S. Oregon Coast's Lighthouse Beach Access Deal Officially Finalized After 5-Year-Battle

Published 10/11/2026 at 7:55 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Coos Bay, Oregon) – A rather public fight for beach access - in a state renowned for going tooth and nail over just that – is finally at an end this past week. Lighthouse Beach near Charleston, on the southern Oregon coast, is once again clear for beachgoers to enter unfettered. (Photo Surfrider Foundation)

The deal was inked officially on October 7 when Coos County Courthouse recorded it, ending about five years of negotiations and court struggles. The Oregon chapter of Surfrider Foundation spearheaded that effort, announcing proudly on social that day “We did it!”

It's now owned by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), but care of the trail goes to Coos County and a conglomeration of locals. A new trail has been built, after the long-standing one was somewhat dismantled (the O'Learly family owners constructed the new one with their own dollars). Maintenance costs and labor from here on out are in the care of those groups.

At this pocket beach overlooking Cape Arago's Chief's Island and the lighthouse, there have always been two accesses down the cliff. The southernmost one was used for decades: indeed, for generations. The organization says Lighthouse Beach has long served the community for surfing, fishing, walking, family gatherings, picnics, and stewardship.

CoastWatch photo

It turned out, the access ran through private property, but that had never been an issue. Public use was abruptly cut off in March 2021, when barbed wire was strung across the trail and a gate was installed. Steps built by community members decades earlier were later removed, and brush was piled into the path, making it impassable.

Local organizations tried discussing the matter with the O'Leary family, but that quickly went nowhere.

At least a couple of lawsuits were filed. A very public campaign of “Free Lighthouse Beach” became a part of local lawn signs and t-shirts.

Surfrider Foundation - on behalf of its Coos Bay Chapter - sued the landowner under a claim of prescriptive easement, arguing the public has established a right to use a footpath at the southwest end of Lighthouse Way through decades of continuous use. The defendants, the Jay O’Leary Living Trust and Jay O’Leary, Trustee, had counter-sued for trespass, originally $9,500 in damages. The case went to trial in 2023 in Coos County Circuit Court.

By 2025, the path was reopened.

Now, it's completely over, said Carmen Matthews – owner of 7 Devils Brewery Co. in Bandon, a Coos Bay Chapter member and a leader of the Chapter’s Ocean Friendly Gardens and Ocean Friendly Restaurants programs. Matthews grew up around the trail to Lighthouse Beach and led quite a bit of this fight.

Charlie Plybon, Senior Oregon Policy Manager for Surfrider Foundation, told Oregon Coast Beach connection there were different signings stretched over a few months. This included the State of Oregon accepting the deed transfer in August, the establishment of the easement in September, and now the final one where the County officially recorded the deed transfer.

Photo Manuela Durson - Manuela Durson Fine Arts

“This was a marathon effort with many hands working tirelessly on this over the last half decade,” Plybon said. “It was a massive grassroots mobilization from the Coos Bay community and one of the longest and strongest local campaigns I've ever worked on at Surfrider. The core group of folks that worked on this demonstrated constant and endless dedication for Oregon's public beaches and will leave a beautiful legacy for future generations.”

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