Oregon’s Spectacular South Coast

Article and story by Arnold J. Theisen

The entire Oregon coast is renowned for its beauty, but the south coast is nothing short of spectacular, often making it feel like you are in the midst of a life-sized picture postcard.

A good place to start sampling the beauty of this area is Coos Bay. The Cape Arago Highway runs along the western edge of town. A short drive down this road will bring you to beaches, rocky shores, a lighthouse, botanical gardens, fishing, crabbing, and no less than three state parks. All this without ever venturing out on busy Highway 101.

Our headquarters for a week-long visit was Midway RV Park, a small, spotlessly clean park offering full hookups and situated right on the Cape Arago Highway between Coos Bay and Charleston (2439).

As you head south on Cape Arago Highway, one of the first attractions you see is the Charleston Boat Basin. Here you can book a charter to take you out after salmon or bottom fish, or you can try for a Dungeness crab from the public pier. A number of restaurants offer fresh seafood and other fare, including salt-water taffy. We enjoyed excellent deep-fried calamari at the Fisherman’s Grotto.

Farther south on Cape Arago Highway is Sunset Bay State Park, a full-hookup campground with tent sites and yurts. It’s just a short walk from the campground to a beach that is ideal for children. Sunset Bay is in a protected cove sheltered from the big breakers found on an open beach. This is a good place to set up the lawn chairs and let the kids romp in the surf.

You will pass the Cape Arago Lighthouse on the way to Sunset Bay State Park. The lighthouse grounds are closed to the public and it is difficult to get a good look until you go farther down Cape Arago Highway. There is a roadside pullout about a quarter mile past the entrance to Sunset Bay State Park. You can view the lighthouse from here. However, there is another way to see the lighthouse. Climb the bluff overlooking Sunset Bay to the north and you can get a closer look. This is a difficult trail, not well suited for small children.

Shore Acres State Park is a mile south of Sunset Bay State Park. This is a day-use park encompassing a seven-acre botanical garden featuring plants and flowers from around the world, an Oriental-style pond and two rose gardens. Shore Acres was once the private estate of pioneer lumberman and shipbuilder Louis Simpson. His mansion was destroyed by fire in 1921, and the State of Oregon purchased the estate in 1942.

Another day-use park, Cape Arago State Park, adjoins Shore Acres Park to the south. Situated out on a bluff overlooking the ocean, this park offers spectacular views of the coast, both north and south, and an opportunity to see and hear seals and sea lions sunning on Simpson Reef and Shell Island.

For the benefit of hikers the Oregon Coast Trail connects all three state parks.

The Cape Arago Highway ends in a turn-around loop at Cape Arago State Park. To broaden your travels from here you will need to retrace your route and venture out on Highway 101.

Heading north out of Coos Bay will bring you to the Umpqua Lighthouse State Park and campground. The road takes you right to the lighthouse, located in a residential area for U.S. Coast Guard employees. No hiking is necessary to see the lighthouse up close. From the grounds of the lighthouse you can look out over parts of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Numerous signs advertise rentals for all-terrain vehicles or dune buggies for those who would like to drive out on the sand dunes.

Going south from Coos Bay will bring you to the delightful little town of Bandon, locally called “Bandon by the Sea”. This is the perfect place to park the car and just walk around awhile, soaking up the pleasant seaside atmosphere. The historic Old Town district features numerous shops and restaurants, along with a public fishing and crabbing pier. You can get your freshly caught Dungeness crabs cooked while you wait.

Bandon features its very own cheese factory. If you enjoy fresh cheese curd (we call it squeaky cheese in my family because it squeaks on your teeth when you chew it), then this is the place for you. There are dozens of free samples to choose from, and you will no doubt find at least one to your liking.

The town extends upward to bluffs overlooking the ocean. A drive along Beach Loop Road offers one gorgeous scenic view after another.

Just north of Bandon is Bullards Beach State Park, where you can take a tour of the Coquille River Lighthouse.

Farther south near Port Orford brings you to Cape Blanco, westernmost point in Oregon, and home to, yes, another lighthouse. The Cape Blanco Lighthouse is the oldest standing lighthouse on the Oregon coast, commissioned in 1870. The lighthouse was undergoing major renovation when we stopped and thus was not very photogenic, surrounded as it was by scaffolding, and closed to the public. It has now reopened for tours Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Guided tours are available April through October. The cape sits 245 feet above the ocean, and has views that are well worth the stop.

Cape Blanco State Park offers camping, log cabins, and tours of the Historic Hughes House, former home of a pioneering dairy farmer. Built in 1898, the 11-room house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Oregon’s south coast is in one of only two regions of the world where myrtle wood grows. This rare tree is found only in the Holy Land and along the Pacific coast roughly from Coos Bay to San Francisco. The wood is extremely dense and fine grained. These slow growing evergreen hardwoods support a cottage industry of craftsmen in this region. All along the coast here you will see shops and factories specializing in myrtle wood artifacts.

While this is admittedly a brief treatment of Oregon’s south coast, perhaps it will be enough to pique your interest in seeing it for yourself. Bring your camera, plenty of film, comfortable shoes, and prepare yourself for one visual and cultural treat after another.

Arnold J. Theisen is a writer who lives in Irrigon, Oregon. His e-mail address is macjet@eoni.com