Harris Beach State Park, Oregon - August 8th to 10th, 2024
Harris Beach State Park was our last stop along the Oregon coast. It turned out to be Ann’s favorite. The park is a wonderful combination of a lovely campground to stay in, sandy beaches to stroll along, a rocky beach for tidal pool viewing, and rock formations out in the ocean for dramatic scenery.
Thursday was a short travel day, from Eel Creek Campground in Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, to Harris Beach State Park near Brookings, Oregon. This was the last stretch of highway 101 along the Oregon coast and we thought it was the most scenic. During this section of highway, there were more views of the ocean with some of them wide open alongside the road. And those views were spectacular, with a lot of rock formations out in the water.
Our first stop was at the Coquille River Lighthouse. The lighthouse operated from 1896 to 1939. But what we found almost more interesting than the lighthouse was the jetty. The ocean was pretty rough while we were there, with waves crashing up against the jetty. A ton of sea gulls and common murre were hanging out on the north side of the jetty. There was a somewhat paved foot path on top of the jetty, so we walked out almost to the end of the jetty. We didn’t go all the way to the end out of fear of getting hit by a big wave. We might have hung out there a little longer, but the wind was extremely strong making us feel really cold, even with jackets on. Somehow the gusty winds and cold seemed like the appropriate atmosphere for the setting.
We finished up our Oregon coast lighthouse visits with the Cape Blanco Lighthouse, which was commissioned in 1870, on Oregon’s western most point. The parking lot is about a quarter of a mile from the lighthouse. It looks like there used to be one closer, but the road was partially washed out. Cape Blanco gives tours of the lighthouse, but we skipped it since we toured the Umpqua Lighthouse a few days earlier. Again, the views up and down the coast were more interesting than the lighthouse. And again, the wind was blustering and cold. We added another layer of clothing and walked over to the lighthouse. It was interesting to see the waves crashing against the rock formations to the north of the cape, while the waters were calmer to the south, being sheltered from the wind by Cape Blanco.
Our next stop was just a few more miles down highway 101, Port Orford Heads State Park. There is a Coast Guard museum there and a few short trails to some views. Again, since we toured the Umpqua coast guard museum at the Oregon Dunes (Oregon Dunes, Oregon - August 4th to 7th, 2024), we skipped the museum and just walked out to a couple of the views. We took the Tower Trail over to a view from the southern point of the cape, then followed Nellies Cove Trail back, stopping to view Nellies Cove along the way. Thankfully, the trails are mostly in the woods, protected from the wind. Plus, we stayed on the south side of the cape, which was less windy than the north.
From there, we enjoyed the views from the highway, only making a couple more quick stops along the way. These stops included Natural Bridges and the Thomas Creek Bridge, the highest bridge in Oregon. The two stops were rather anticlimactic. It was the wrong time of day to view the Natural Bridges, as they were in shadow that late in the day. And you really can’t get a full view of the Thomas Creek Bridge, nor the bottom of the valley, so you really can’t appreciate the 345 feet that the bridge sits above the creek.
Normally, we do our grocery shopping and laundry on our travel days, but we were enjoying the drive. Even though we really needed clean clothes and groceries, Harris Beach State Park lies just outside the town of Brookings. In order to get through another day, we stopped along side the highway and hand washed out a set of clothes so they could dry by morning. Then we drove into Brookings to go out for dinner.
We chose Zola’s by the Water, for some wood-fired pizza. It was pretty tasty and a much better way to spend a relaxing evening than doing laundry and shopping. There are always options.
After we set up camp, Ann walked down to the Rock Beach. There are three beaches in the state park, Harris Beach, Rock Beach, and South Beach. It was close to low tide and Ann wanted to find some tidal pools. She was in luck. Rock Beach was the perfect place. There were starfish, mussels, crab, sea anemones, and tiny little fish.
It was a little foggy when she arrived at the beach, but it gave the rock formations out in the water a mysterious setting. Then the sun came out, lighting up the rocks with the setting sun, giving the scene a magical appearance. Ann thought she was in heaven.
We started off Friday by checking out the tide pools again in the morning, closer to low tide than the evening before. It was a little easier to walk among the rocks this time, since the water was lower and there were more sandy areas between the rocks to step on. We were able to go a little farther out on the rocks and see some slightly larger fish. We think they were the same type as the smaller ones, just perhaps older. They are very well camouflaged against the sandy bottom of the tide pools. You really only see them when they move. We believe they were sculpin.
