CHETCO POINT PARK

CHETCO POINT PARK Do you like unexpected treasures? Would you like them to be stunning? Brookings offers the spectacular gem you will always remember. Chetco Point Park is one of the most beautiful locations in Oregon, on the west coast . . . . in the world! Chetco...
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MT. EMILY BOMBSITE

MT. EMILY BOMB SITE The Southern Oregon, Northern California coast strikes visitors as so beautiful and untouched, they sometimes conclude that the area has somehow escaped history. That conclusion is a real part of the appeal which draws visitors and new residents to...
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HARRIS BEACH STATE PARK

HARRIS BEACH STATE PARK Your first impression of Harris Beach State Park will be a locale with marvelously varied terrain. You can walk the beach and run from the waves. Climb to the top of a large rock for a great view, while resisting the temptation to add your...
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LONE RANCH BEACH

LONE RANCH BEACH Lone Ranch Beach is located 4 and a half miles north of Brookings. Once there, you will take in the collection of sea stack jutting from an ocean whose color changes from hour to hour as the sun, clouds and lighting varies. This part of the Oregon...
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CRISSEY FIELD STATE PARK

CRISSEY FIELD STATE PARK Crissey Field State park offers a sandy ocean beach for a peaceful stroll, a run with your dog, surfing and fishing. The picturesque Winchuck River can be accessed via the nature walking trails or the beach access. Native plants, wetlands,...
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THE PORT OF BROOKINGS HARBOR

THE PORT OF BROOKINGS HARBOR The Port of Brookings Harbor is not just the busiest recreational maritime port on the Oregon coast, generating an average 100 boat departures a day year round. It is more than one of the most active chinook salmon harbors facing on the...
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LOEB PARK

LOEB PARK Just a fifteen minute drive north east of Brookings lies one of the most beautiful areas in Oregon. It runs beside the Chetco River which rises inland and flows fifty leisurely miles down to the Pacific and the Port of Brookings Harbor. The gateway to this...
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SURROUNDING AREA

SURROUNDING AREA ROGUE RIVER One of only eight rivers in the U.S. originally designated by congress as a "National Wild and Scenic River", the Rogue River empties into the Pacific in Gold Beach, Oregon. Her headwaters are none other than those of Crater Lake, from...
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CHETCO RIVER

CHETCO RIVER Adventures include fishing for Salmon and steelhead; camping, exploring, picnicking, hiking and swimming along the crystal clear Chetco River and into the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. Here are a few of the great areas to explore in the unspoiled beauty of the...
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AZALEA PARK

AZALEA PARK Azalea park is a thirty-three acre park containing ancient native azaleas that were growing here when Lewis and Clark wintered on the Oregon Coast in 1805-06. Azalea Park offers active and passive recreational activities. It lies amongst several...
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WHALESHEAD BEACH

Whaleshead Beach is one of the most gorgeous locations along the Oregon Coast. Offshore there is a sea stack that looks like the head of a Whale. The sea stack is cut with a rock channel and when a wave hits it, it spurts a spray that actually looks like a whale spouting, hence the name Whaleshead Beach.

Whaleshead is located about 7 miles north of Brookings. First you will come to the Whaleshead Trail Viewpoint parking area on the ocean side of the road. It is a good place for a photo of the ocean over the salmonberry bushes, but the trail down to the beach is steep here. There’s a safer access about a half mile north at Whaleshead Beach Road.

You have two choices when you turn off Highway 101; you can drive down to the beach, a lovely crescent of sand cut by several creeks or park just off 101 and look for an undeveloped trail head on the right. The beach choice gives you an ocean walk. The trail choice gives you a forest walk. The trail to the top is only a quarter mile, but rises some 250 feet.

Along the shaded trail you will pass a lot of mushrooms and a low rock face that is covered with moss at least five hundred years old. Be careful of a few patches of poison oak growing close to the trail. When you get to the first sunny patch, stop breath deeply and look at the wild roses. A second rest gives you a view of the ocean. Looking south back toward Whaleshead Trail Viewpoint, you can see the beach parking area and an absolutely stunning curve of beach. Continue along the trails to a knoll with an amazing ocean view thick with wild strawberry and huckleberry bushes. You will hear the ocean before you see it. If you thought the world lacked wonders, think again.

If you decide to drive down to the beach, you will find picnic benches and toilet facilities. There is a bridge that crosses Whaleshead Creek just where it meets the beach. The beach is cut by several small ‘wet sneakers’ creeks. A nice feature along the beach is a small cave children will enjoy exploring.

Whether you are a hiker, a camera buff, a kid at heart, a nature lover or an artist you can’t go wrong at Whaleshead Beach.

LONE RANCH BEACH
WINCHUCK RIVER