In its 2,700 acres, the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area combines some of the finest coastal forest and most striking rocky shoreline in the Northwest. Start at the interpretive center, which features well-presented exhibits on coastal ecology, the rain forest and the coastal Indians. Several easy hiking trails fan out from the center, leading both to the shore and into the forest. The Giant Spruce Trail is a 1mi path along Cape Creek that ends at a monumental Sitka spruce tree; pick up one of the interpretive brochures that will guide you through this old-growth ecosystem. The Captain Cook Trail wends half a mile down to a dramatic section of wave-blasted basalt. Check out Cook's Chasm at the south end, a narrow channel that froths madly when waves shoulder their way up its length and explode from the blowhole called Spouting Horn. A steep trail labors up to the 800ft top of Cape Perpetua, one of the highest viewpoints on the Oregon coast-or you can drive to the top. Ambitious hikers can trek a 10mi loop that passes through the superb old growth of the Cummins Creek Wilderness.