Camping at Harris Beach and Exploring the Scenic Southern Oregon Coast
Harris Beach State Park is a great base for camping and exploring the dramatic scenery of the southern Oregon coastline.
On this three-night camping trip, my husband and I met our friends from San Francisco at Harris Beach State Park, which is close to the halfway point along the coast between Portland and San Francisco. Our priorities for this trip were to relax and have fun together while spending time exploring the beautiful southern Oregon Coast.
Day 1
We both had larger tents, so it was a bit of a squeeze to fit them into the campsite, but we made it work. This meant that we couldn’t use the screened canopy that I brought to put over the picnic table, but there were no bugs during our time there, so it didn’t matter.
This was my second time using a new tent from Altara. It’s a four-person tent with plenty of room to stand up inside and doors on every side of the tent. I love that you can open it up for views and ventilation. It’s also the perfect size for two cots and a small table between them. See my full review of this tent to learn more.
From the campground, trails lead to Harris Beach. After dinner at camp, we walked there for sunset. Everyone liked the views. : )
Day 2
The next day, we explored some of my favorite spots in the Samuel Boardman State Scenic Corridor. This worked better for us than trying to see the entire area, which I’d done on previous trips with my husband while working on a hiking book about Oregon’s Seven Wonders.
Our first stop was the Arch Rock viewpoint. Although the sea stack with the arch is what this spot is named for, I think the views of the coastline to the south are the best feature here. There is a short paved loop trail that takes you to a viewpoint for the arch rock.
Our next stop was my favorite, Thunder Rock Cove. This one requires a short hike on a trail with a bit more ups and downs than the previous stop, but we planned to spend some time once we reached the end of the trail, so it was worth it.
Views to the north are stunning, with rocky headlands leading to the ocean. Secret Beach is located just around a few of these, but we didn’t go there on this trip.
Views to the south are also incredible, plus there are two large sea stacks directly to the west. I love the sea stacks that have conifers growing on them.
We also made an obligatory stop to see Natural Bridges. This pullout is very well known and can be difficult to find parking at. The walk to the viewpoint here is short. It’s not unusual to see people who have gone farther and hiked out onto the Natural Bridges, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. Several people have died attempting to walk across the narrow spines of these rocks. I’d recommend a guided kayaking tour through this area instead.
After another dinner at camp, we walked to the beach for sunset views.
Day 3
On one of our camping trips at Harris Beach, my husband and I lucked out when there were minus tides that made exploring the beach an incredible experience. I saw that there were minus tides predicted on this trip, so on the third day of our trip, we got up early to make sure we’d be on the beach with plenty of time to explore at low tide. Parts of this beach are only accessible at low tide — the lower the better.
Wow. I will never get tired of views like this.
For our last night, we had a campfire and roasted hot dogs and then had s’mores — classic camping fare. And of course, we couldn’t miss the last sunset so we took a short trail to views from above the beach.
Another great group trip in the books! We’re already talking about doing a trip to Vancouver Island next year. Crossing my fingers that it works out!