Our plan was to outdistance the picnickers by walking 1.3 miles to the far end of the beach. The only people down there were two dog walkers from Brookings, who said they let their golden retrievers romp there every day. All summer the only other backpackers they had seen were Ozark Trail Sleeping Bags a couple from Hawaii who were hiking the length of Oregon to savor lonely beaches. After parking at the lot, you can view the bridges from the viewing deck at the top only a couple steps away from the lot. I feel like there could be better directions to get to this spot.
I was glad we didn’t have to hang our food up overnight. As we strolled the twilit beach, a parade of sea stacks, needles and islands rose Ozark Trail Canopies as silhouettes against the orange sky. I pointed out one pinnacle that looked like Queen Victoria, complete with crown and bustle.
Click here for my one week road trip itinerary. Harris Beach State Park – This camping spot in Samuel H. Boardman has some PRIME location. It sometimes gets booked out in a high season. If you want to stay here, it may be worth check if there’s open space before going or just booking ahead of time. First, you’ll want to climb around the sand dunes.
The answer is to hike a section of the Oregon Coast Trail. This 362-mile route isn’t quite finished, so about 40 miles still follow the shoulder of U.S. Nonetheless, you can hike 60 miles from the Columbia River to Tillamook, eating at chowder restaurants and staying in Airbnbs. Or you can backpack 40 miles through the Oregon Dunes from Florence to Coos Bay, camping each night on the sand. Camping on the beach is legal outside of city limits and state parks.
Moreover, there is a full-length zipper that provides insulated draft protection. No pictures on the internet could prepare me for the endless scenes of wild oceans dotted with dramatic, tree-topped-rocks. You’ll find photo-worthy views all along this small Southern Oregon park, but here are a couple of my favorites. Head to Whales Head Beach and enjoy just the beach area, then make the small loop around Indian Sands after parking in the Indian Sands lot. This will shave a couple of miles off your trail time.
We had just got in and wanted to catch the sunset, so we opted for the quickest way down to the beach. This means opting for the shortest route down, so we parked at the small unnamed pull out off the road marked here on Google Maps. We chose this spot for our first Oregonian sunset of the trip. The dramatic rock formations jutting out of the water along the coast glowed orange when face with the setting sun. I literally shrieked when I emerged from the shrubs and got my first view of this stunning beach.
The cafe next door served up a mean breakfast too. Walk along the beach and toward those massive sea stacks at the very end of the beach and then stare in amazement at your gorgeous surroundings. You’ll have to clamber down some rocks to get there; bring a picnic, rest a bit, and enjoy the waves lapping on the shore. This trail is not for the faint of heart and should be rated as DIFFICULT. Mostly because it’s incredibly steep and the terrain is just loose sand and dirt with a few shrubs and tree roots sticking out here and there. This hike is an excellent intro to the area, and it will be your first spot if you’re coming up from the south.