Haystack Rock

{{short description|Sea stack on the coast of Oregon, United States}} {{About|Haystack Rock in Clatsop County, Oregon|the feature with the same name in Tillamook County|Haystack Rock (Tillamook County, Oregon)}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox landform | water = | name = Haystack Rock | native_name =  | other_name = | type = Sea stack  | image = File:Haystacks Rocks and the Needles,Cannon Beach.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Haystack Rock and the Needles, Cannon Beach, 2023  | pushpin_map = | map_width = | map_caption = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_relief = | pushpin_label = | mark = | marker_size = | coordinates = {{Coord|45|53|4|N|123|58|5|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}} | coordinates_ref =  | location = Cannon Beach, Oregon | grid_ref = | range = | part_of = | water_bodies = Pacific Ocean  | age = 15-16 million years | orogeny = | formed_by = Lava flows and erosion | geology =  | etymology = | nickname = | authority =  | operator = Various state and federal departments  | area =  | area_km2 = | area_mi2 = | area_ref =  | length =  | width =  | depth =  | drop =   | elevation = {{convert|235|ft|m}} | elevation_ref = | highest_point = | highest_elevation =  | volcanic_arc/belt = | volcanic_arc = | volcanic_belt = | volcanic_field = | last_eruption =  | topo = | designation = | free_label_1 = | free_data_1 = | free_label_2 = | free_data_2 = | free_label_3 = | free_data_3 = | website =  | embedded = }}

'''Haystack Rock''' is a {{cvt|235|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} sea stack in Cannon Beach, Oregon. The monolithic rock is adjacent to the beach and accessible by foot at low tide. The Haystack Rock tide pools are home to many intertidal animals, including starfish, sea anemone, crabs, chitons, limpets, and sea slugs. The rock is also a nesting site for many sea birds, including terns and puffins.

==History== In 1968, a protrusion of a rock that was used as a ledge by those illegally climbing it was blasted off.<ref>{{Cite web |last=John |first=Finn J. D. |date=2019-08-26 |title=Offbeat Oregon: Haystack Rock was once a tempting target for daredevil climbers |url=https://www.thenewsguard.com/news_paid/offbeat-oregon-haystack-rock-was-once-a-tempting-target-for-daredevil-climbers/article_1ee1ee78-c83f-11e9-81c8-eb394960cc1e.html |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=The Lincoln County Leader |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hale |first=Jamie |date=2019-05-26 |title=Blast from the past: Remembering Haystack Rock’s dynamite explosion in 1968 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/life-and-culture/g66l-2019/05/dcea013a102758/blast-from-the-past-remembering-haystack-rocks-dynamite-explosion-in-1968.html |access-date=2024-07-24 |website=oregonlive |language=en}}</ref>

In 1990, Haystack Rock was granted Marine Garden status by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The site is protected under the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge as a designated wilderness area.<ref name="HRAR" />

The sea stack formation was closed temporarily during July 2023 after a cougar was documented, for the first time, climbing on the rock in search of prey.<ref name="CTCO">{{cite news |title=Cougar that closed Oregon's Cannon Beach moves on |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/cougar-closed-oregons-cannon-beach-moves-rcna94797 |access-date=August 14, 2023 |work=NBC News |agency=The Associated Press |date=July 17, 2023}}</ref>

==Location and management== Haystack Rock is located about {{convert|1.5|mi}} south of downtown Cannon Beach in Clatsop County and about {{convert|80.|mi}} west of Portland. The nearest major road is U.S. Route 101. Haystack Rock is part of the Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site.

