Above the coast’s rolling whitewaters rise islets in the mist, sandstone and basalt sea stacks, icons of the Northwest landscape.

These outcroppings that house some varieties of shorebird, sea lion and wave-battered lighthouse are signals of a destination reached, landmarks for each bend in the highway.

Visible for miles and accessible at low tide, Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach is perhaps the Oregon Coast’s most recognizable stack, one etched in the minds of generations of visitors. The region is, however, home to many more iconic rock formations, symbols of community stretching on for millions of years.

Each month, Coast Weekend will feature one of the Oregon Coast’s beloved sea stacks, beginning with the other Haystack Rock. Yes, there are two, the second resting to the south in Pacific City.

Sitting more than a mile offshore, the southern Haystack Rock may look smaller from the sands but stands an estimated 340 feet tall, more than 100 feet higher than its Cannon Beach neighbor.

Like its northern sister, Pacific City’s Haystack Rock is a protected wildlife refuge, advised to be avoided by passing ships. Its lithology, or material makeup, is also similar, forming from an ancient lava flow known to geologists as the Columbia River basalts.

It’s likely that the same basalt formation, further identified by geologists as the Grande Ronde, formed the structure of Cape Lookout. Each landmark now stands in a slowly eroding form, continuing to evolve with each breaking wave.