Nehalem Bay State Park

I have been to this state park a handful of times by car and every time have said to myself "I need to fly into here sometime". As it turns out, we were looking for a family destination to fly to on a Sunday afternoon and we wanted to visit the beach so Nehalem fit the bill perfectly. Nehalem Bay (3S7) is located between Tillamook and Manzanita adjacent to the beach but sheltered by woods. The airport can be challenging as the typical coastal winds create turbulent conditions on approach to runway 33

but as you cross the bay and enter the opening in the trees at the runway threshold, a shear is created making for a challenging landing. Also, the woods around the airport are home to deer and elk, so you have to be prepared to go around if these critters are lingering on the runway. In fact when we departed in the early evening there was a family of deer wandering around the airplane.

The beach is a 15-minute walk from the airport and the Nehalem Bay inlet is accessible by walking down to the end of runway 33. The airport has campsites on the field for fly-in campers, but there are numerous reservable campsites across the street in the state park. If you are visiting for the day, the town of Manzanita is about a two mile walk from the airport.

Deer Crossing