The area below the mean high water (MHW) level is managed by Oregon Parks and Recreation. The area above the MHW level is managed by the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.<ref name="CTCO"/>

==Geology== thumb|"The Needles" which are adjacent to Haystack Rock

Measuring {{convert|235|ft|m}} tall,<ref name="HRAR">{{cite news |author1=KGW staff |title=Haystack Rock area reopens after cougar departs from Oregon coast landmark |url=https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/pets-and-animals/cannon-beach-reopens-cougar-gone-haystack-rock/283-7e6d15f1-e3fd-4fe9-96e4-a522f292d025 |access-date=August 14, 2023 |work=KING 5 News (Seattle, Washington) |date=July 17, 2023}}</ref> Haystack Rock is composed of basalt and was formed by lava flows emanating from the Blue Mountains and Columbia basin about 15-17 million years ago.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Haystack Rock at the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/places/haystack-rock.htm |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}</ref> The lava flows came from massive eruptions from a source believed to be what is now the Yellowstone volcanic hotspot, and created many of the Oregon coast's natural features.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Columbia River Basalt Group Stretches from Oregon to Idaho {{!}} U.S. Geological Survey |url=https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/cvo/science/columbia-river-basalt-group-stretches-oregon-idaho#overview |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=www.usgs.gov}}</ref> Haystack Rock was once joined to the coastline but years of erosion have since separated the monolith from the coast. Three smaller, adjacent rock formations to the south of Haystack Rock are collectively called "The Needles".

==Ecology== Collecting plants or animals is strictly prohibited and to protect nesting birds, climbing above the mean high tide level barnacle line is not allowed.<ref name="CTCO"/> The Haystack Rock Awareness Program is run by the City of Cannon Beach and conducts educational seminars at the rock during low tide between February and October.

A variety of bird species, such as pigeon guillemots, common murres, black oystercatchers, and tufted puffins, roost and nest on the rock, raising their young usually between March and September.<ref name="CTCO"/>

==Recreation== thumb|alt=Surfer near Haystack Rock|Surfer near Haystack Rock Visitors to Haystack Rock can view many species of marine wildlife in their natural habitat during low tide. The thin strip of rock and sand that connects it to the beach at these times features many tide pools. The area surrounding the rock is popular for picnicking, kite-flying, and bird-watching. {{As of|2023}}, the rock averages an annual count of 350,000 visitors.<ref name="HRAR"/>

== Popular culture == Several movies have featured Haystack Rock prominently in their filming at Cannon Beach or nearby Ecola State Park including ''The Goonies'', ''Free Willy'', ''Point Break'', ''Twilight'', ''1941'', and ''Kindergarten Cop''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.locationshub.com/blog/2014/7/29/3-movies-you-might-not-know-were-filmed-at-cannon-beach|title=Movies You Might Not Know Were Filmed At Cannon Beach|publisher=Locationshub.com|date=July 29, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thennowmovielocations.com/2022/11/kindergarten-cop.html|title=Kindergarten Cop|publisher=Thenowmovielocations.com|date=November 2022}}</ref>

==Gallery== {| |+ Tidepools in 2023 | thumb||| thumb||| thumb| |- | thumb||| thumb| || thumb| |- | thumb||| thumb||| |}

{| |+Views of Haystack Rock | thumb|Haystack Rock northwest face|| thumb|Haystack Rock from Hwy 101 pullout south of Cannon Beach|| thumb|Haystacks Rocks and the Needles, Cannon Beach just before sunset 2023|| |}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Haystack Rock}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20050115204927/http://coastalatlas.net/learn/settings/rocky/rocky_shore.asp?rs=4 Cannon Beach Haystack Rock Rocky Shore Management Cell from the Oregon Ocean-Coastal Management Program] * [https://friendsofhaystackrock.org/ Friends of Haystack Rock] * [https://www.fws.gov/refuge/oregon-islands Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge] * [http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_199.php Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site] * [https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/exhibits/coast-tour/Pages/seaside-bay-city.aspx "A 1940 Oregon Coast Tour: Seaside to Bay City"] from the Oregon State Archives

Category:Landmarks in Oregon Category:Monoliths of the United States Category:Oregon Coast Category:Rock formations of Oregon Category:Stacks of the United States Category:Pacific islands of Oregon Category:Landforms of Clatsop County, Oregon Category:Protected areas of Clatsop County, Oregon