The Lost Creek of the Central Oregon Coast: Lost Creek State Recreational Site

Updated Periodically

(Newport, Oregon) – About halfway between Newport and Seal Rock sits a fairly well traveled and obvious beach access called Lost Creek State Recreational Site. During heavier traffic days along this part of the central Oregon coast, it remains a laidback and calming place to hang, even if the throngs have invaded these peaceful sands. And if that has become a bit much for you, you can always walk a ways south or north and get away from the crowds.

You'll want to look for milepost 147, as you approach from either direction – which is filled with wind-swept trees and intermittent views of the ocean. Especially from the northern end, large forests and hillsides block the view from the highway much of the time, but when it opens up it's really quite stunning.

Just before Lost Creek is one of those areas. From here southward, it's a bit easier to see the ocean, although you're still often surrounded by those twisted forms of wind-battered trees.

At Lost Creek State Recreational Site, you'll find a sizable parking lot overlooking the fluffy, pristine sands typical of this area. There are restroom facilities and picnic tables here, all surrounded by a thick presence of forest, giving it a rustic, mountain feel in some ways as well.

Sit on the benches here along this walkway that descends to the beach, or step down onto the gravel chunks and tiny stream that are apparently the remnant of a now-disappeared creek – a creek that's lost and from which the name probably comes. At one point in the last decade, the remnants of a small boat sat here, looking like a mini-shipwreck and giving the name of Lost Creek some extra resonance.

Then from here it's all broad, sandy beach, often cut off from the highway by soaring sandstone cliffs, many of which have large indentations in them which form little cove-like areas.

From Lost Creek southward, it's around a mile or so to Ona Beach and Beaver Creek. If you were to walk this whole stretch, it's seven miles from Ona along the beach to the south jetties at South Beach State Park in Newport. Along the way you'll encounter a hidden beach named Holiday Beach. It's all similar territory as at Lost Creek: broad, soft sands bordered by a higher vegetation line that is usually comprised of cliffs that make this stretch inaccessible from anything but a handful of accesses. This creates one big hidden spot along most of these seven miles.

Lost Creek at night: above, playing with "light orbs" on this broad, sandy beach. Waldport Lodgings here - Where to eat - Map and Virtual Tour

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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