I'll never forget this trip and look forward to dipping my toes in the sand in warmer temperatures…read more It's not too crowded and you'll want to kick your shoes off as soon as you see the soft white sand. We couldn't resist climbing the top of the giant steep sand dune, and I'm glad we made it! Stunning views of the ocean from the top, and it's fun to people watch too. Our dog made it too. Some ran back down, others skipped, some used sleds. It's fun either way! You'll be able to rinse your gear as you head to the parking lot. There's clean bathrooms and plenty of parking. Hungry? There's restaurants near too.

What a great little getaway! Did I think it was secluded? No. Did I expect it to be busy? No,…read morebut it was. We first checked out this place on a lovely Juneteenth Friday afternoon. The temperature was in the low 80s, but the cool ocean breeze made everything just right. It had been raining all week prior, so we thought we'd explore and give our little mutt, Tha 'il Nana, some much needed sun. So, here's a few things about Cape Kiwanda: First off, there's a public parking lot at the beach where Pelican Brewing is located that requires a Daily Fee of $10. Just remember to place the parking pass on your dashboard. The lot probably holds about 125-150 spaces, so we had no issue finding a spot. People coming and going as well. Second, expect high winds and sand blowing down the dune and along the beach. And expect those high windy days to kick up the sand along the beach. It's also pretty scenic so bring a camera or make sure your phone is fully charged. Speaking of dune, there were plenty of folks challenging themselves running up it. And usually folks would end up heading towards the tidepools. There's definitely a lot of interesting things to see from crabs, to green anemones, to fancy sandstone rocks, and starfish. Oh yeah, and speaking of high winds, there were plenty of folks flying kites too. Third, the beach is a long and wide straightaway stretch, so everyone has plenty of room to run and play in the cold water. Great for dogs to play fetch and intermingle with other dogs. Our mutt was all over the place and I could tell she was having fun. She simply loved it! As far as the sand in general, it looks fine and bright. Not as white as the beaches in Cancun, but definitely cleaner than the ones in Cali. Bring a towel or two and enjoy the sun. Hell, some folks even had a whole tent set up. Fourth, some fellow yelpers mentioned there are no public restrooms, but there actually is one public restroom way up in the corner of the parking lot. Maybe because of covid they were closed, I don't know. But from relaxing on the beach, I can see how long of a walk it would be just to wanna relieve yourself. In closing, we accomplished our goal of making our old dog happy, and getting away from the inland heat. I truly enjoyed it here and plan to return someday. One final note; I was told from a local, "pretty much from here to Astoria (north) the beaches will be packed, but south of here will be a bit more secluded". Gotta love the Oregon coast! Enjoy!

Perfect place to get out and stretch your legs. Clean restrooms with flush toilets available off…read morethe parking lot. Great beach access and not as busy as the beach access in Cape Kiwanda. When we were there we only saw one family when we arrived and two families as we were leaving. Makes for a lot of room to let your dog run on the beach without bothering anyone. A family was flying a kite while we were there too...made us wish we would have bought one. It was the perfect weather for it!

Shame on the peeps who come to Saver this wonderful place, and burn their plastic, beer cans,…read morebroken bottles, socks, forks, ketchup, mayo, diapers, dog poo bags, water bottles, & condoms! wTHeck!!! And when I picked it ALL up, the camp host said: don't put it here, your littering! You have got to be kidding me!? He should have said," thank you, I should have been here before High tide!" This camp host is rude, and not from Oregon. This is my fav place. But now with him hosting , I feel a bit concerned? I will always be looking over my shoulder : ( Texas plate NSH 4723

We stopped here on the way to go to a trail by Devil's Lake. The area, which was across the lake,…read morewas on fire so we stayed on the side of the lake and enjoyed the ducks. There is a nice playground for kids and in the ramada, some information about the ducks you can see on the lake. Some of the ducks were close to shore so we were able to see them up close. It was a nice spot to stop and with good information.

This place is giant!! Huge castle like wooden structure with tire swings, things to climb, etc…read more There is also an area up the hill with more modern play structures to spin on and swings. This playground will keep your kids busy for a while! The is a smaller parking lot that might get filled on warm summer days. Bathrooms are available in the parking lot.

One of our family favorites. We like all the options for camping. It's clean. Kid friendly and the…read moreocean is close enough that even the little ones can make the journey. I found it gets the zoomies out of them and that makes for a quiet night, most times. Sometimes you have a small group of littles and they somehow are fueled by the laughter of other kids and seem to possess unlimited energy. We camp closest to the beach. There is no shade there. We bring our own but at night, the stars are like street lights. It's beautiful. The moon at times feels like you could grab it. The ocean will put you to sleep like a Dr.s prescription. It's amazing. All the bathrooms get used a lot because of the amount of people who stay here but they are constantly being cleaned. The showers are a little strange to me but good. Don't try to park an extra vehicle on your spot even if only unloading. The parking is terrible BUT way down the road, on the "Day Use Area" is plenty of parking. Ya, we all hate parking in the D.U.A. They hold cultural events in the D.U.A. We've seen some awesome Native American dancers. They looked super cool. The beach access is at either end of the dune. The beach is clean and the waves aren't that vicious. The shore is nice and shallow. Low tide brings a whole different look to the area with smooth rock surfaces and cobblestones. Of course the ocean is always awesome.

