20 Most Breathtaking Beaches on the Oregon Coast
I double-dog dare you to name a beach I haven’t been to on the Oregon Coast. Okay, you got me, I still have a few on my wish list, but finding new spots is getting harder these days. I live in Portland and visit the coast as often as I can. I’ve been up and down the length of it a few times and am always seeking out obscure nooks and crannies. Picking a favorite beach is overwhelming, but I managed to winnow it down to twenty favorites. Here are the best beaches on the Oregon Coast, chosen for their dramatic scenery and natural beauty. I tried to spread it out geographically and gave bonus points for great wildlife-watching potential, tidepools, or a cool beach town nearby. Enjoy!
1. Bandon Beach
Bandon Beach from Face Rock Viewpoint
Pass required: None
Amenities: Restrooms and picnic tables at Face Rock Scenic Viewpoint
Nearest town: Bandon, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 4.5 hours
The first entry always has a lot of pressure, but I stand by Bandon Beach. While many beaches on the Oregon Coast have a memorable sea stack or two, weird and chunky rocks decorate Bandon’s shore for miles. Some are huge, like Table Rock, an island that hosts large colonies of seabirds. Wizard Hat is a spitting image of the Hogwarts Sorting Hat. At high tide, waves surge through the sea arch in Elephant Rock. You might see harbor seals lounging on its ledges. The most famous sea stack is Face Rock, an island that looks like an upturned face.
Coastal bluffs run alongside Bandon Beach, creating a sense of separation from town. The short trail on top of Coquille Point is a great whale-watching spot and the best way to see the beach from above. A staircase leads from the top of the bluff to the sand, where you can admire the rocks up close. They are very old by Oregon standards, around 150 million years, and come in unexpected varieties like blueschist. After exploring the beach, it’s worth heading to charming Old Town Bandon for lunch and some window shopping.
Learn more about the things to do in Bandon, Oregon.
2. Cannon Beach
Haystack Rock
Pass required: None
Amenities: Public restrooms in Cannon Beach
Nearest town: Cannon Beach, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 90 minutes
Cannon Beach often tops lists of the best beaches in Oregon and with a good deal of justice. It has a winning combination of a charming town center and a gorgeous beach dotted with interesting sea stacks. The most famous of them is Haystack Rock, the 235-foot centerpiece of Cannon Beach. This monolith is both huge and close to shore. You can approach it at low tide. Just don’t climb on the rocks. They’re part of a protected wildlife area. Seabirds love the cliffs and sea stacks around Cannon Beach. Pelicans and common murres sometimes arrive in large numbers. In late spring, tufted puffins nest on Haystack Rock. With a good pair of binoculars, you might spot them flying overhead, looking like winged footballs.
After spending time on the beach, take a stroll through town. Unlike many places on the Oregon Coast, Cannon Beach has a walkable town center away from Highway 101. Start on Hemlock Street to find art galleries, restaurants, and boutique shops. To see a couple more incredible beaches during your visit, head to Ecola State Park at the north end of town (Oregon State Park Pass, $10/day). You can drive to Indian Beach or make the short but difficult hike down to Crescent Beach.
Learn more about the best things to do in Cannon Beach.
3. Harris Beach
Goat Island
Pass required: None
Amenities: Restrooms, picnic tables, and campground
Nearest town: Brookings, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 6 hours
Just when I was thinking I’d seen all the most beautiful beaches on the Oregon Coast, there was Harris Beach. Honestly, I’d put it above Cannon Beach if I weren’t trying to avoid filling the top of the list with beaches on the remote south coast. Beyond having a token highlight or two, Harris Beach is full of hidden corners and magical things.
Rocks and sea stacks cover miles of coastline near the California border. Instead of the standard basalt of the north coast, these formations are an odd mishmash of ancient rock, some with swirling colors and patterns. At low tide, you’ll see barnacles and sea stars covering many of them. The most eye-catching is Goat Island, Oregon’s largest coastal island. Bring good binoculars to look for seabirds on it, including some rare species. Closer to shore, check out the large sea arch. After exploring the beach, it’s worth taking the trail up to the top of Harris Butte to admire the coastline from above.
Learn more about Harris Beach State Park.
4. Secret Beach
Secret Beach
Pass required: None
Hike in: 1 mile out and back
Amenities: None
Nearest town: Brookings, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 5.5 hours
Tips: Visit at a low to medium tide to access the beach
Ignore the name. Secret Beach gets a lot of attention. If you can overlook the lack of secrecy, it’s an incredible beach with scenery not quite like anywhere else on the Oregon Coast. In the remote Samuel Boardman Corridor, it might not be deserted, but it won’t be crowded. On a rainy winter day, I was the only one there. On a beautiful summer weekend, there were about 20 other people.
