North Oregon Coast
Tillamook Bay — Garibaldi Harbor
Holding: Excellent
Shelter: Good
Shore access
Anchorage Oregon
About This Anchorage
Tillamook Bay is the first significant harbor on the Oregon coast south of the Columbia River — 30 nm south of the Columbia bar and 50 nm north of Newport. The town of Garibaldi at the northern end of the bay offers a public dock and anchorage. Tillamook Bay is broad and shallow; the inner anchorage near Garibaldi offers the best depths for cruising boats. The bay is renowned for Dungeness crab and oysters.
Highlights
- First major harbor south of the Columbia River — useful coast passage stop
- Dungeness crab and oysters — bay is famous for both, available at dockside
- Garibaldi public dock — fuel, basic supplies, seafood restaurants
- Tillamook Creamery 10 miles inland — world-famous cheese, worth a taxi trip
- Excellent holding — mud bottom in the inner anchorage
- Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint — accessible by dinghy and a short hike
Cautions & Notes
- Tillamook Bay bar is one of the more hazardous on the Oregon coast — rough in any swell
- Bar closed when swells exceed 10–12 ft; consult Coast Guard Sector Columbia River before entry
- Bay is very shallow outside the marked channel — stay in the channel at all times
- Extreme tidal range (9 ft) — time arrival and departure carefully
- Limited draft: max 8 ft in the anchorage at MLLW; check current tide tables
- Strong flood and ebb currents in the entrance channel — up to 4 knots