July 26, 2026

I drove down to Tillamook, Oregon, by myself to pick up some bottles from de Garde Brewing. They make sour beers that don't taste like anyone else's, and it's one of my favorite breweries. While I was down there I walked through the tunnel to Tunnel Beach in Oceanside, and on the way down I stopped at Dismal Nitch, a rest area on the Washington side of the Columbia River with a pretty miserable backstory.

Dismal Nitch

Dismal Nitch is a rest area on SR 401 near the Washington end of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, and it's part of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. The name comes from William Clark, who called it "that dismal little nitch" in his journal.

The brown Dismal Nitch sign from Washington State DOT and the National Park Service, with the Columbia River behind it

In November 1805 a storm pinned the Corps of Discovery against this shore. The plaque at the rest area says that by the time they got out, they'd been through 11 days of torrential rain, high winds, extreme high tides and very little food. The journal entry on it is Clark describing the moment the wind finally died down and he had the canoes loaded "in great haste."

A bronze relief of Lewis and Clark, a woman holding a baby, a dog and canoes in rough water, above a plaque quoting William Clark's journal

Today there's a sign asking you to limit your stay to 8 hours. The expedition would have loved that rule.

From the shore you can see Astoria across the river, with old pilings sticking out of the water all along the way. I wrote about a day in Astoria on an earlier trip.

Astoria and the Astoria-Megler Bridge across the Columbia River, framed by fir branches, with old pilings in the waterThe choppy Columbia River with rows of old pilings, a forested point, and the Astoria-Megler Bridge in the distance

Stuck on 101

After Dismal Nitch, an accident backed up Highway 101 for hours. There's no way around it, so I gave up and stopped for a late lunch at the Relief Pitcher, just south of Seaside, while the traffic sorted itself out without me. I had a cheeseburger and fries, and they did the trick. It's not something I'd go out of my way for, but I wouldn't hesitate to stop in again.

De Garde Brewing

De Garde is in Tillamook, and everything they make is wild. The brewery says it picked its spot on the Oregon Coast for the native yeast and bacteria, and the beer and wine spend years in big oak barrels before they pour it.

The de Garde Brewing building, with its logo on the gray wall and a covered patio lined with plants in old wine barrels

The chalkboards over the bar were mostly spontaneous wild ales, a lot of them with fruit: a kriek with cherries, an apricot beer, a peach one called The Bellini. A couple of guest taps and two of their own wines rounded it out. Dried hop bines hang from the ceiling, and the walls are lined with bottles.

The de Garde tasting room, with chalkboard tap lists on reclaimed wood, dried hops hanging from the ceiling, and racks of bottles

I had the Lee Kriek Reserve, and it was fantastic. I love these beers. If you like sours at all, it's worth the drive, even with a stop to wait out an accident.

A glass of ruby red Lee Kriek Reserve in an etched glass on a wooden table outside

Tunnel Beach

Tunnel Beach is at the north end of Oceanside, west of Tillamook on the Three Capes Scenic Route. To get there, walk north on Oceanside Beach toward the headland, Maxwell Point. Three Arch Rocks sits just offshore.

Three Arch Rocks off Oceanside Beach on a gray day, with a child standing in the shallow waterOceanside Beach looking along the shore, with houses on the green bluff and people walking near the seaweed line

At the base of the headland there's a concrete tunnel. Beach Connection says the Rosenberg family, who founded Oceanside, built it in 1926. The entrance has wildflowers growing over the top and a "Caution Falling Rocks" sign with so many stickers on it that it's mostly a sticker collection now.

The concrete tunnel entrance at Maxwell Point, with pink wildflowers on top and a sticker-covered caution sign

Inside it's dark and wet, with graffiti on the walls and a bright spot of daylight at the other end.

Inside the tunnel, with graffiti on the wall and daylight at the far end

On the other side is a small beach tucked behind the headland. Sea stacks stand just offshore, there's a cave in the cliff, and the rocks at the waterline are covered in bright green algae that looks like it was combed. It was beautiful.

Pointed sea stacks off Tunnel Beach with waves breaking around themA sea cave in the dark cliff at Tunnel Beach, with sand and cobbles at its mouthBright green algae hanging off wet volcanic rock at Tunnel BeachWaves rushing between two dark rocks, with sea stacks on the horizon

Before you go

De Garde's tasting room is at 114 Ivy Ave in Tillamook and is open Thursday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Minors are allowed, pets can only go on the patio, and Country Squire Kitchen serves food on site, or you can bring your own (de Garde, checked November 2026).

For Tunnel Beach, check a tide table first. Beach Connection says you can walk around Maxwell Point only on very low tides, so most people use the tunnel, which is also your way back if the tide comes in. The tunnel can be wet, and it has closed before after rockslides, so make sure it's open before you plan around it.

Dismal Nitch has restrooms, benches and history exhibits, and it's free. There's no camping, and the sign asks you to keep it under 8 hours. For more trips around the region, see my Washington travel posts.

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