bay, 8.7 kilometers (5.4 miles) north, is a town of 1,515 people built around a 2.4 hectare (6 acre) harbor that it promotes as the world’s smallest navigable harbor. South of Otter Rock, Yaquina Head just north of Newport is the site of the Yaquina Head Light and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management as an Outstanding Natural Area.

Παρόμοιες κάμερες web που μπορεί να σας αρέσουν

More cameras on the Pacific coast, in Oregon and farther north:

• Κάμερα web στο Λίνκολν Σίτι
• Κάμερα Web της Πασίφικ Σίτι
• Ucluelet Webcam

Συχνές ερωτήσεις

Where is Otter Rock located?

Otter Rock is on the central Oregon Coast in Lincoln County, United States, on U.S. Route 101. Newport, the nearest city, is 12.9 kilometers (8 miles) south, and Depoe Bay is 8.7 kilometers (5.4 miles) north. The cameras sit on the bluff at the Inn at Otter Crest, at the north end of the community.

What can you see on the Otter Rock Webcam?

The main camera looks west over a fenced lawn to the open Pacific, with Gull Rock offshore on the left and the cliffs toward Cape Foulweather on the right. The second camera faces south to the wooded headland at Devil’s Punchbowl, with the surf rolling in beside it.

What is the weather like in Otter Rock?

Mild and wet. January typically runs from 4°C to 10°C (39°F to 50°F) and August from 11°C to 18°C (52°F to 64°F). About 1,710 millimeters (67 inches) of rain falls a year, most of it from autumn to spring, and snow is rare.

Can you see the Devil’s Punchbowl on the Otter Rock Webcam?

The second camera points at the headland where the bowl is carved, about 550 meters (0.3 miles) south, but it shows the headland and the surf around it rather than the inside of the bowl. For that, walk to the overlook in Devils Punch Bowl State Natural Area.

What is Gull Rock near Otter Rock?

Gull Rock is a large rock pinnacle about 800 meters (half a mile) west-northwest of Devil’s Punchbowl. It funnels and concentrates incoming waves, which is why surfers gather near it.

How did Cape Foulweather get its name?

Captain James Cook named it on March 7, 1778, on his third voyage around the world, because of the very bad weather his ships met soon after he sighted it.

When is the best time to watch storms at Otter Rock?

Late autumn and winter bring most of the year’s rain, with December the wettest month at 295 millimeters (11.6 inches) in nearby Newport, so these months give the best chance of heavy surf around Gull Rock. Midday usually gives the clearest picture, since winter days are short and the light is low.

Source: Spyglass at the Inn at Otter Crest