Thor’s Well is located near Spouting Horn at Cook’s Chasm in the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area near Yachats. It can be viewed by taking the Captain Cook Trailhead from the Visitor Center where it is located on the rocky shelf just north of Cook’s Chasm. When tides are right, water surges upward from the bowl carved out of the basalt shoreline and then drains back into the opening. Many photographers trying to capture the action report how dangerous it is to try to get close to the spouting horn when it’s active, so if you visit, be careful and keep your distance. It can be viewed safely from the highway viewpoint at Cook’s Chasm or lower viewpoints along the paved trail.

Formations like Thor’s Well and Spouting Horn are typically formed over long periods of time geologically. They begin as a sea cave and eventually the top of the cave collapses, leaving an opening where the tide surges from below send water shooting upward with dramatic force.