Southern Oregon & Northern California Coast: Two Day Budget Itinerary

One of my favorite trips of the year was our short visit to the Southern Oregon and Northern California coast. In about a day and a half, and on a pretty small budget, we:

• Explored some of the most beautiful spots along the southern Oregon coast
• Found lots of sea creatures at the tide pools in Brookings
• Picnicked next to the ocean
• Observed a colony of sea lions 
• Walked the beach at sunset, rockhounding and hunting for sand dollars 

We visited the Brookings Oregon/Crescent City California area as part of a larger trip to Oregon. This post outlines how we spent our time on the Oregon/California coast. All of the activities (other than eating) were free, and we found budget lodging options in both Brookings and Crescent City, making this two day trip affordable and memorable.

Southern Oregon Coast Road trip : Before you Go

One of my favorite things to do when we visit the Pacific coast is to explore tide pools. Low tide, which changes from day to day, is the best time to visit tide pools since more marine life will be exposed and visible rather than underwater. For this reason, I usually plan our entire itinerary around tide-pooling, after consulting the tide calendar.

Tide Table Oregon Coast

To see the tide predictions for Brookings Oregon, visit: NOAA Tides and Currents

The most ideal time to go tidepooling is:

• During a minus low tide.
• During the day. Sometimes a minus low tide happens after the sun has already set, which is obviously not an ideal time to visit tide pools.

Search the tide chart for a day with a minus low tide happening during daylight hours. Put it on your itinerary (I usually aim to arrive an hour before low tide) and then plan your other, more flexible activities around that.

Southern Oregon Coast Road trip Map

The map below marks the spots where we ate, slept, and explored on our Southern Oregon/Northern California coast road trip. Click the “view larger map” icon on the top right to see it broken down by day:

Southern Oregon Coast Itinerary Day One: Brookings, Oregon

Southern Oregon Coast Itinerary Day One: Overview

As there are no major airports in this area, you will likely be arriving to Brookings in the middle of the day. We flew into Rogue Valley International Airport in Medford Oregon, which is about a two and a half hour drive from Brookings.

We spent day one (half day) exploring areas along the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, which stretches twelve miles along Highway 101 between Brookings and Gold Beach. We visited Arch Rock and Secret Beach, but if you have a full day, there are plenty of other scenic stops along this corridor, many connected by the walkable Oregon Coast Trail. Check out this map (published by Oregon State Parks) of the area to get ideas for other places to stop along the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor.

Enjoy a delicious dinner at Khun Thai in Brookings, then check in for the night at one of a handful of budget motels across the street (we stayed at Blue Coast Inn).

Secret Beach, Brookings Oregon

This was one of my favorite stops of our Oregon coast road trip, and one I would highly recommend. Just look at that view!!

There are a variety of ways to arrive at Secret Beach, but what we did is the quickest. Use the map above to get directions from your location to the Secret Beach trailhead. There weren’t any signs marking it on the highway, and we drove right passed it and had to turn around. The parking lot is just a small, gravel pull off with room for only a few cars, which was empty when we went in March. There are two paths–a large one on the left, and a smaller one on the right. We took the smaller path on the right:

The hike to Secret Beach is fairly short (maybe 1/4 mile) and a bit steep.

It was a bit wet and slippery, but I loved sitting on the edge of this sea stack and watching the waves crash onto the shore:

If you arrive during low tide you can do some rock scrambling to get to the south side of the beach. You’ll likely have to cross over a bit of water that runs from the waterfall into the ocean.

Arch Rock State Park

This was a fairly short stop along the Samuel Boardman Scenic Corridor, just a few minutes (drive) north of Secret Beach.

There’s a decent sized-parking lot, and a (mostly) paved path through the trees that makes a loop. It’s a short, super easy walk that has an area overlooking sea stacks, including Arch Rock.

Oregon & California Coast Itinerary Day TWO: Brookings + Crescent City

Oregon Coast Itinerary Day Two: Overview

This day is split between southern Oregon and northern California. Grab breakfast at Mattie’s Pancake House before heading out to explore the tide pools at Harris Beach State Park (be sure to check the tide charts and adjust your schedule so that you arrive about an hour before low tide).

Afterwards, head to Subway in Brookings to pick up sandwiches for a picnic lunch (or head to Fred Meyer to pick up groceries for your picnic). Enjoy your picnic lunch at Cape Ferrelo Viewpoint, then hike around the area and watch the waves crash into the sea stacks.

As you leave Brookings, pick up some blizzards at Dairy Queen to enjoy on your drive south to Crescent City California (about 35 minutes). Once in Crescent City, head to the harbor to watch the sea lions, then grab dinner right next door at Schmidt’s House of Jambalaya.

If you’re staying at Crescent Beach Motel for the night, walk out your door onto Crescent Beach and enjoy a peaceful sunset beach walk.

Harris Beach State Park : Tide Pool Exploring

I always feel a little bit of pressure when picking a spot to go tide-pooling. Low tide doesn’t wait for you if the beach you chose ends up being a dud, and there’s not always time to drive somewhere else. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but Harris Beach State Park did not disappoint!

We arrived about an hour before low tide (−0.34 ft) and spotted so many beautiful sea creatures at Harris Beach State Park: giant green anemone, a variety of starfish (lots of ochre stars, leather star, bat star, and a teeny tiny blood star), acorn barnacle, purple sea urchins, gooseneck barnacle, snails and crabs!

We walked out pretty far to one of the taller sea stacks.

Cape Ferrelo Viewpoint : Hike and Picnic

After exploring the tide pools at Harris Beach State Park we picked up some groceries (raspberries!) and sandwiches for a picnic next to the ocean.

Cape Ferrelo is another amazing spot along the Samuel Boardman Scenic Corridor. There’s a looped path that takes you from the parking lot to the ocean. It’s a bit longer than the one at Arch Rock State Park, and with less trees, I thought the views of the coast were better. There’s a bench along the path where you can enjoy your lunch.

Jim and I went off trail and got closer to the water, where we watched the powerful waves crash into the rocks. I thought I was in shape, but walking back up that hill was a doozy. 🙂

CRescent City Harbor : Sea Lions

We left Brookings and headed south to Crescent City Califonia where we finished the day. There were so many sea lions (most of them napping) at Crescent City Harbor:

CRescent Beach California : SAnd Dollars and Rockhounding

We stayed at Crescent Beach Motel, which is right on the ocean. After dinner we stepped out our motel door onto the beach and enjoyed a nice sunset walk.

I had read online that Crescent Beach is a good place to find sand dollars, and we definitely found a few. As we were looking for sand dollars, I noticed there were TONS of rocks, and so many different kinds. Eventually I stopped looking for sand dollars, and started looking for the most interesting rocks.

I ended up saving a few and bringing them home. Here’s what they looked like after a few passes in my rock tumbler:

Southern Oregon Coast Roadtrip : If you have More Time

The two days we spent on the Oregon/California coast was part of a larger trip to Oregon. There’s plenty more to do and see within a couple of hours of Brookings and Crescent City if you have more time. A few activities you may want to consider doing before or after this two-day Oregon coast roadtrip:

• Visit Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in Crescent City
• Tour the caves at Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve
• Attend the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland Oregon
• Visit Crater Lake National Park