Lincoln City:
Devil’s Lake and Siletz Bay frame the outskirts to this big, long strip-malled city along the highway — home to zero epic surf breaks but three surf shops and a hefty surfing populace. Formed in 1964 from the communities of Delake, Oceanlake, Taft, Cutler City and Nelscott, Lincoln City has since become thoroughly (and quite unsightly) developed and lacks core surfer appeal, thus existing as merely a drive through area for most. With the exception of Boiler Bay to the south, Lincoln City is all beachbreak, thus only really ridable when it’s small and clean. Summertime is good for the area, but that’s about it. The long beach at the end of NW15th Street has a rock shelf on the beach right at the parking area, but is basically sandbars with a thick stretch of houses and hotels on the bluffs. It can get hollow, but good luck getting out when this is the case.
Other surfed spots are Road’s End and the Salmon Rivermouth, north of town, which gets epic but is laborious to reach. Just above tiny Depoe Bay is Boiler Bay, one of the more frequently surfed breaks despite its gnarly rock factor. It’s a right-hand tube that grinds along the perimeter of a wide, flat shelf with truckloads of rocks and currents — an easy place to hurt yourself. The narrow, muddy goat trail leads down the steep cliff behind the guard rail at the north entrance to the parking area. There are lots of gnarly reefs and rocks way outside: wear a leash. The name of the spot comes from an incident back in 1910, when the steam schooner J. Marhoffer exploded and burned here, killing one. The ship’s boiler drifted ashore here and is still visible at minus low tide.
Roads End:
An outer reef breaks when it’s big and a series of heaving beachbreaks offer smaller options. This is the end of the road. Can blow out fairly easily, but also can get really good on the right conditions.