Sometimes the Tiniest Oregon Coast Details Make for Biggest Discoveries
Published 12/02/2018 at 1:59 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff
(Oregon Coast) – Sometimes, it's the little details that are the biggest surprises. At least on the Oregon coast that often holds true. Tiny beach spots can equal incredible revelations, if you just seek out the nooks and crannies..
Two such locales are an excellent example of places that create this kind of remarkable stream of constant discovery. One is small and not as popular as many Oregon coast burghs, while another is a 20-mile chunk that is engaging beyond belief but somehow still off the beaten path of the maddening crowds.
Treasures Between Yachats and Florence. There's more to this 20-mile stretch than you'll ever imagine, and this is one area where you will want to get a bit lost on purpose. It's filled with jaw-dropping beach after jaw-dropping beach. And almost all quite unpopulated.
One such spot is next to Ten Mile Creek, technically part of Stonefield Beach. Really, it’s a couple hundred feet north of the signed access to Stonefield and the small bridge. Look for the tiny, unmarked beach access lying behind a patch of gravel on the side of the road. Take this pathway to find a small hidden beach featuring all sorts of bubble-like and craggy basalt shapes lying in the water and on the shore.
Here, the journey is part of the real prize. The short trail takes you along Ten Mile Creek, through almost shrubbery that’s almost like topiary art, and then past a comely, calming view with a bench.
Just after that bridge you’ll find a the main parking and access to Stonefield Beach, populated by stones and lots of logs. Once out there, you’ll find the other half of the area is a long stretch of sandy beach. There are times you can cross the creek, but usually it’s a tad too much on the wild side to do so comfortably. It’s usually – but not always – far easier to head to the other access.
For more clandestine fun, look for MP 175 and the Big Creek Bridge is nearby. There are unmarked beach accesses on either side, where creekside sandy spots give way to more cobblestones, large logs and small tracts of sand. The southern access is an easier walk as it’s less covered in driftwood obstacles. Lodgings in Yachats - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours
Delights in the Details of Depoe Bay. Depoe Bay is full of little nooks and crannies that are, in turn, full of surprises. Even the most obvious stretch along Highway 101 has little pockets of incredible views that are tucked away just a tad, such as the little park about 100 feet north of the whale statue, where the Spouting Horn often shoots off.
After the main viewing area along Depoe Bay's seawall, start walking underneath the bridge and you'll find yet another one, also on the seaward side of the highway. From there, the walkway wanders beneath the bridge to the bay and the landward side of 101. This is a much better and safer option for crossing the street since 101 here is usually a madhouse of car traffic, but it’s also a lovely little walk that comes with its own secret wonders.
At night this spot can be especially entrancing. It’s lit up and has a whole new, even more soothing atmosphere.
Once down on the bay, you'll find yourself amid the hustle and bustle of the various attractions as well as the businesses and boats making their living here. Seals and seagulls often take up residence around this diminutive body of water. If you're lucky, you might spot a wild seal doing tricks for scraps of food provided by one of the fish processing businesses just beneath the viewing platforms.
If you’re really up for some exploration and discovery, look for Sunset Ave. at the northern edge of town, or South Point Ave just as you leave the southern end of town. Both are cliffside jaw-droppers and two of the most incredible hidden spots on the entire Oregon coast. Lodgings in Depoe Bay - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours
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