We stopped by Darlingtonia State Botanical Wayside on our way back home from Portland this summer. It wasn’t very crowded. We were the only car in the parking lot when we pulled up. Other than another couple who arrived later but paid no attention to us, we had the fen all to ourselves. I have seen pitcher plants at the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco, but I have never seen pitcher plants so huge, nor so many of them in one place, until I came here. Just take a short stroll along a boardwalk from the parking lot. Then you will be surrounded by Darlingtonia californica, also called the cobra lily. FYI: these plants are carnivorous! They like bugs… Well worth a visit. It’s right off highway 101, just north of Florence.
Don S.
Place rating: 4 Blaine, WA
Interesting place. If you are a geocacher, there is an earth cache plus a regular cache at the site. Wish we could have been here during a more active time so we could see the plants in full bloom
Eliz S.
Place rating: 5 Chico, CA
A must see! Only takes you minutes off the road. It’s natural big with meat eating plants!
Chrysanthemum A.
Place rating: 5 San Francisco, CA
Darlingtonia State Botanical Wayside is an unusual state park… but that’s Oregon for you. These carnivorous pitcher plants are found only this area of Oregon. It’s a lot more natural&laidback than the California Carnivores nursery in Sebastopol(California) that has the feel of a B movie set. There’s a pleasant walkway among the pitcher plants; a relatively easy hike. It’s a great reason to go to the Pacific Coast. It’s a beautiful little bog.
Trista B.
Place rating: 5 Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
I absolutely love the Darlingtonia State Wayside just north of Florence! My parents are from Florence, so whenever we would come for a visit when I was little, we would always stop and look at the carnivorous plants! They are so awesome, what an amazing specialized plant, and like James mentioned in his review, they are only found on the Oregon Coast and in parts of Northern California! Everyone should come and see the wonderful Darlingtonia! The site itself is very well set up, with a trail/boardwalk leading out to the main bog. There is a boardwalk of sorts there, so you can look at the plants, but not touch or trample them(good design!). There is also an info board there too, explaining a bit about them. Like Philip mentioned as well, NOPLANTCOLLECTING! The Darlingtonia are a wonderful natural treasure and should be preserved for all to enjoy! Once you get back to the parking lot from the main trail there is a bathroom, and also off a little trail from the main one there is a picnic table for those that like to pack lunch! This really is a beautiful little spot on the Oregon Coast that definitely deserves a stop! The amazing Darlingtonia are worth it enough, but its also a great little wooded tract of land for chilling and enjoying the rest of nature as well!
Phillip W.
Place rating: 4 Coos County, OR
Can’t add much to James L’s write-up. Small though it be, I’d give this place 5 stars if it weren’t for the constant road noise and pit toilet. Since it looks like the State is only using about a quarter of its land holding here, it would be nice if they could develop a trail or boardwalk that would take you further from the highway after viewing the cool Cobra plants. Also … no plant collecting! I know it’s tempting, but it’s illegal. Not to mention bad for the plants.
James L.
Place rating: 4 Eugene, OR
This road stop five miles north of Florence proper is beautiful and peaceful. Definitely worth pulling over if you’ve never been, heck even if you have. It’s a small park. You get out of your vehicle and walk a short path through the old forest to reach the walkways and decks standing over a bog. And there you see it: the still water packed with Darlingtonia californica. It’s quiet. You rest your arms on the wood rails and watch the bugs buzzing around over these pitcher plants crammed in the bog, reaching up. Seems like nothing’s going on, but here’s the deal: Darlingtonia are one of the few carnivorous plants in the world, only to be found on the Oregon Coast and Northern California. A fly or a ladybug comes in and lands. The secretions on the walls and the downward-pointing hairs force it further and further down until it lands in the pool of water at the base of the pitcher. There it eventually dies and is digested by Darlingtonia. Great science lesson for kids, but pretty cool by any standards. And science or not, this whole place is beautiful. Plus, you can pee in the bathrooms next to the parking lot. And that also brings peace.
