If you live in Oregon or plan on visiting, there are some absolutely stunning beaches to visit other than the usual Cannon Beach, Seaside, etc.
The further South you drive along Highway 101, the more beauty you will discover from rocky cliff edges to lighthouses and more.
For our anniversary two years ago, we drove along Hwy 101 from one end of Oregon to the California border and that is how we discovered many of these gorgeous spots.
Whether you are planning a romantic road trip for two or a trip with friends or family, driving the Hwy 101 coastline is something you should add to your bucket list.
I am convinced you will be pleasantly surprised, as we were!
Here are 4 beaches that are a must visit when in Oregon:
Hug Point, Arch Cape
Here you will see waterfalls, caves, forest hiking trails and beautiful landscapes.
The shore is lined with sandstone cliffs that almost look gold.
If you walk north along the path, you will come across some little waterfalls and if you continue beyond there, you will find some nice tide pools to swim in if it’s warm enough.
If you visit at low tide, you can walk the original path that hugs the cliff, but just be sure you don’t get stuck when the tide comes in! The path gets covered at high tide and you could get stranded.
This is probably not the most kid friendly place but is a must visit when at the Oregon coast.
Gleneden Beach
This is where we spent our time last weekend and it is one of our favorite beaches for a few different reasons.
First, Gleneden Beach area is kind of in a bay so it’s always warmer, less cloudy, and less windy. This means you can actually spend an entire day on the beach without getting blown away.
Gleneden Beach for the most part, is pretty private so it’s never really crowded. We love coming here and spending time on the beach with the kids.
The Salishan Resort & Spa is located here and we love staying there once a year. They have access to the beautiful private beach that is so clean and the sand is so nice and soft.
If you are a golfer, you can enjoy their gorgeous golf course and they have a pretty great Spa as well!
I also love that Gleneden is close to Lincoln city so you can drive about 15 minutes North into town for dinner, to walk around, and do a little shopping at the Outlet Mall.
About 20 minutes south of Gleneden beach you can visit Depot Bay to do some Whale watching or go down another 10 minutes south to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse at Cobble Beach:
This stretch of beach along 101 is so beautiful and there is so much to see from Gleneden all the way up south!
I feel like Gleneden is a great place to stay, right in the middle of it all!
Yachats
The first time I visited the Yachats area I instantly fell in love with it. The little town is so quaint and it’s not like many of the other Oregon beach towns.
The architecture and homes are amazing and all have a very Hamptons/Cape Cod feel.
While driving through you can see the ocean and cliff sides and they are breathtaking.
Cape Perpetua Scenic Area is in Yachats and it is the highest point of the Oregon Coast. Worth a visit for the amazing views.
Downtown Yachats has a lot of cute little coffee shops, places to eat, and little antique shops.
I would say Yachats is a romantic little beach town that is perfect for a romantic weekend getaway!
Yachats is very picturesque!
“Secret Beach”- Brookings, OR
Nestled along the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor, there is a trail that takes you to “Secret Beach.”
It can be easy to pass if you don’t pay attention.
It can be found under the northern-most end of the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic corridor where the Oregon Coast Trail squeezes between the road and a popular overlook to Thunder Rock Cove.
You have to hike down a 3/4 mile trail path to get to this beach but it has been said to be one of the most beautiful beach spots in Oregon.
With blue waters and tall rock formations, it’s the perfect place to get away from it all. It is recommended that you visit during low tide.
From this spot, you get views of the Pacific coast with large rocks in the water, mountains behind you, trails to explore and lots of nature to take in.
Here are some photos of our beach trip this past weekend!
The weather was just perfect in Gleneden Beach on Saturday and Sunday.
It was sunny, no wind and 80 degrees! We were able to get in our swimsuits and lay out and not freeze!
On Sunday we drove up south to Depot Bay and the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. It was windy up at the lighthouse and a little cooler but such a beautiful view!
We visit this lighthouse each time we come to this area and I never get tired of the view.
We ended the day with Ice Cream and a little shopping at the Lincoln City Outlet Mall on our way home. They have a great Nike Outlet and you can find some pretty good deals there.
They also just put in a Stumptown Coffee which was a nice surprise!
For the drive home, we cut through Oregon Wine Country (Dundee, OR) because we love the rolling hills that are full of vineyards.
Oregon is so beautiful, you just have to get out there and explore!
What are some of your favorite places to visit in Oregon? Please leave them in the comments below!
