Natural Bridges & Thunder Rock Cove - Boardman Scenic Corridor

Natural Bridges & Thunder Rock Cove

The parking area for Natural Bridges is well marked on Rt. 101, about 12-14 mi N of Brookings, OR.  Exiting the parking south end of the parking lot, a short walk, mostly on a boardwalk, will take you to the best view of Natural Bridges.  There isn’t much beyond the end of the boardwalk of interest, unless you want to scramble down the hill & climb on the rocks.  The boardwalk trail, the short trail linkling  & the trail down to Thunder Rock Cove & Secret Beach, are sections of the Oregon Coast Trail.  Bring a picnic or lunch.

Just beyond the Natural Bridges parking area is another parking area.  The area north of this parking lot is my favorite of the whole lower 48 west coast.  The trail leaving the north end of the parking lot will take you down to Thunder Rock Cove.  Shortly after you cross a very small stream by parking lot, the trail forks.  The trail to the left takes you down to Thunder Rock Cove, then loops back up the hill, crosses the upper part of a shallow coast valley, then drops down to Secret Beach.  The right trail is just a short cut, to cut out Thunder Cove & joins the OCT going north.

Thunder Cove

It is about .3 mi down to Thunder Rock Cove, with some switch backs near the bottom.  Near a big tree on the left you can go as close to the edge of the cove as you want.  You’ll see cliffs about 70 ft. high enclosing a small cove. The cliffs sea ward side are pierced with several natural tunnels.  Check them out!  You won’t be able to see the large tunnel that pierces the cliff to the right unless you want to risk falling into the cove.  It is from this tunnel that you hear the thunder during big storms that gives Thunder Rock Cove its name.

Large Sea Arch w/ table land to right

From there the trail drops down a short distance to a nice wide cliff top table land.  Check out he beaches to the north (R/N).  You will be able to see the 3rd & 4th Secret Beaches.  Note: if you look carefully, you can see a dark natural tunnel in the big rock just beyond the 1st rock abutment. You can see water gust thru it during storms & you can access it from Secret Beach.

Secret Beaches

The views from the Thunder Cove table land are all great, in almost any weather.  I’ve been out here in all kinds of storms, except thunder storms.  There is a narrow water fall on the cove wall dropping aprox 60 ft onto a beach during spring & early summer.  This is a great place for a picnic during good weather.

Goat Rock

I’ve see Mt. Goats on the big pointly rock jutting out from the shore due south of the open side of the cove 5 or 6 times.  In 2010 there was 1 Billy with horns the length of his body, approx. 3 feet, & 3 Nanneys with little horns.  It is amazing they can walk on this rock, but that is why they are called Mt Goats.

Leaving the table land, the Oregon Coast Trail takes off on the left, where it loops back up the hill, crosses the upper part of a shallow coast valley, then drops down to Secret Beach. This is a pleasant hike of approx. .6 mi.  The short cut trail joins the OCT near the top of the hill.

Enjoy Secret Beach the next post in this series.

Indian Sands - Boardman Scenic Cooridor

Indian Sands

Near the top of the hill north of Whales Head on Rt 101 is the entrance to the Indian Sands parking lot.  There is good view of the coast northward from the parking lot. The trail exits the south side of the parking lot & goes up a little before it cuts steeply down the hill with several switchbacks.  I figure that if I can make it up this hill without stopping for a breath at my age, I’m in pretty good shape.

At the bottom of the hill it joins the Oregon Coast Trail.  By taking the OCT to the right a short hike will take you to Indian Sands.  This is a open area preached on rocky cliffs above the ocean.  The terrain is varied & well worth exploring.  There are rock outcrops, sea crevices, clay hills & drifting sand.  

The most popular place to visit is down hill to the left just as you reach the open area.  This will take you down to a very small cove with a large natural sea tunnel on the south and a small waterfall dropping approx. 80 ft. to the water in the cove.  This is a very appealing spot because waves are always pushing thru the tunnel & mixing with waves coming in from the side open to the sea.  This water mixes & churns, forming many patterns, swirls & is fun to watch.  Many locals, including myself, like to check this out during storms when the waves are thrown high against the rocks & the churning of the waves are spell binding.

Continuing north on 101 you will cross the Thomas Creek Bridge.  At 345 ft it is the highest bridge in Oregon.  Its a shame you can’t stop on the bridge because that is where the best views are.  There are no really good overlooks of the bridge.  A very steep bush whack trail goes down to the creek.  I do not recommend this trail, it is for the young & foolish.