Since we hadn’t made it to the grocery store yet, we drove into Brookings for lunch. Fely’s Cafe was right next to the laundromat. Perfect! As our clothes were washing, we went next door to order lunch. The place didn’t look like much and they only took cash. Our cash was a little low, so we walked down the street to an ATM at a gas station and came back. We thought about perhaps going somewhere else, but Fely’s was too convenient to pass up.
We’re glad we ate at Fely’s. Keith ordered the grilled ham and cheese while Ann had the cheeseburger. The grilled sandwich had several layers of ham sandwiched between the cheese and sourdough bread. The burger was huge. It must have been close to half a pound of meat. There was a quarter pounder on the menu, but Ann thought that would be larger than the regular burger. It is the other way around. Someone else ordered the quarter pounder, and it was about half the size of the regular burger. The burger came with a thick slice of sweet onion. The onion was grilled perfectly and gave the burger a wonderful flavor. The French fries were pretty tasty as well.
After we finished up our laundry, we decided to walk down to the boardwalk along the river and check out the Pirates of the Pacific Festival. Booths lined both sides of the boardwalk for a couple of blocks. There were all kinds of crafts, wares, and food. Several types of live music were playing. A dance group was putting on a performance and you could get your picture taken with a mermaid. Quite a few people dressed up for the festival. It was a nice, lively atmosphere.
After our stroll, we stopped at Slugs ’N Stones ’N Ice Cream Cones. They serve Umpqua ice cream, the same kind we have found in some of the grocery stores in Oregon and Washington. Their special for the day was huckleberry, so naturally, that is what Ann got. Of course, Keith got his vanilla milkshake.
On the way back to the campground, we stopped at the grocery store and stocked up on food. When dinner time rolled around, neither one of us were very hungry, so we decided not to cook dinner. Instead, we just rounded up what we normally might have for a lunch. Keith had a bowl of granola cereal with milk, while Ann had nachos. She just melted some cheese on top of some tortilla chips in the microwave and topped it with store-bought salsa and guacamole.
After dinner, we walked down to Harris Beach and followed it north to the end of the beach. The skies were overcast, so the scenery was not as magical as the evening before, but it was still beautiful. There are a few private houses up on the bank next to the beach. They were all about the same color, a type of green that blended into the landscape. Perhaps there was a building code that required them to paint the houses that color.
We stayed inside the park all day Saturday. In the morning, Ann went down to Rock Beach again to check out the tide pools at low tide. She saw a couple of fish that were larger than what we saw the previous morning. Otherwise, Ann didn’t discover anything new this time, but still had a great time.
In the afternoon near high tide, we walked down to South Beach. Just as we started our walk, the sun came out. Yay! It had been pretty overcast and cold up to that point, with temperatures barely reaching 60 degrees. We had gotten used to the overcast days and didn’t put any sunscreen on. Being too lazy to go back and put some on, we decided to risk it.
We strolled along South Beach. On one of the rocky islands just offshore, there was a group of harbor seals basking in the sun. Keith could see them pretty well with his binoculars. Ann used the zoom on her Powershot camera to watch the seals. And, of course, take pictures and videos of them.
At the north end of the beach, we tried to reach Rock Beach, but it didn’t look like we could reach it. Perhaps when the tide is lower you can. Keith decided to head back to Red Tail (our Winnebago EKKO), but Ann wanted to take advantage of the sun while it was out. So she headed over to Rock Beach and then over to Harris Beach.
Because it was high tide, all of the rocks at Rock Beach were under water. There would be no tidal pool wandering this time. On Harris Beach, there is a small stream that flows out to the ocean that you have to cross to continue down the beach. Ann didn’t see a good log to walk on to get across, so she sat down and took her shoes and socks off and waded across. As she was crossing, she spotted a sturdy, flat-topped log to cross on. Oh well.
Ann walked to the end of the beach, being careful where she walked. Cutting her foot open on a shell or stepping on a fish hook would not make her day. She has surf shoes, but those were back in Red Tail. Maybe next time she wanders the beach she’ll remember to grab them.
Since the sun was out on this Saturday afternoon, everyone came to the beach. People were flying kites, kicking around soccer balls, building forts out of driftwood, or just lying on the beach. There were even a few dozen people swimming in the ocean, despite the cool temperatures of the air and the ocean.
After dinner, we walked down to Rock Beach one more time. When we reached the beach, a large cloud bank rolled in. And, just like that, the sun was gone.
We didn’t explore the area much outside of Harris Beach State Park as we were content with what the state park had to offer. There was gorgeous scenery, plenty of beaches to roam on, and wildlife both big and small. What more could you ask for?
Check out our related video: Oregon Dunes, Oregon
(Ann)