It takes a little work to find Secret Beach. There are a few ways you can hike to it, none of them with great signage. The most popular route starts from the Thunder Rock Cove Trailhead. From here, you’ll hike 0.5 miles through a dense coastal forest and then make a final scramble down to Secret Beach. The sea stacks give the beach its unique character. They’re tightly packed and close to shore, making it feel more than a little enchanted. Miniature forests have sprouted on many of them, looking like tiny worlds. Other highlights of Secret Beach are a small waterfall and, at low tide, a few hidden coves and tidepool areas.
Get detailed directions to Secret Beach.
5. Cobble Beach
Cobble Beach and Yaquina Head Lighthouse
Pass required: America the Beautiful Pass, $7 for a 3-day pass
Amenities: Restrooms, picnic tables, and visitor center
Nearest town: Newport, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 2 hours
Tips: Visit at low tide to see the tidepools. Don’t descend to the beach during winter storms or high tide events like the king tides.
Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area has two beaches. Cobble Beach stands out for its view of Yaquina Head Lighthouse and its excellent tidepools. A staircase leads from the lighthouse viewpoint to the beach of cobbles below. These round rocks broke off the basalt cliffs of the headland. Ocean waves have worn them smooth over time. At medium and high tides, they click and clatter with each wave. Low tide reveals some of the best and easiest-to-reach tidepools on the Oregon Coast. Look for urchins, sea stars, crabs, anemones, chitons, and barnacles in the many pools.
Cobble Beach also has great potential for seeing other wildlife. Harbor seals love the rocky ledges near the beach. In early summer, look for mothers with nursing pups. Many types of seabirds visit Yaquina Head, like pelicans, oystercatchers, common murres, cormorants, and harlequin ducks. You might see whales from Cobble Beach, but I find them easier to spot from the lighthouse viewpoint at the top of the stairs.
Learn more about the best things to do in Newport.
6. Yachats and Cape Perpetua
Thor’s Well
Pass required: NW Forest Pass, America the Beautiful Pass, or Oregon Coast Passport at Cape Perpetua, $5/day. Other beaches and parks in the area don’t require a pass.
Amenities: Restrooms, picnic tables, and visitor center at Cape Perpetua
Nearest town: Yachats, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 3 hours
Tips: Keep a respectful distance from Thor’s Well. Visitors sometimes get too close, risking injury from a sudden large wave.
The coastline around Yachats has few traditional sandy beaches. Volcanic activity had a huge impact here, creating a land of dramatic cliffs and rocky platforms. The most memorable sights are about ten minutes south of Yachats at Cape Perpetua. High tide is the best time to see puffs of mist erupting through Spouting Horn and waves crashing in Devils Churn. It’s also the ideal time to visit Thor’s Well, when waves bubble up through a barnacle-encrusted void, only to recede again into the depths.
Yachats has curiosities outside of Cape Perpetua. Within the town, a trail next to the ocean explores its weird and wonderful coastline. To the south, Neptune State Scenic Viewpoint has some of the most overlooked gems of the Oregon Coast, like Strawberry Hill, an excellent place to look for harbor seals and sea stars.
Find the best things to do in Yachats.
7. Pacific City Beach
Haystack Rock and Cape Kiwanda
Pass required: Local $10 parking fee
Amenities: Restrooms
Nearest town: Pacific City
Drive time from Portland: 2 hours
Tips: Stay behind the fences on Cape Kiwanda. People have died here by going to unsafe areas.
If you can overlook the steep local parking fee, Pacific City has one of the best beaches on the Oregon Coast. At first glance, its most striking feature is a monolith about a mile offshore called Haystack Rock. Yep, same name as the one in Cannon Beach. It's not ideal, but we’ll manage. At 327 feet, Pacific City’s Haystack Rock is the taller of the two, although its distance from shore makes it look smaller. Pacific City’s beach is one of Oregon's most popular surfing spots. Chances are you’ll see a few surfers out in the water looking tiny in front of Haystack Rock.
On the north end of the beach, Cape Kiwanda is what makes Pacific City extraordinary. You’ll see the sandstone headland from the parking lot. Its scale doesn’t become clear until you trudge up the sandy slope to reach the top. Cape Kiwanda is a geological anomaly. It persists long after its neighboring sandstone shores crumbled. Geologists believe it has lasted because of protection from Haystack Rock. Look for sea caves, a tidepool area, a huge dune, and a large sinkhole as you explore Cape Kiwanda.
