Travel

Sunset Bay to Cape Arago

There is a stretch of road that is about 5 miles long outside of Coos Bay, Oregon that is so loaded with natural wonders that a person could spend days exploring and never be able to take it all in. We've done it several times and I can still, honestly, say there's more I want to see and do. It's right off the main road (Hwy 101) so if you don't know it's there, it's really easy to miss too. So how did we find it? We found it when our kids were really, really little and we rented a yurt to camp in at Sunset Bay State Park. We wanted to go camping down the coastline but we decided yurts were the way to go so we stayed at a couple of different state parks and this just happened to be our last stop (and favorite) on that initial trip. There have been additional trips since then.

So how do you find it? Take Hwy 101 into Coos Bay and there should be a turn off for "Charleston" and the "Cape Arago Highway" that will take you west. Get on that road and you're there. As you weave out of Coos Bay, you'll come to a real honest-to-goodness drawbridge that's still in use. Travel Tip: If you are traveling with little ones, stop and use the restroom first because it's almost certain about the time you have to stop for the bridge to let a boat pass you'll hear "I have to potty" from the backseat. Sometimes it takes awhile to get the boats through so you may be stopped for longer than you want to be. Both Dairy Queen and Fisherman's Grotto are good places to stop just before the bridge. (Lesson learned!)

Charleston Oregon is not the tourist destination many cities on the coast are. It's an actual working fishing village with a very busy marina. There are some good places to grab a bite to eat, find an inexpensive hotel room, charter a fishing trip or whale watching tour or just explore the docks. One thing that's been added since our last visit that I am super excited to be able to go see is the Charleston Marine Life Center (it's owned & operated by the University of Oregon). It is currently closed to the public because of Covid, but I am very much looking forward to a visit when it reopens.

As you leave Charleston, stay on the highway. Seven Devil Road will take you on a beautiful scenic drive that will eventually take you back to Hwy 101, but you'll miss all the "good stuff".

Next take a stop at Bastendorff Beach to stretch your legs, watch the ships going in & out of Coos Head, look for agates, build sand castles or just explore. It's a beautiful beach with restrooms (again - traveling with kids this is important information!) and a campground. It's not overrun with tourists - none of this area is - so you get the more laid-back, easy-going, less-hurried beach experience a lot of people miss on more populated beaches. Plus it's gorgeous!

Just beyond Bastendorff Beach you'll find Yoakam Point State Park (this is more of the sweeping-cliff-view type of beach) and Lighthouse Beach. You'll want to stop at Lighthouse Beach for certain because this is as close as you're going to get to Cape Arago Lighthouse. The lighthouse sits on Chiefs Island and is now owned by the Coos Indian Tribe and is not open to the public. This lighthouse has a really incredible history that's worth your time to research and is, in fact, the only privately owned lighthouse on the coast.

Next stop is our favorite Oregon Coast Beach - Sunset Beach. It's super easy to get to and it's accessible for anyone of any physical abilities. It's secluded and not crowded. It's surrounded by the forest to the East and towering cliffs to the North and South which does something incredible to the water: it makes it very, very shallow for a long ways out and warm. The Pacific Ocean off of the Oregon Coast is cold. Bitter, freezing cold. Not here though. This is the perfect beach for kids to explore and parents don't have the fear of the sneaker waves or giant drop offs here. (Obviously as you get closer to western edge of the bay that's a different story.) The beach is massive and perfect for a picnic or sandcastles and each end is loaded with easy to get to tidepools. Tidepooling can be really tricky and dangerous (especially with little ones) but these tidepools are the kind even the littlest of kid can enjoy. We've enjoyed trips where we've been able to sit there and watch lots of paddle-boarders, kayakers and surfers in the shallows. It's such a unique beach for Oregon to have!

