This Secretive Oregon Beach Is Worth The Trek
By Hillary Louise Johnson
VACATIONS
The Oregon Coast's 12-mile Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor features Secret Beach, an unmarked cove that fully reveals its rugged charms only at low tide.
Though the beach feels like the wildest wilderness, you're only a short ways away from your car and just 15 minutes from a short stack at Mattie's Pancake House in Brookings.
The wind and waves have carved the coast into a thing of rare beauty. An Oregon beach day is about wading through tide pools, digging for clams, or building forts from driftwood.
While the weather in Oregon can be unpredictable, this stretch of coast is known as the Banana Belt for its 191 sunny days per year. Still, be prepared for wind, rain, and fog.
The easiest way to approach Secret Beach is to park on the small, unmarked gravel pad off Highway 101, just south of mile marker 345, and take the trail to your right.
A more scenic way to get there is to park at the trailhead for Arch Rock and take a 2.3-mile hike that passes through a fairyland forest with waterfalls on your way to the beach.