Oregon Coast's Mega-Cool Holiday Beach Near Newport - What You Don't Know

Published 07/22/020 at 6:54 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Newport, Oregon) – Technically, it’s called Holiday Beach, but it appears on almost no map of the Oregon coast and there’s no signage anywhere near it. However, many simply refer to it as Thiel Creek since that’s the most recognizable named landmark closest to this unknown access.

A couple of miles south of Newport and South Beach, close to MP 146, you’ll find Holiday Beach. It’s a sprawling section of pristine sands with golden cliffs behind it and some surreal winter surprises, and one of the most inviting beaches of the Oregon coast you’ve never heard of.

Holiday Beach hides behind a wall of trees along this stretch of winding Highway 101: a thick layer of green that’s part bushes and part ragged, wind-blown trees. Just south of MP 146, you’ll see an unmarked gravel pullout in the road where there’s a clearing in the trees a wee bit behind it. This is the entrance to Holiday Beach and the Thiel Creek area, reached via a small and sometimes slippery trail through the brush.

For an added layer of adventure, instead of heading straight onto the beach you can climb one of the cliff sides here and reach a point overlooking the beach. It’s a beautiful view here, even if it’s only 30 feet above or less and you can get a layout of the land. You just can’t get to the beach from up top.

Heading back on the small trail, you emerge onto Holiday Beach and suddenly it’s one wide open, amazing stretch. Soft sands as far as the eye can see and one eye-popping cliff structure after another: that’s what you find. From here, it’s a straight eight-mile hike along the beach to Waldport, as you stroll through Lost Creek State Recreation Site, Brian Booth State Park and its cove area called Ona Beach, and then down through Seal Rock (where you’ll likely have to wander up to the highway to get down again), and then through Waldport’s Bayshore district beach accesses.

To the north, it’s a straight shot of two miles until you reach South Beach, and along the way you get to glimpse large tracts of beach that no one else sees because there’s no beach access nearby.

The high point of Holiday Beach is the gritty, pock-marked sandstone cliffs, which fire up a beautiful shade of gold or yellow when lit by the sun and the sunset. At almost every ten feet or so there’s an interesting hole, gouge or cave-like indentation in the cliffs, along with multiple layers of geologic history visible as endless stripes along its top.

Thiel Creek plows its way into the sea immediately north of the access, providing some splashy fun – though in winters it’s harder to get past without getting soaked.

Winter is when this beach comes alive with ancient secrets. Ghost forests some 4,000 years old emerge here when sand levels get low enough. See all of Oregon Coast’s Ghost Forests and what’s behind them. These show up as twisted, angled stumps of trees near the tideline, looking a tad tortured in their 4,000-year-long afterlife. They are remnants of some fascinating geologic tales, however. Hotels in Waldport - Where to eat - Waldport, Seal Rock Maps and Virtual Tours

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