Once you drag yourself away from Sunset Bay (it's hard to leave this one) around a curve on the East side of the highway you'll find Sunset Bay State Park. Here you'll find RV, Tent & Group Camp Sites as well as Yurts. Yurts are basically a round tent on a floor with sides constructed of canvas over woven lattice. The Yurts have electricity, a small heating unit, a futon, a table and bunk beds. Outdoors there is a picnic table, a fire pit and they're located right next to the showers & bathrooms. Translation? My kind of roughing it! Throughout the park are numerous hiking and biking trails for your exploration too. One of the things I love the most that you aren't going to find in their official travel info is lying there at night trying to sleep, listening to the barking seals and sea lions. You are so close to them that you can hear them all the time. You'd think it would get annoying, but it doesn't. There's something so beautiful in their song.

Next stop on this road is literally a stop on the side of the road. Just past Norton Gulch (where you can begin the 1/2 mile Cliff Walk to Shore Acres if you're crazy or more adventurous than me) there will be a turnout for Cape Arago Lighthouse Overlook. This is a breath-taking view of the coast below you and if you happen to be there during a storm one of the best places to safely watch the massive waves. Don't drive past the overlook - you'll regret it.

Shore Acres State Park was once the home of timber baron Louis Simpson. In 1907 he began construction on a mansion on the bluff as a gift for his wife, Cassandra. To surround this stunning home, he imported exotic plants and flowers from all over the world. His beloved wife passed away in 1921 after an extended illness and a short 3 months later the mansion caught fire and burned to the ground. The original gardener's cottage is the only remaining building on site. He would eventually rebuild and make this his home with his second wife Lela. After the Great Depression, Simpson struggled financially and would end up selling his estate to the state of Oregon. Some accounts say he sold it, some say he gifted it for release of debts, some say it was foreclosed on - either way, his beautiful cliff top estate became the property of Oregon State.

Why would you want to visit Shore Acres? You will never find another place quite like it anywhere else in the world. The view is unparalleled, but the plants and flowers...oh man! Depending on what time of year you go, depends on what type of flowers you're going to see. Spring Bulbs of Daffodils & Tulips; Mother's Day is all about Rhododendrons & Azaleas; June is Father's Day and Roses; Late Summer Dahlias and thousands of plants that bloom across the seasons. Thanksgiving through New Year's finds the garden glowing with over 300,000 LED Christmas Lights. With a backdrop of a thick old-growth forest on one side and the ocean on the other - can you imagine anything more beautiful?

Our next stop finds us at the Simpson Reef Overlook. Simpson Reef is one of the best places anywhere on the coast to observe sea life. Harbor Seals & Northern Elephant Seals use the area as a breeding ground (in fact part of the beach below is off limits during "pupping season" to protect the pups). It's a major migratory area for both Stellar & California Sea Lions as well as Loons. In the Spring & Fall there are 1000s of Puffins, Seals and Sea Lions on this cluster of Sandstone (and probably a bazillion other birds). Another very cool thing about Simpson Reef? It's also a great place to watch Gray Whales, Killer Whales & Blue Whales in their migrations. Take binoculars! Please note: Shell Island is about a quarter-mile offshore and because it's part of Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, you will not be able to access it.

Can you believe this is only about 5 miles? There's so much to see and do! At the end of the road, where it makes a u-turn you'll find yourself at Cape Arago State Park. There are numerous hiking trails leading out of this park - some into the woods, some along the cliffs and some down to the beaches below. There's also places to just sit and take it all in. Something for everyone. My favorite hike is the one that takes you down to the beach. As I mentioned before, there will be times when part of the beach isn't accessible for the protection of the seal pups. You can see the little cuties out on the beach, in the water and on the rocks from where the trail ends but please don't cross the barricades. It's tempting. It really is, but it's for your protection and theirs. There really is something magical though in seeing them in the wild like that. Worth the hike down and back up!

This part of the coast is so different than the areas geared towards tourism. If you've never ventured beyond the tourist traps, you're missing out on an entirely different experience. Sometimes the road less traveled is the one that's most desirable. Happy exploring!

Clickable Souvenirs