Chinook Bend Resort and Marina

For a quick introduction to this wild western corner, slip over to Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge (five minutes' drive): a series of walks and paddle routes takes you through this diverse mix of saltmarsh, mudflats and forested wetlands spotting pelicans and peregrine falcons, coyotes and even the occasional black bear. For a glimpse of some even bigger beauties, head down to Depoe Bay 15 minutes' drive away for a whale-watching cruise or to charter a sea-fishing trip. Further afield but well worth the hour and a half's journey, Sea Lion Caves are impressive for their sheer size, as well as the surround-sound experience of the breeding, feeding, bickering and battling residents. For another eardrum-numbing adventure, it's a half-hour drive to the trailhead for Drift Creek Falls: the path goes through forested mountains ending in a 200-foot suspension bridge above the thundering falls. For a quieter coastal hike, it's about the same distance to the start of paths leading over the empty clifftops to the viewpoints of High Meadow and God's Thumb. For a hit of city sophistication, drop in on Lincoln City, 15 minutes from the site, for restaurants, seafront bars and the indoor pool and casino complex of Chinook Winds.