Beware Internet Rumors: Yes, N. Oregon Coast's Hug Point is Shut Down and Unsafe

Published 01/15/26 at 6:55 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Cannon Beach, Oregon) – You gotta love the internet rumor mill. And when it comes to Hug Point on the north Oregon coast, it's been working overtime. No matter how clearly reporters or officials state that the Cannon Beach-area fave is closed – truly closed and unsafe – there's always a host of social media voices that try to convince you otherwise.

Yes, Virginia: Hug Point is closed. At least for now. Shut down. Unsafe. Not good. Dangerous. A hazard. A broken-limb or two waiting to happen. Not to mention you could wind up a True Crime story of sorts.

Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) spokesman Mike Baden admitted the place is causing confusion. To those who still insist “Yes you can get down there” - No, you can't. The parking lot is literally closed off.

Oregon Coast Beach Connection had to go full Washington Post-mode on this one, nagging Baden for a load of annoyingly pedantic details, all because of that rumor mill.

Baden gracefully clarified.

“The entire park is closed right now: the parking lot, trails, and beach access are all off-limits,” Baden said. “Physical barricades are in place at the top of the parking lot along U.S. Highway 101, and closure signs are posted both there and facing the beach near the damaged access point. It’s very hard to miss the closure messaging.”

If you're online and telling people it's fine to go down there, it seems you haven't been there yourself. There are signs. The parking lot is closed. Really? What more of a signal do you need?

Heavy rains and king tides took out the only real access there and the park closed in November. Half that stairway is gone. And when it's going to get fixed is quite a bit down the road. Storm season has to end first and all kinds of drainage issues need to be addressed.

To borrow from Monty Python and John Cleese: “This access is no more. It has ceased to be. It is an ex-beach access.”

With some claiming there are alternative accesses, OPRD says nope. If there are, they're even more dangerous than the snaggle-toothed stairway that now awaits its first split femur.

Southern Cannon Beach / Silver Point

“The beach access is unsafe for everyone, regardless of physical ability,” Baden said. “There is only one official beach access at Hug Point. Any other 'way down' people claim to be using is unsanctioned, unsafe, and causes further damage to an already fragile landscape.”

Yet there is one silver lining if you're the adventurous type that's really set on creating your own rickety, slippery path down: you could become part of public record and the rest of us could enjoy it in local court legal notices.

Photo Steven Bash: Hug Point filled to the brim with storm waves

It turns out, it's illegal. Losing your rig and your way home from the coast is also a possibility.

“Because the park is fully closed, citations are one enforcement tool, and we may also tow illegally parked vehicles if needed,” Baden said.

Arcadia Beach - Oregon Coast Beach Connection

Just a couple of miles down the road is Arcadia Beach (Arcadia Beach Tour ) access, and the northern portion of Arch Cape is not far from the southern end of Hug Point. OPRD is suggesting Arcadia or even Short Sand State Park just down the road, closer to Manzanita.

Oregon Coast Beach Connection suggests the untouched extreme southern part of Cannon Beach as well - where you may see bedrock and what's beneath the sands here. See Silver Point, near Cannon Beach, Oregon Coast: Complete Guide

As to when Hug Point might get fixed, that's still a mixed bag of news.

“We’re currently working through design and permitting for the rebuild,” Baden said. “A major factor in the failure was improper parking lot drainage, and that must be corrected before we can safely reconstruct the access. Our hope is to reopen the park before Oregon’s Spring Break, but that depends on the progress of engineering and permitting.”

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