Learn more about visiting Cape Kiwanda.
8. Sunset Bay
Sunset Bay
Pass required: None
Amenities: Restrooms, picnic tables, and campground
Nearest town: Coos Bay, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 4 hours
Sunset Bay is one of the three stunning state parks along the Cape Arago Scenic Highway. Unlike the other parks, Sunset Bay has a beach a few steps away from the parking lot. This beach has a few unusual features. Cliffs to the north and south protect it from strong winds off the ocean, making it a more promising picnic spot than most Oregon Coast beaches. The water is often calm enough for kayaking. In the summer, it’s one of the few beaches that tempt anyone but children into swimming without a wetsuit.
The cliffs around Sunset Bay are worth a closer look. The sandstone along this part of the coast has been uplifted into strange, almost spiraling shapes. At low tide, a platform near the shore has excellent tidepools. Hiking trails beginning on either side of the beach offer new angles to appreciate the scenery.
Learn more about visiting Sunset Bay and the Cape Arago Scenic Highway.
9. Oceanside Beach and Tunnel Beach
Tunnel Beach entrance
Pass required: None
Amenities: Restrooms
Nearest town: Oceanside, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 90 minutes
Tips: Bring a flashlight for the tunnel. In a pinch, a cell phone light will work.
At first glance, Oceanside Beach looks like a lovely, if typical, Oregon Coast beach. Then you see the tunnel. The tall headland at the north end of the beach is Maxwell Point. At its base is the entrance to an underground tunnel connecting Oceanside Beach to the beach to the north, predictably called Tunnel Beach. The journey is not the easiest. Rocks and driftwood often end up in the tunnel, especially after winter storms. Between the darkness and the obstacles, the going is slow. But it’s worth it.
After traversing the tunnel, you’ll arrive at a gorgeous beach that looks worlds away from human civilization. The sea stacks are good places to spot perching seabirds. The biggest draw of Tunnel Beach is rockhounding. Whenever I’ve visited, everyone else has been bent over double, on the hunt for agates and jaspers. You don’t have to worry much about the tide here, but avoid the tunnel during unusually high tides and winter storms. You don’t want to be inside when waves carry in debris.
Learn more about Oceanside Beach and Tunnel Beach.
10. Otter Crest Beach
Otter Crest Beach
Pass required: None
Amenities: Restrooms and picnic tables
Nearest town: Newport, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 2.5 hours
Tips: Avoid Otter Crest Beach at high tide. You can still visit Devils Punchbowl from above and go to Beverly Beach.
Most people who visit Devils Punchbowl State Natural Area don’t explore past the viewpoint. I get it. The best way to watch the waves churn in the giant sandstone cauldron is by looking down on them from above. The beach access is also less than obvious and is only safe at low to medium tides. If your timing is right, the path from C Ave will bring you to one of the most incredible beaches on the Oregon Coast.
The most unforgettable highlight of Otter Crest Beach happens at very low tides when you can enter the Devils Punchbowl. By walking through one of the tunnels at the base, you can get inside and admire the towering cliffs of red-streaked sandstone. Be very cautious if you decide to enter the Punchbowl. The tide should be below zero on a tide chart, and falling. I recommend reading my guide on entering the Devils Punchbowl before going.
11. Otter Point beaches
Otter Point
Pass required: None
Amenities: None
Nearest town: Gold Beach, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 5 - 5.5 hours
Tips: Otter Point has unfenced drop-offs and crumbly cliffs. Stay back from the edges. It’s not a great place to visit with small children. Bailey Beach is family-friendly.
Otter Point State Recreation Site is the kind of Oregon Coast park that would be packed with visitors if it were closer to a city. Besides being over five hours from Portland, no signs point the way from Highway 101. If you find yourself in the Gold Beach area, it’s a breathtaking place to explore. The best views are from the top of the Otter Point peninsula. On a clear day, you can see over 100 miles of coastline from Cape Blanco to northern California.
Otter Point has two beaches, one on either side of the peninsula. Agate Beach is a secluded cove on the north side. You can reach it by following a steep trail from the main parking lot. To the south, Bailey Beach is a long sandy beach extending to the town of Gold Beach. The easiest way to get there is by taking the access trail down the road from the main parking lot.
Learn more about visiting Otter Point State Recreation Site.
