We took things nice and slow this morning. While we like to pack in a lot each day on our vacations, we decided the events we had planned allowed us to take a little extra time to relax during our downtime. We ate breakfast in our hotel room and looked out at the beach from our deck. We spent some time just being as a family. Finally, we went into town to grab lunch and begin our adventure.

This adventure took us from Rockaway Beach down to Pacific City, Oregon (about 1-hour drive). It was time for a little horseback riding along the beach. We reserved spots for a ride along the beach at Green Acres Beach & Trail Rides. Be sure to visit the website and read over all the information.

The people at Green Acres were kind and patient with everyone, including small children. There was a young girl who decided she didn’t want to ride. The owners worked with her for several minutes, unfortunately to no avail. They have a very country demeanor, so for some city folks it might seem culturally unusual. They are salt of the earth types, and we loved them.

Fair warning: the check-in process was not what you expect. It’s far more relaxed than your typical check-in at, say, a hotel. Once everyone has arrived and checked in, they gather everyone to go over the basics and to assign everyone a horse. It is a fun little experience.

Once you are assigned a horse and helmets distributed, the guides start helping people on their horses and leading them to a sand berm to wait while the other mount up. Once everyone has mounted, the guides get everyone moving to the trail that leads to the beach a few hundred feet away. The group moves single file along the narrow trail, with guides interspersed among the riders.

Once you reach the beach, everyone is able to spread out a little more, but you really have to mind your horse. Some horses like to try to take up the leader position, which is reserved for the main guide. You also have to be sure to mind the other horses since some don’t get along and if they get too close they can bite or push up against them aggressively.

The beach ride is so cool. The cool ocean breeze blowing, filling your nose with the smell of salt water. The gentle bobbing as you ride such magnificent animals. The experience is unique and incredible. The beach was almost uninhabited and that made the experience even more exquisite. After around 30 minutes riding along the beach, the guides turned back towards the sandy dunes. Everyone moved back into single file as the main guide led our band of riders onto a narrow trail among the tall grass covering the dunes above the beach.

The trail along the grassy dunes gave us a new perspective as we headed back towards the Green Acres Ranch. The higher elevation gave us unique and grand views of the beach and Pacific Ocean. We could better see the rock formations in the water and a more scaled back view of our surroundings. While I felt like returning along the beach would have been more ideal, the guides knew best. The change in perspective and views was far better than I expected and well worth the diversion from the sandy beach.

The entire experience lasted around 2 hours. It was incredible and everyone loved it completely. It was a highlight of our trip to Oregon, for sure. As we brought the horses back in, everyone guided their horses to the berm we started from. One-by-one with the help of the guides, or on your own, everyone dismounted.

We spent a few more minutes visiting with our horses before heading back to the car. From here, we slowly made our way back to Rockaway Beach. This of course meant another stop at the Tillamook Creamery, since we were driving past it again.

After filling our bellies with delectable sundries, we made our way back to the hotel to rest up for the next grand adventure. We decided to take in the sunset as we walked along the beach outside our hotel. The sunsets here never disappoint. We walked south towards the Twin Rocks formation, turning back in time to get back to our hotel for the sunset. It was a perfect day.