Next post will cover Natural Bridges & Thunder Rock Cove

Brookings Oregon Coast - Best on west coast! Part 1

I spent much of the last year living near Brookings/Harbor, Oregon because the 15 miles north of town is the most picturesque on the U. S. west coast south of Alaska. Located only six miles north of the California state line on Route 101, Brookings is wedged between the Klamath coastal mountain range and the Pacific Ocean.  Part of the Wild Rivers Coast, the Checto River flows into a shallow bay from the mountains here.   It has an excellent small boat harbor, a Coast Guard station, and a working fishing fleet.  While the timber and fishing industries have waned, they still exist here. It also has an active retirement community and is a tourist destination with many shops and overnight accommodations. The Brookings/ Harbor area has approximately 11,000 residents and is growing.  Weather during the summer is sunny with temps. 75* - 80* F. 

Chetco River, Harbor & Brookings Photos

Since there are no roads over the mountains, traffic travels north & south on route 101. There is an constant flow of touring bicyclist, hikers, RVs, and cars traveling through town during the summer.  The tide charts are published in The Curry Co Pilot, the local paper which comes on on Wed & Sat.  Well worth the money if you want to knows what is going on!

Up the North Bank Checto River Road you will find the northernmost stands of Redwoods.  These tend to be small and scattered, but well worth checking out.  There is an excellent 1.6 mile guided loop hike just beyond the Alferd A. Loeb State Park on the left.  Pick up the guides at Chrissy Field since there are never any in the box.  There are also are many primitive river bar camping sites managed by the Rouge River Siskiyou Natl. Forest up this road.  These are accessible by RVs & most have good swimming holes & good fishing.

The Oregon Coast Trail starts at the California line at Chrissy Field State Park on the Windchuck River.  It continues north through Brookings & up the coast to Washington.  A lot of people hike or bike this trail.  RVs cruise Rt 101 the lenght of Oregon.

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The beauty begins at the north end of town with the Harris Beach State Park.  Right on the edge of town, this beautiful park features great views of coastal cliffs, off shore rocks, pocket beaches, and has tent & RV camping.  Many Oregon Coast Trail packers & bike tourers rest here for a few days.  There is also a large Rest Area on the east side of Rt. 101 across from the entrance to Harris Beach State Park

Enjoy Boardman State Scenic Corridor - next post.

Paskett Rock, Big Sur

Paskett Rock, Big Sur

3/21/11

Stayed at Paskett Creek Campground in Big Sur.  Located apporx. half way between San Simeon & Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP on the uphill side of Rt 1, this campground has approx 40 basic sites.  While it can accommodate RVs up to 35 ft, there are no hookups & many of the sites are not very level.  The campground has large trees for protection from the weather, which is important this time of year due to frequent storms. This is a Forest Service CG & site cost at this time is $22 per site per night.  I had read several bad reviews concerning porta potties, but the restrooms were open & I saw no problems.

This is a wonderful place to stay for a few days because its location allows you to really enjoy the essence of Big Sur.  Situated on a slopping plateau between the Mts. to the east & the Pacific Ocean, there are some good short hikes in the area with great views of the coast & the Mts.

Leaving the south end of the campground via a service road & crossing Rt 1, you will find a trial that will take you approx a half mi. across  the plateau to Paskett Rock.  Which juts out at the south end of a very small bay.  From this rock you can see for miles up & down the coast & get great views of the Mts.  This is also a great place to watch sunsets!

Exiting via the campground entry & walking north on Rt 1 a short distance will bring you to Sand Dollar Beach  parking lot, a day use area, user fees for this area are included in camping fees.  A short trail with stairs will take you down to the beach & the small bay.  The upper part of the beach is cobble stone & difficult to walk on.  At low tide a sandy beach is exposed which allows easy walking.

There are several dirt roads within a few miles of here that go a ways up the side of the Mts.  These can be rough & are not useable when wet.  There is the Wood Bone resort with a great views, a restraunt, pool, yurts & cabins a couple of mile south.  Along this strech of Rt. 1 there are many pull overs with great views & access to the ocean.

Approx. 4 mi north of Paskett Creek CG on Rt 1 is the FS Kirk Creek Camp Ground.  This CG has fewer spaces & is perched on a bluff above the ocean.  With no trees it is much more exposed to the weather but offers excellent views from your campsite.  

Near this CG is the western end of Macimento Fergusson Road,  This narrow paved road climbs the side of the Mt. using several switch backs with each turn offering a more spectacular view than the last one.  Near the top, the road then follows the side of the Mt. up a valley east until it crest the ridge.  At the ridge top there are roads going N & S along the ridge.  Once over the ridge the road decends down the side of a wooded valley, with more great views thru the trees, to the Ponderosa CG on the creek.  Traveling east it is approx. 30 mi to Hunter Liggett army base  & another 30 miles to King City & Rt 101.  The section of Los Padres NF north of Hunter Liggett is very nice & this route is a good way to get there.  See article called “The Indians” when I get around to posting it.  This is a rugged exit from Bug Sur, but one I highly recommend because it is beautiful country from beginning to end. I did it in RV!