12. Neskowin Ghost Forest
Stumps of the Ghost Forest
Pass required: None
Amenities: Restrooms
Nearest town: Neskowin
Drive time from Portland: 2 hours
Tips: Visit at a low to medium tide to see the Ghost Forest
The first thing you notice on Neskowin Beach is Proposal Rock, a prominent dome topped with a miniature forest. Neskowin Creek makes a pretty winding course next to it before emptying into the ocean. A second glance reveals the beach’s biggest draw, the Neskowin Ghost Forest. At medium to low tides, the ocean recedes and exposes dozens of barnacle-encrusted stumps. These relics are what remains of a Sitka spruce forest 2,000 years after its destruction by encroaching sand. Begin at Proposal Rock and walk south on the beach to marvel at the stumps. One of them is large enough to hold a pool full of anemones. At the south end of the beach are the forested cliffs of Cascade Head. Look for a cool sea cave at their base.
Learn more about the Neskowin Ghost Forest.
13. Sisters Rock beaches
Sisters Rock
Pass required: None
Hike in: 1 mile out and back
Amenities: None
Nearest town: Port Orford, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 5 hours
Tips: Don’t try and climb the Sisters Rocks. I saw people get stuck when I visited.
Sisters Rock State Park is a place you need to see to believe. Two peaks stand at the end of a peninsula. The third is an island just offshore. If you only see it from the road, it’s easy to pass by without more than fleeting curiosity. The southern Oregon Coast is full of wonders, and they become easy to take for granted on a road trip. If you stop to explore Sisters Rock up close, you’ll see what makes it extraordinary.
A short and easy trail leads from the unassuming parking area to the end of the peninsula. The impressive scale of the Sisters becomes more obvious as you approach. The views from the trail are phenomenal, extending for miles in three directions. There are beaches on either side of Sisters Rock. You’ll likely have them both to yourself. Before starting a walk on the beach, check out the enormous sea cave at the base of the Big Sister. Water enters through channels in the side of the peak, filling the cave at high tide.
Learn more about Sisters Rock State Park.
14. Hug Point Beach
Hug Point
Pass required: None
Amenities: Restrooms and picnic table
Nearest town: Cannon Beach, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 90 minutes
Tips: Visit at medium to low tide to see the waterfall. Visit at a very low tide to walk around Hug Point. Parking is a challenge here on summer weekends.
Hug Point Beach is full of delightful secret parts that you can only access at certain times of day. At any tide, you can walk south on the beach. Although lovely, this direction is not what makes Hug Point Beach stand out from its neighbors. When the tide recedes, walk around the small headland at the north end of the beach to find a hidden cove with a waterfall and sea caves. It always feels like a discovery, no matter how many times you’ve been.
During very low tides, things get even more interesting. You can walk around the manmade ledge at the base of Hug Point, which connects to Arcadia Beach. If you look closely, you’ll see wheel ruts on the ledge. Before the construction of Highway 101, people used it as a road for carriages and early automobiles. It’s fun to explore the south end of Arcadia Beach, but don’t linger too long. You’ll need to get around Hug Point before the tide comes in.
Learn more about visiting Hug Point State Recreation Site.
15. Short Sand Beach
Short Sand Beach
Pass required: None
Hike in: 1.2 miles out and back
Amenities: Restrooms and picnic tables
Nearest town: Manzanita, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 1 hour 40 minutes
Tips: Short Sand Beach is one of the most popular beaches on the Oregon Coast. There’s a lot of parking, but it does fill up on summer weekends. Don’t park on the shoulder of the highway.
Short Sand Beach in Oswald West State Park sits along protected Smugglers Cove. The beauty of the scenery and relatively mild conditions attract large numbers of visitors, many of whom will be toting surfboards or picnic baskets. Cape Falcon frames the north end of the beach. The Neahkahnie Cliffs rise steeply to the south. If you head north to the Cape Falcon side, you’ll see Blumenthal Falls tumbling down the cliffs into the ocean. To reach Short Sand Beach, you’ll follow a hiking trail from the parking lot on Highway 101 about a half mile through an old-growth forest. For a longer hike, you can make the trek out to the end of Cape Falcon to see panoramic ocean views.
16. Cape Cove Beach (Heceta Head)
Cape Cove Beach and the keeper’s house
Pass required: Oregon State Park Pass, $10/day. You can buy a pass on-site.
Amenities: Restrooms and picnic tables
Nearest town: Florence, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 3 hours 10 minutes
Cape Cove Beach is the beach beneath Heceta Head Lighthouse. From the shore, you can see the charming farmhouse that was once the lighthouse keeper’s home, now a bed and breakfast. Cliffs surround the beach. To the north is the headland where Heceta Head Lighthouse stands. To the south, you’ll see the elegant arch of Cape Creek Bridge and the steep forested slopes of the coastline heading toward Florence. Beneath the bridge, tiny Cape Creek is a popular rockhounding spot.
