Like a lot of photographers, I research locations online far before I venture out. I always find it annoying when website tag lines indicate the site has detailed information about a location, to then find out they only share what state or county it is in. Really?

This post is intended to provide detailed information about finding and shooting Thor's Well. 

In case you haven't heard of Thor's Well, it is a photographically interesting feature on the Oregon coast. It's pretty much like a giant ocean toilet that continually overflows, much to the delight of nature photographers. Sometimes it shoots water out - and towards you though - so be cautious. I arrived about 2 hours before sunset and spent a good 45 minutes just watching where the water fell, so I would know where not to stand. 

   Thor's Well shooting water out

Here's a few details: 

Area: Cape Perpetua, 2 miles south of Yachats, Oregon

Location: GPS coordinates 44.2785 Latitude -124.1137 Longitude

Parking situation: There are two parking options I would recommend to get you closest to the site:

• Parking lot on the west side of Highway 101, roughly 1/2 mile south of the visitor's center that is also located on the west side of the highway. This parking lot will have a sign about the area including Devils Churn and spouting horn. 
• Long parking pull out, also on the west side of the highway, just south of the parking area above. This has a stone wall that runs along the pull out. 

Trails: Both parking areas have access trails that lead down to a rocky shelf. This is also referred to as Captain Cooks trail. As you continue to follow the trail towards the ocean, you will reach a set of stairs. If you look directly west from here, you will be looking at Thor's Wells. You might not notice it if it is low tide or an extremely high tide. See tidal height notes below. If you are arriving around sunset with a proper tide height, just look for the crowd of people (aka: photographers) concentrated at the end of the rocky shelf. I was one of those people.

Tidal height: The standard recommendation I found online was to arrive within an hour of high tide, but if you know anything about the tides, they vary greatly, even at high tide. If you have a 6 foot high tide, you might not even locate Thor's Well because it might be under water. I went to Thor's Well at sunset and the following morning for sunrise. The tide height at sunset was a 4.49 feet rising tide, and a 3.94 foot rising tide at sunrise. Both of these tide heights were sufficient to create the desired effect. 

   Thor's Well at sunset

   Thor's Well at sunrise

Gear:

• Camera with a wide angle lens attached before you descend to the site.
• Tripod
• Cable release
• A camera cover or shower cap to protect your gear from rogue waves and salt spray. It was incredibly windy when I was there and salt spray was a constant challenge. 
• A rain coat and pants will keep you dry and comfortable as you are getting pelted with salt spray. 
• Lens cleaner and clothes. 
• Patience and conversation. . .you won't likely be alone and you will need to coordinate with other photographers to allow everyone to get their desired shots. 

Crazy photographer standing next to Thor's Well

Weather / time of year: It's an ideal location when weather is actually occurring, i.e., clearing or approaching storms, dramatic sunsets, etc. Winter is generally reliable but you can get changing weather conditions as early as October. I wasn't quite that lucky but I considered this a good scouting trip. 

One last shot: While Thor's Well is the main attraction here, I noticed this tree silhouetted against the sky as I was walking back to my vehicle so I stopped to take a few pictures. 

Tree silhouette at sunset

I hope this post has helped you in your quest to locate and photograph this cool coastal feature!