Surreal to Serene Oregon Coast Accesses at Yachats' Northern, Outer Edges

Published 04/24/25 at 5:55 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Yachats, Oregon) - The outer edges of Yachats are a sizable list of little wonders compacted into a small area. And it's something not a lot of people know about. It doesn't help that a chunk of it is inaccessible except by a bit of a hike on the beach. (Above: Oregon St. access - all photos Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

But that just adds to the glorious mysteries and discoveries.

There's a point on this part of the central Oregon coast where it feels like Yachats and then it doesn't. Technically, in the geographic sense, Yachats doesn't begin until about where North Ocean Wayside Lane and Smelt Sand State Recreation Site are. That's where the northern city limits are. Yet just immediately south of Tillicum Beach and its campground, the landscape changes a bit. Beyond all the foliage along the highway – where you can't see – the beach has gotten shorter than the layout that typifies Waldport and spots like Big Stump or Governor Patterson Memorial State Recreation Site.

It just starts to feel like Yachats, even though you're about two miles north of it. Little weather-beaten homes pop up, a motel or two, and quickly the road signs indicate streets with the names of states. This is where the fun begins.

Tillicum Beach

If you're hiking this part of the central Oregon coast, you're lucky. It's a nice, even stretch from Waldport's Alsea Bay to the beaches of Yachats. That's right: beaches. Yachats isn't all rocky slabs.

A look at the beach accesses of northern Yachats:

NW Colorado St. There's a bit of an access at the end, but it is largely someone else's neighborhood, so it's essentially not a good idea to park here. It does set you out onto the soft sands beach, however, about a mile before Yachats begins its characteristic basalt and sandstone slabs.

Somewhere around here, this oddball contraption (above) used to exist. It may still be there.

No real accesses exist for awhile south of this.

NW Oregon St. It's near MP 161. This one is even worse for parking – there's pretty much nowhere to leave your rig except in front of somebody’s pad. And that's just awkward. One or two gravel patches exist a bit of a walk away.

However, at the end of this aptly-named road is one of the more interesting beach accesses of the Yachats area. Hidden Access at N. Yachats - streets named after states

You come through a kind of earthen tunnel, almost. In fact, it will remind some of the Tree of Life access on the Washington coast's Olympic National Park, except there's no gigantic root system hanging over you. However, if it's even just a bit wet, it's scary slippery. That yellow sandstone stuff wants to see you fall on your butt.

On the beach, there's a bit of a cove, where the cliffs curve inward and let you hide from the wind. Another couple of smaller ones lurk to the south, and it's a bit like stumbling across a new part of the island on LOST. Or it makes you think of pirate's treasure.

That's all, she wrote – well at least for almost a mile. So if you're up for some beach adventures this is not a bad spot to hike. Along Highway 101, you come into the San Marine neighborhood - which literally has no beach accesses.

You may notice some maps refer to it as San Marine State Park. It is, in fact, owned by the State of Oregon as a preserve, but it is not a state park by any means (according to Oregon State Parks).

Access Near Brubaker St. Close to MP 162 – just kitty-corner from Brubaker St., there’s a patch of gravel on the west side of 101 and a wee trail heading down to the beach. It's even more like wandering into a natural tunnel at times.

Here, you’ll also find some large, colorful boulders and a little hidden cove in the cliffs.

About a quarter mile before Yachats proper begins – and you cannot see this from the road – the sandy stretches turn into the giant rocky forms that the town is known for. Rocky Gateway - Where Yachats Changes

Spencer Street. This is the closest access to where Yachats shifts from sand to blobs. It is where the 804 Trail begins (or ends, depending on how you think of it). The rocky stretch begins about a third of a mile from Smelt Sands, which is where most people hook up with the 804.

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