Pistol River Trails & Sights

Pistol River Trails & Sights

The Pistol River flows under Rt 101 approx. 16 mi. N of Brookings.  At this point it is flowing thru an area of open dunes from a pleasant Mt. valley.  The small marked parking area is on the ocean side of the highway, just N of the Carpenterville road & S of the river.  The river meanders N after crossing the highway about a mile before flowing into the ocean.

The short drive to the small parking area ends at an old riverbed that is often dry during early summer & has a large shallow pool the rest of the year.  When the old bed is dry it is a nice hike following the river to the ocean, then back on the beach.

The headland & looking toward Pistol River & Cape Sebastian from headland

I prefer to follow the old riverbed S to the beach, then continue S to a rocky headland you can see about 2 mi away.  You can follow the beach back or by going inland just N of the stream on the Oregon Coast Trail about 1/4 mi you will find a horse trail thru the dunes you can follow back if you wish.  

This headland is closed because it is the nesting site of the Snowy Prover, an endangered bird that lays its eggs among the gravel spread on the highlands.  The eggs blend in so well with the gravel that if you entered the area it is likely you would step on them no matter how careful you were.  You should stay out of the area in spring & summer.  You may be able to enter in the fall, but check with the DNR at Crissey Field south of Brookings.  The headland itself has some interesting formations & if you cross over it you will find a beautiful long beach that hardly anyone visits because it is so far to it & the nature preserve. 

I prefer hiking the Oregon Coast trail from Rt 101 to the headland.  It is about 2 mi one way.  I prefer this because before it opens up to dunes near the ocean, most of it is thru forested dunes with openings of dune grass & plenty of hills to explore if you have lots of energy & the topography is very interesting.  There is a side loop trail that will take you by Lake Lena (?) that is just a marshy area that once was a lake & is difficult to see.  I don’t recommend this side trail.  The biggest problem with this trail is the parking.  It is a very small undeveloped parking space at the end of a long uphill section of guard rail along Rt. 101 S of Carpenterville Rd.  The is a gate for a private drive just S of this parking area you can use as a land mark.  The road edge drops sharply, so unless you have high clearance, be careful.

Mrys Creek Beach

There are nice beach walks with large rock monoliths at 2 bends of Rt 101 north of where the Pistol River flows into the ocean.  There are large pull offs for parking at both bends & another just  beyond the Mrys Creek bridge.  This is a very pleasant & photogenic beach to walk on.  It is likely that during the  summer you may see a couple of the famous Oregon Beach Shacks made of piled driftwood.  If a beach towel is hugh over the entry, it is occupied.  

Cape Sebastian to the north has 2 overlooks accessible via a drive from Rt 101 near the top of the hill.  These have very nice views.