From Dramatic Chaos to Labyrinth Beaches: Around Yachats, Oregon Coast; Video

Published 08/04/20 at 5:24 AM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Yachats, Oregon) – Any way you cut it, there’s something magical about Yachats and the surrounding area. Yachats itself is captivating, but it’s the gateway to a section of the central Oregon coast that simply pounds new sights and wonders into your head. Wander southward, through the Lincoln / Lane County line, and you’re encountering some of the most rugged, outstanding and left-alone scenery the area has to offer.

It’s a little like 20 miles of hidden spots from here to Florence.

Starting with the video and Yachats itself, you get glimpses of the wild surf conditions this place is famous for. Typical of the Oregon coast, it’s moody and overcast in the video, yet still cajolingly beautiful. All moments are filmed around those dark, jagged rocky formations around the Yachats Scenic Recreation Area, the big access in back of downtown.

These stretch from here about a mile northward, creating an impressive labyrinth of rocky blobs that create dozens of little pocket beaches. Large waves come crashing and sometimes dissipate fairly quickly – but the area does warrant plenty of caution.

These tiny stretches between blobs can change quickly in sand composition, although most of the time they are unusually large and coarse grains. This adds yet another bit of spice to Yachats.

Head a bit south and you reach the Devil's Churn, a few miles south of Yachats. Here, it’s usually in a raucous and churning a mood, but sometimes when it’s calmer there's a soft, ethereal glow on these waves. Mostly, however, they are carousing and chaotic, bouncing and careening into the rockface of this narrow basalt slit, never failing to mesmerize.

Several miles south of there, you're now out of Lincoln County and into Lane County. One highlight is Strawberry Hill. This is an engaging spot that forms a fascinating small cove of sorts. Check out the southern, agate-filled end of this beach, or the northern end which is often the real eye-catcher, full of wild shapes and a placid stretch of sand to explore.

Higher spots along this section of Oregon coast may be familiar to fans of the cable TV show Bates Motel that ran a few years back. Many of the ocean vistas of that show were filmed right around here, and this very curve on Highway 101 has appeared in the series a few times.

Even further south, closing in on Florence, wander into Ocean Beach Picnic Area and Roosevelt Beach. Above you see Roosevelt, and that rocky nub-like structure has a mirrored feature on the other side: which is Ocean Beach Picnic Area. Both are stunning for very different reasons. It's as if the two beaches are bookends of a perfect little nature romp. Below is Ocean Beach Picnic Area, it’s striking twin.

This is but a sampler. See the Upper Lane County Virtual Tour for all the beach wonders.

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