Devils Churn
Encyclopedia
Devils Churn is a narrow inlet
of the Pacific Ocean
in Lincoln County, Oregon
, United States
, south of Yachats
. It is located in the Siuslaw National Forest
and is accessible via the Restless Waters trail from the Cape Perpetua
Scenic Area visitor's center or the U.S. Route 101
overlook. Access to the trail requires a United States Forest Service
pass.
The inlet developed over many thousands of years as wave action carved into the basalt
shoreline, first forming a deep sea cave
whose roof eventually collapsed. As the tide
comes in it can throw spray several hundred feet into the air when the waves reach the end of the churn. Visitors are urged to be cautious when visiting the churn as it can be dangerous.
Inlet
An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water, often leading to an enclosed body of water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon or marsh. In sea coasts an inlet usually refers to the actual connection between a bay and the ocean and is often called an...
of the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
in Lincoln County, Oregon
Lincoln County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge *Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge*Siuslaw National Forest -Demographics:...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, south of Yachats
Yachats, Oregon
Yachats is a small coastal city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. According to Oregon Geographic Names, the name comes from the Siletz language, and means "dark water at the foot of the mountain". There is a range of differing etymologies, however. William Bright says the name comes from...
. It is located in the Siuslaw National Forest
Siuslaw National Forest
Siuslaw National Forest is a national forest in western Oregon, United States. Established in 1908, the Siuslaw is made up of a wide variety of ecosystems, ranging from coastal forests to sand dunes.- Geography :...
and is accessible via the Restless Waters trail from the Cape Perpetua
Cape Perpetua
Cape Perpetua is a large forested headland on the central Oregon Coast which projects into the Pacific Ocean. The land is managed by the United States Forest Service as part of the Siuslaw National Forest.- Geography :...
Scenic Area visitor's center or the U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101 in Oregon
In the U.S. state of Oregon, U.S. Route 101, a major north–south U.S. Highway, runs through the state along the coastline near the Pacific Ocean. In Oregon, it runs from the Oregon–California border, south of Brookings, to the Oregon–Washington border on the Columbia River, between Astoria,...
overlook. Access to the trail requires a United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
pass.
The inlet developed over many thousands of years as wave action carved into the basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
shoreline, first forming a deep sea cave
Sea caves
A sea cave, also known as a littoral cave, is a type of cave formed primarily by the wave action of the sea. The primary process involved is erosion. Sea caves are found throughout the world, actively forming along present coastlines and as relict sea caves on former coastlines...
whose roof eventually collapsed. As the tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
comes in it can throw spray several hundred feet into the air when the waves reach the end of the churn. Visitors are urged to be cautious when visiting the churn as it can be dangerous.