Oregon Coast Access #19: Arch Cape's Leech Lane Crammed with Layers and a Secret Arch

Published 03/06/25 at 6:25 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Arch Cape, Oregon) – Nobody ever said the good stuff is always easy to find. Ironically, although tucked away almost completely out of sight, everyone heading through this part of the north Oregon coast whizzes past this remarkable beachy tidbit south of Cannon Beach. Blink and you miss it. (All photos Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

Right as you enter the Arch Cape Tunnel, the village of Arch Cape quickly presents Leech Lane – and then it's gone, depending on how fast you're driving. It's the final access and the most obvious one of Arch Cape, also known as Beach Access 19 from Oregon's numbered beach system. The next one up is 18 at Hug Point and quite a ways south is Oswald West's number 20 A.

There's extremely limited parking, and it serves as an emergency access. So keep your rig off people's property and out of the way of the entrance.

Numbering and logistics aside, the Leech Lane access is a hidden gem among even more clandestine finds of Arch Cape. A place to get energized or just kick back, there's a big bench right as you walk in, serving up rousing views of Castle Rock straight out west or the breakers bashing at the pyramid-like rock at the southern tip. From here, it's a thin stretch of beach heading north, perhaps about an eighth of a mile to the next little access, and capped by layers of rubbly rocks that are rather difficult to walk on.

Because there's not much sand here, it's a place to watch carefully. If the tide is keeping you up on those rocks, then put off your walk for another day and different conditions. However, it's a good spot to just watch winter waves from your car – parked a good 50 feet away from the tideline.

Arch Cape's access 19 / Leech Lane access cuts a rather iconic silhouette here: that seastack at the cape. This spot is normally under water or getting battered by too many waves, but when summer comes and sand levels rise you can get access to the other side.

This is even more of a gem, with lots of tidepool real estate for the sea critters and plenty of color, along with a secret arch. It is, in fact, one of the arches that gave the place its name. The other two crumbled somewhere after the '40s leaving just this one. Quirky History: How Cannon Beach / Arch Cape Named

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Then, if you're really lucky and conditions are calm, you've got plenty of roaming room to head south and the secret beach of Cape Falcon about a quarter mile down. A lot of times you don't have that room – and well, and you can't even get to the arch. Arch Cape Map

When winter comes and storms have ravaged it enough, sand levels drop and may reveal ghost forests, the 4,000-year-old variety. [Arch Cape Ghost Forests] These are particularly eerie out of the bunch along the Oregon coast. It can be home to other oddball wonders, too.

Towards Cape Falcon

Just offshore is Castle Rock, sometimes known as Queen Vic by locals, a shape that's a bit iconic as well.

Insider tip: if there is glowing sand happening during the summer, this is an incredible spot to catch it because it is virtually pitch black. It's also awesome for astrophotagraphy.

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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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