SHORT BEACH
Located just south of Cape Meares, Short Beach is a secluded, 1,000-yard stretch of cobbled coastline. From the parking area, you’ll descend down 120 box steps (crafted by TKO volunteers in 2025!) that meander through a grove of shore pines and spruce trees. When you reach the bottom, you’ll see a large, tree-topped seastack, which is part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, making it a great spot for birdwatching. Short Beach is also famous among rockhounders because it’s ripe with agates, jasper, and zeolites. Follow the beach north and you’ll eventually reach Larson Creek Falls, which pours from the cliff down onto the beach. Continue further north, and, if the water is low, you’ll find tidepools full of colorful sea life like anemones, sea stars, sea urchins, and crabs.
📷 Chuck Lewis
God’s Thumb
This 4.8 mile hike to God’s Thumb (also referred to as The Thumb) offers amazing views of Cascade Head, Lincoln City, the Salmon River Estuary, Devils Lake, and, of course, the ocean itself. The trail runs through mossy spruce forests and a high, windy meadow known as The Knoll, where herds of elk often graze or bed down for the night. At the very end of the trail, you’ll see God’s Thumb, which is a grass-covered basalt rock formation jutting out over the sea, offering unbeatable views.
📷 Wikimedia
Golden and silver falls
This 3.1 mile hike near Coos Bay ventures into a forest of big leaf maples, Douglas firs, and myrtle trees, and it features not one but two waterfalls. Part of the trail is made up of an old road that was decommissioned in the 1950s, and it’s hard to picture cars and logging trucks hugging the narrow cliffsides above the falls. You can take that old wagon road to the top of both Golden Falls and Silver Falls, or you can follow Glenn Creek to the base of the falls, enjoying a short, easy hike among native plants like salal, sword fern, and evergreen huckleberry.
📷 Trevor Bradford
Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor
If you’re looking for a moderately challenging hike with incredibly rewarding views, be sure to check out the trail from North Island to Arch Rock in the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor just north of Brookings. This 8.4 mile hike features several offshore rock formations including Natural Bridges, Arch Rock, Yellow Rock, and Thunder Rock Cove. You’ll cross through spruce forests and up grassy slopes, scramble down bluffs onto the sand, venture up and down switchbacks, and stop to admire waterfalls, ocean views, and spring wildflowers like the delicate coast iris.
📷 Trevor Bradford
Our Oregon Hikers Spring Fundraiser runs from May 4th through National Trails Day on June 6th, and this year your support is more important than ever. Can you donate to support trails?
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