Once you’ve explored the beach, take the trail up to Heceta Head Lighthouse, about a mile roundtrip. The viewpoint near the lighthouse is a great place to watch for birds and whales. You can turn around here or continue to lesser-known Hobbit Beach, another of the most stunning beaches on the Oregon Coast. Its namesake feature is the entrance that looks like a hobbit tunnel.
Learn more about visiting Heceta Head Lighthouse and Hobbit Beach.
17. Seal Rock
Elephant Rock
Pass required: None
Amenities: Restrooms and picnic tables
Nearest town: Waldport, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 2.5 hours
Seal Rock State Recreation Site has one of the most underrated beaches on the Oregon Coast. The unusual rock formations just offshore are lined up straight as an arrow, looking like the backbone of some enormous sea creature. Then, there is Elephant Rock, a hulking ridge of basalt that’s a favorite of visiting sea birds. Near the parking area, a couple of viewpoints look down on the beach from above. If you follow a short trail, you can get down to the sand and admire the rocks up close. At low tide, Seal Rock has some excellent tidepool life. At high tide, it’s fun to watch the waves crash against the basalt ridge from the viewpoint above the beach.
Learn more about Seal Rock State Recreation Site.
18. Fort Stevens
Wreck of the Peter Iredale
Pass required: Oregon State Park Pass, $10/day. Some areas of the park are free.
Amenities: Restrooms, picnic tables, and campground
Nearest town: Astoria, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 2 hours
Fort Stevens State Park fills 4,300 acres at Oregon’s northwest tip. It has an odd hodgepodge of attractions, including multiple beaches, a kayak-friendly lake, a campground, an old military fort, and a museum. The park’s biggest draw is the Wreck of the Peter Iredale. This rusted hull was the casualty of a 1906 shipwreck. Today, it sits on a long sandy beach, serving as a haunting reminder of the many ships lost near the treacherous waters around the mouth of the Columbia River.
Learn more about visiting Fort Stevens State Park.
19. Florence and the Dunes
Baker Beach Viewpoint
Pass required: Mostly none. Honeyman State Park requires the Oregon State Park Pass, $10/day. You can buy a pass on-site. South Jetty Beach requires the NW Forest Pass, America the Beautiful Pass, or Oregon Coast Passport, $5/day.
Nearest town: Florence, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 3 hours
No basalt here. The coastline around Florence, Oregon, is all about long sandy beaches and gigantic dunes. If you’re driving into town from the north, the Baker Beach Viewpoint provides a stunning bird’s eye view of the beaches on the north end of town, beginning with uncrowded Baker Beach. Farther south, you’ll reach the Oregon Dunes. This 42-mile stretch of the coastline between Florence’s south jetty and Coos Bay has dunes as tall as 500 feet, among the largest in the world.
20. Road’s End Beach
Roads End Beach
Pass required: None
Amenities: Restrooms and picnic tables
Nearest town: Lincoln City, Oregon
Drive time from Portland: 2 hours
Tips: Visit at low tide to see the coolest part of the beach, the tidepool area at its north end.
Most of Lincoln City’s seven miles of beaches are flat and sandy, with a lot of development along the shore. Road’s End Beach is the exception. At the north end of town, the buildings are limited to scattered houses perched discretely back on a coastal bluff. The headlands of Road’s End Point and the Thumb form the northern border of the beach. At low tide, you can walk around the first one to explore a secret cove between them. Here, you’ll find the beach’s most stunning scenery. Cliffs rise around you in three directions. Intertidal life covers the many rocks and sea stacks, especially barnacles, sea stars, and chitons. Be sure to keep an eye on the tide to keep from getting trapped behind Road’s End Point.
Learn more about visiting Road’s End Beach.
The secret part of Roads End Beach
Best beaches on the Oregon Coast, summary:
Bandon Beach
Cannon Beach
Harris Beach
Secret Beach
Cobble Beach
Yachats and Cape Perpetua
Pacific City Beach
Sunset Bay
Oceanside Beach and Tunnel Beach
Otter Crest Beach
Otter Point beaches
Neskowin Ghost Forest
Sisters Rock beaches
Hug Point Beach
Short Sand Beach
Cape Cove Beach (Heceta Head)
Seal Rock
Fort Stevens
Florence and the Dunes
Road’s End Beach
Enjoy your trip to the Oregon Coast!
With love,
Emma
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