Southern Oregon Coast Road Trip Attractions
Few places on Earth can match the Oregon Coast’s rugged natural beauty.
The 300+ mile-long coastline is a testament to nature’s supreme craftsmanship. It is a masterpiece of scenery. A photographer’s dream. A mighty display of sea-meets-land.
Defined by its wildlife-laden sea stacks, sweeping sandy beaches, towering cliffs, and rugged dunes, Oregon’s scenic coastline makes for an unforgettable road trip destination.
And nowhere does this ring more true than along the southern Oregon coast—a spectacular stretch of wild shoreline that spans Highway 101 between Coos Bay and Brookings.
ATTRACTIONS ALONG THE SOUTHERN COAST OF OREGON
Following our elopement ceremony at Heceta Head near Florence, Dan and I traveled along the southern coast of Oregon for two days. Our road trip brought us along familiar parts of the central Oregon coast, before continuing to areas that I hadn’t visited since childhood. It revealed some of the state’s most dramatic landscapes and solidified our love for the spectacular Highway 101.
The South Coast of Oregon stretches from Coos Bay to the California border. Home to secret beaches, secluded coves, rugged coastal monoliths and sandy dunes, it is a place of wild natural beauty and untamed wilderness.
Highlights of the southern coast include the weather-battered cliffs of Shore Acres State Park, the jagged rock formations of Bandon, and a ribbon of road that hugs 50 miles of scenic shoreline between Port Orford and Brookings.
SUNSET BAY STATE PARK
Sunset Beach was the first stop on our Highway 101 road trip itinerary. The crescent shores of Sunset Bay welcome locals and tourists alike with gentle waves and a wide sandy beach. The area is said to contain some of the most swimmable ocean waters in the Pacific Northwest—a sharp contrast to the churning waters of Shore Acres State Park down the road.
Though I found Sunset Beach’s water to be bone-chillingly cold, swimsuit-clad sunbathers seemed to make little fuss about the frigid temperatures.
SHORE ACRES STATE PARK
Located just south of Sunset Beach, the lovely Shore Acres State Park is among the southern Oregon coast’s most notable attractions. The park sits perched along rugged sandstone cliffs that sit above the ocean. It contains an unexpected combination of natural and human-engineered beauty.
Shore Acres State Park features a lavish estate that overlooks pounding surf. The estate once belonged to Louis Simpson, a pioneer timber baron. Today, it is open to the public and showcases resplendent gardens with plants and flowers from all over the world.
Dan and I enjoyed exploring the area around Shore Acres State Park. The crashing waves, colorful sandstone cliffs, and tumultuous ocean waters were some of the most dramatic of our entire road trip.
BANDON
The charming coastal town of Bandon is one of the main communities along the southern coast of Oregon. On a clear day, Bandon’s main beach is a photographer’s paradise.
When Dan and I visited the Bandon Beach during our Oregon Coast road trip, haze and inclement weather obstructed our views of the area’s towering rock spires.
Nonetheless, as we walked down on the beach, we kept our eyes peeled for sea lions, admired flocks of seabirds. and had fun darting between the area’s wave-battered rock sculptures.
In addition to housing an attractive assortment of rock outcrops, Bandon boasts a cute downtown and one of the world’s best golf courses—the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
Though I know little about golf, I’d almost be willing to play a round at the Bandon Dunes Golf Course just so that I can soak in the views from its putting green.
If only it didn’t cost upwards of $200 to enjoy the view….
CAPE BLANCO STATE PARK
Along the stretch of road between Bandon and Port Orford, Highway 101 veers inward, away from the Oregon Coast.
The area’s most notable road trip stop—Cape Blanco State Park—lies about 15 minutes west of the highway, along the water.
Since the state park remained closed to tourists during our visit, Dan and I skipped the Cape Blanco detour in favor of the southern coast’s other must-see destinations.
Had we been able to visit, however, we would have toured the Cape Blanco Lighthouse and soaked in views from Oregon’s westernmost promontory.
PORT ORFORD
The small town of Port Orford has one of the most picturesque settings along the Oregon Coast. Its beautiful little greenery-flanked beach boasts a crescent bay that is studded with jagged rock formations.
