Harris Beach State Park

My husband called the western edge of Curry county “Oregon’s jagged coastline.” I doubt he even remembers doing so, but I thought the phrase so apropos I jotted it down. The day use area of Harris Beach State Park is one of many lovely locations near Brookings to witness this craggy display. If you’re anywhere in the vicinity, it’s worth a stop. Right off Highway 101, you can spend an hour or a day enjoying the views, strolling the beach, and perhaps snapping some photos so you can take a piece of the beauty home with you.

Ocean view

150 Steps

The first leg of a long ramp to the beach arrives at a landing which hosts a picnic table overlooking the sea. Look north to see Goat Island Bird Refuge, the largest rock in the vicinity. South shows you a stretch of beach terminating at a V of towering rocks.

Beach

200+ Steps

If the sight of sand and surf whets your appetite to reach the beach, a ramp gradually descends 25 or so vertical feet to the shore. Tread about 100 steps to rest at a bench on the landing. At that point you are only one quarter of the way, with no seating options as you head down three legs of sloped switchbacks.   Enjoy the stroll, but be sure to save some strength for the climb back to your car.

If you prefer closer beach access, try Lone Ranch Beach, just a few miles north in the Samuel Boardman State Scenic Corridor. The path is not as smooth or wide, but it’s nearly half the distance.

Northwest view

25 Steps

You can drive or walk, but either way you should take a gander at the view up the coast. Strewn with logs, dotted with boulders, frothy sea ebbing and flowing amongst it all, it exemplifies southern Oregon’s rocky shoreline.   Goat Island can be viewed from another angle here as well.

A path leads to the beach on this side, but it is steeper than the access ramp and composed of cracked irregular asphalt degrading to gravel.