Truly a treasure, whether you are visiting for the day or to camp. Plenty of paid parking upon…read morearrival. There were park workers cleaning up the landscaping while we were there, as well as some volunteers. Almost completely direct access from the parking lot to the beach. There are many access points, restrooms onsite, and trails to walk. The beach itself is pretty spacious and so while there may be a lot of people, they aren't too close together. Many folks were using the bbq's to grill with charcoal and so it smelled additionally fantastic.

Great swimming . Small natural rock slide . Hike downriver for more choices to swim . Some more…read moresecluded. Lots of crawdads and colorful locals (nice loggers cooling off after work) BEAUTIFUL RIVER . Five miles outside Willamina . Be sure and take a look at a piece of history on the way . Historic red schoolhouse 2.5 miles outside Willamina .Been preserved nicely.

This was a terrific surprise to find such a thing just next to a fence…read more A huge stone bowl with a path to the sea the ocean passes in and out. You can see the bottom from the fence. Amazing ...

Great Beach with an amazing Ocean Punchbowl . It's the cutest spot. They even have a café right…read morenext to the Punchbowl. We didn't make it down to walk inside of the punch bowl, but it's definitely on the things to do list. You need to get there early enough for the low tides to be able to walk inside of the punch bowl.

The slide is gone and the park is currently pretty run down. Very unfortunate because once in its…read moreprime we all had a great time as a family here

If you are going for the slide only, save yourself the time, it's been removed. Still an average…read morepark though, but wish the slide was still there!

This is one of the COOLEST beaches I've ever been to - the centerpiece is a giant, mountainous rock…read morecalled Proposal Rock, there's a flowing tidal river, huge tide pools teeming with life and best of all - a GHOST FOREST! Well, for now anyway. It's mind blowing how much the beach landscape changes in just a year... Every low tide, the remnants of an ancient spruce forest emerge along the beach to the left of Proposal Rock. These historic tree stumps are over 2000 years old. My first visit was in early June 2022 and there were so many stumps - many of which were well over my head and I'm about 5'3"! But they're almost gone now - I visited again July 2023 and most of them are buried by sand now. Apparently this is a cyclical thing along the Oregon coast. These ancient relics were buried completely for many years - only to be unearthed by a series of coastal storms back in the late 90s. So anytime there's a series of coastal storms causing big waves, sand gets washed away and more of the stumps are revealed. It's about 1/2 mile walk to get to the ghost forest from the parking lot. Most of the walk is through deep sand and then you have to cross the tidal river so you're gonna get wet - highly recommend some decent water shoes. Back in June 2022 on my first visit, at low tide, this river was super fast flowing and deep - came up to my knees and calves at the shallow parts. Definitely a little intimidating - I had to do some rock scrambling at the base of Proposal Rock first and then make my way to where the river emptied into the sea where the waves slowed the water down lol. It didn't help that I was recovering from a broken ankle though so it's probably not as bad haha! But this time, in July 2023, the river had shifted, was about 2/3rds smaller, only came up to my ankles and was completely still - not flowing at all. Really crazy how dramatically the amazing natural features of this beach change over short amounts of time. The stumps are absolutely covered in barnacles - goosenecks, acorn barnacles, thatched barnacles - I tried to find the fabled Giant Barnacles but couldn't lol. The tide pools had so many starfish and I even saw an adorable harbor seal swimming up the river as the tide came in searching for fish - and I saw some Bald Eagles around Proposal Rock - just so much to see here! There's a tiny little village area at the trailhead with a great little cafe and a general store with its own little cafe. Plenty of parking in the beach lot if you come early - but it was completely packed by 10am. There are clean bathrooms with changing areas at the parking lot. On the other side of the lot is a wildlife preserve where salmon migrate through seasonally - just so much nature to see here - it's awesome!

The best for lip tattoos, and leaving your eyebrows naturally…read moreI really recommend to everybody

It's best to get the hike in two hours before it's dark. In order to see the bridge and the…read morewaterfall. It's about an 1.5 hour hike . Also, it's a suspension bridge ; that means it sways back-and-forth as you're walking on it.

Quick and easy hike with a suspension bridge and waterfall…read more Definitely recommend if you're in the area!

Bathe yourself in the forest, of springs and creeks and trails and the beach…read more It's an easy walk through old growth forest though there are also trails that involve more effort. Short Sand beach is a favorite spot for surfers. There are restrooms at the parking lot and seasonal restrooms as well.

such a great place to pull over and let the dog/kid blow off…read moresome steam! great trail network, obviously maintained. parking lot is clean, with a trash can and there's also bathrooms. i enjoyed the first hike we did down to sandy short beach so much that the next day i stopped again and walked the old growth trail which was short but stunning! if you're not from the pacific northwest and tou want to see why so many people flock here i. the summer, set aside an hour or two to explore in here. it's so pretty!