During our southern Oregon coast road trip, Dan and I stopped in Port Orford for a late lunch. We had originally wanted to stop by the Crazy Norwegians, but arrived just minutes after they had closed up shop. As an alternative, we chose to eat at Griff’s on the Dock.
The seafood platter from Griff’s contained some of the best fish and chips we’ve ever eaten.
Port Orford is a fantastic base for exploring the southern Oregon coast’s wild and rugged beauty.
From Port Orford, the Wild Rivers Coast Scenic Bikeway brings cyclists past the the mighty Umpqua River and showcases a sampling of the state’s rough-and-tumble waterways. The town is also the northern terminus of the ‘Fabulous 50 Miles’—a stretch of highway that joins Port Orford with Brookings and is said to be the most scenic portion of the entire 101.
CAPE SEBASTIAN STATE PARK
Located just a few miles south of Gold Beach, the Cape Sebastian Scenic Corridor gives way to some of the Oregon Coast’s most awe-inspiring views.
At Cape Sebastian, the Pacific coastline rises 700 feet above sea level, making this one of the highest and most far reaching viewpoints along the entire shoreline. From the observation point, views stretch 25 miles up the coastline, as far as Humbug Mountain. Facing southward, panoramas extend to the coastal hills of northern California.
SAMUEL H BOARDMAN STATE PARK: GEM OF THE SOUTHERN OREGON COAST
Four miles north of Brookings, the US 101 carves its way through 12 miles of the Samuel H Boardman Scenic Corridor.
Home to hidden beaches, forested mountainsides, and natural bridges that balance delicately above churning sapphire waters, the scenic corridor is the top place to visit along the southern Oregon coast.
And that says a lot. Because the southern third of Oregon’s coastline truly lays out one noteworthy attraction after another.
Spectacular viewpoints line the Samuel Boardman State Park’s 12 mile stretch. Many of these turnouts contain picnic areas with short trails that lead to secluded beaches and secret coves.
Arch Rock, Natural Bridges, Secret Beach, Indian Sands, and Cape Ferrelo are all noteworthy road trip stops along the scenic corridor.
HARRIS BEACH STATE PARK
Harris Beach is one of Oregon’s most scenic stretches of sand. Located just a stone’s throw away from the amenities of Brookings, it offers vibrant intertidal areas, clusters of craggy rock formations, and a sandy shoreline.
Bird Island (also known as Goat Island) lies just off the shores of Harris Beach State Park. It is the largest island along the Oregon Coast and part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
True to its name, the offshore island hosts a diverse array of birdlife—including tufted puffins, Aleutian Canada geese, and over a quarter of Oregon’s nesting Leach’s Storm-Petrels.
WHEN TO VISIT THE SOUTHERN COAST OF OREGON
Though the southern portion of the coast contains some of the best weather along Oregon’s 101, it isn’t the type of place that attracts sun-seekers. The coast’s unpredictable weather often comes with large doses of wind, rain, and fog.
Still, it is a spectacular place to visit, no matter the time of year.
In late May through early July, colorful wildflowers abound. The abundance of wildflowers make Spring and early Summer a particularly enjoyable time to visit the southern Oregon coast.
In winter months, dense fog, churning surf and crowd-less beaches carry an entirely different appeal.
SOUTHERN OREGON COAST ACCOMMODATIONS
Due to our desire to stay in a treehouse for the night, Dan and I chose to book a room at the Vertical Horizons Treehouse Paradise near Cave Junction. Staying overnight in a treehouse was a memorable experience and something I’d always wanted to do.
That being said, the treehouse resort lies about an hour and a half inland from Brookings. I would normally recommend staying closer to Highway 101 when visiting the coast.
Had our minds not been glued to the idea of staying in the trees, we would have likely sprung for a room at the Taylor Creek Lodge in Gold Beach, or chosen to camp at one of the many state parks along the southern Oregon coast’s spectacular shoreline.
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For lovers of nature and photography, the shoreline of southern Oregon has it all. It is one of the world’s great coastal drives—comparable to the Great Ocean Road in Australia and Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.
Along the winding ribbon of road, mountains tumble into the vast Pacific Ocean. Trees and wildflowers cling to weather-beaten rocks. Land and sea collide into a tumultuous display of sand and surf. It is a spectacular road trip destination that includes lonely beaches, miles of hiking trails, and some of the most photogenic vistas in all of Oregon.
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