A Hidden Oregon Coast Favorite: Fishing Rock State Rec Site, Lincoln Beach

Published 01/06/2018 at 4:45 AM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Depoe Bay, Oregon) – On the central Oregon coast, near Depoe Bay, sits a sort of hidden spot that's paradoxically popular at the same time. Part of the Oregon State Parks system, Fishing Rock State Recreation Site lies tucked away, just out of sight enough to not be a crowded destination – but still with a fervent following to keep it slightly abuzz.

What stands out here are the wild colors of the cliffs, the craggy, rocky basalt edges that form mesmerizingly cool structures to climb around, and a variety of large-scale and miniature viewpoints that always astound.

If you're looking for something a little different on your next coastal trip, this is it. Some place you haven't been before, and one that not quite everyone knows about. Here, you can feel like you're part of the in crowd, in a beachy way.

There's lots to see and do here. To get a preview – including some of the wilder secretive aspects – check out the teasers below and click on the links to pieces on this beauty from the Depoe Bay – Gleneden Beach Virtual Tour. You won't be disappointed.

Oregon Coast Virtual Tour: Fishing Rock State Recreation Site a Splashing Good Time. There isn't much that alerts you to the existence of this uncompromisingly rugged little chunk of coastal cliffs. Sure, there's a sign along this part of Highway 101 that says “Fishing Rock State Recreation Site,” but there's no visual clue what that's about. Here, in the Lincoln Beach area, between Gleneden Beach and Depoe Bay, and where the highway just zooms you along past any landmark or street, you can't see the deliciously delightful ocean just beyond the trees and the neighborhoods.

So if curiosity gets the better of you and you meander down this puzzling gravel road that appears to go nowhere, you're in for a treat. ...MORE.....

Glimpses of Fishing Rock, Near Depoe Bay. The Lincoln Beach area, straddled between Gleneden Beach and Depoe Bay, is a bit of an off-the-beaten path secret in this part of the central Oregon coast.

Fishing Rock State Recreation Site is undoubtedly one of the smaller parks in the state park system, although it winds up a somewhat sprawling experience to meander through. You find it off an obscure side road off this part of 101 – a section of the highway that doesn’t afford you views of the ocean, so cool stuff can be hidden behind the trees and homes. At the end of the road, a small parking lot gives access to a short trail where you eventually emerge to views like this. ...MORE.....

Discovering a Secret Beach on Oregon Coast, near Depoe Bay, at Fogarty Beach. “You could find a stretch of beach normally not traversable, and to the endless delight of visitors, whales were so close to shore here their blowholes were actually quite loud. It was spectacular,” the writer says.

This is what led to this find: a wondrous little secret beach between Fogarty Beach and Fishing Rock State Recreation Site. Head to the very northern edge of this rather esoteric little cove-like stretch of large sands, and you usually bump into this bunch of blob rocks. You can't go much farther. But thanks to calm seas and higher sand levels, all of a sudden you could get to the other side.

For someone like me, who has documented literally just about every tiny beach access and hidden spot between Florence and Astoria, this is a rare find: a strand I've never been on. Usually, this spot is too dangerous and wave-smothered to even think about visiting. You can see it from the viewpoints looking south on Fishing Rock state park (which is itself a clandestine spot). You never see it anything less than completely covered by manic seas. ...MORE.....

Fogarty Beach: a Stunning Oregon Coast Spot of Subtleties. Look closely at the weird, almost alien rock shapes when sand levels are low around this place. Some truly awe-inspiring little surprises lurk in the surf here.

A wild, unruly beach sits on the other side of the rocks at the far northern end, close to the cave-like holes. This is the cove beneath Fishing Rock State Recreation Site, just down the street from Forgarty Beach. On rare occasions, this beach becomes briefly accessible. Very rarely, however. In fact, it's fair to say the beach does not exist most of the time.

Fogarty Beach sits about three miles north of Depoe Bay, and several miles south of Lincoln City. See the Depoe Bay Virtual Tour for more on the area. ...MORE..... - Depoe Bay Lodgings / Hotels in this area - Where to eat - Maps and Virtual Tours

Oregon Coast Lodgings for this event - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours

More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted

Oregon Coast Lodging
Rentals
Specials

Dining

Events Calendar

Oregon Coast Weather

Travel News

Search for Oregon Coast Subjects, Articles

Virtual Tours, Maps
Deep Details