5 Things About Secret Beach Oregon That You Need to Know

Secret Beach Oregon is one of the most panoramic and beautiful spots you’ll find on the state’s coast, but at the same time once you start exploring it you’re going to learn how much more there is to see and do there and that’s what this post is going to show you.

I’ve been to Secret Beach Oregon numerous times and aside from coming back there because of how beautiful it is, it was also because I always missed or learned something new after a previous trip there that I wanted to make up for in the next. The purpose of this post is to help you understand everything that I’ve learned from visiting this place again and again, so you can get the most out of your trip to Secret Beach including how to find it becuse it’s actually not the most “official” listing and takes a few directions to reach.

Quick info on Secret Beach Oregon:

• Name: Secret Beach (also known as Hidden Beach or Secret Beach Brookings).
• Location: Oregon Coast, 30 minutes north of Brookings (directions coming up).
• Things to do: Hiking, kayaking, sea caving, sunsets and more.
• Is it family friendly? Yes.
• Is it dog friendly? Somewhat, you may need to carry your dog down to the actual beach.
• Rating: 5 out of 5.
• Recommended? Yes! Secret Beach is one of the most amazing spots I have ever seen on the Oregon Coast.

Here’s 5 things you need to know Secret Beach in Oregon:

1. It’s exact location.
2. The best time to visit Secret Beach (this is important).
3. How to kayak there.
4. Why you should visit Natural Bridges nearby (it’s equally awesome).
5. Places to check out after your visit to Secret Beach (specifically Samuel H Boardman Park).

 

1) How to find the Secret Beach (it’s north of Brookings Oregon):

• As I said before, it’s 30 minutes north of Brookings Oregon. 
• It’s also just 2 minutes north of Natural Bridges and here’s a map:

• The good news is that Google Maps has a near accurate point for Secret Beach as you can see.
• But the bad news is that it’s not exactly accurate and there’s no official sign for Secret Beach.

How to make sure you find the Hidden Beach:

1. Enter Natural Bridges Oregon into your GPS.
   
2. The parking to Secret Beach is about 1,000 feet north of the Natural Bridges Parking lot (2 minutes north).
3. An easy way to know this is that it’s literally the next parking lot after Natural Bridges (facing the coast).

Again, you will not see any official sign for Secret Beach (or Hidden Beach), just what looks like an abandoned parking lot (sometimes there will be cars parked there), but once you see it once, then it’s easy to come back here anytime.

Update: Secret Beach trailhead is now an official spot on Google maps, but I’ve found that in my case I still had to use the above directions to reach it, so just in case the GPS doesn’t lead you to the right spot, follow the directions I explained above.

Here is what the parking lot to Secret Beach looks like:

Once you get there, you have 2 trails to reach the beach (both connect together):

• There’s a more official road that leads down to the beach, and I recommend you take that one (trail 1). 
• Then there’s also the one which is a bit more heavily wooded and steep and that will take you to a creek that leads to the beach (trail 2).

From the parking area to the actual beach is about 200 yards. And here is what the hiking from trail 1 (best option) will look like:

2) Why the best time to go to Secret Beach Oregon is during low tide:

There’s a stark difference in the experience you’ll get visiting Secret Beach during low or high tide. The reason I recommend accessing Secret Beach during low tide is because it’ll actually provide you access to the 4 Secret beaches that make up the whole area (that’s something most people don’t know). 

• If you come here during high tide, you will only have access to 1 beach a hike, and it’ll be limited. 
• If you come here during low tide, you’ll have access to basically the entire Secret Beach area which includes 4 beaches, Oregon sea caves, multiple hikes and a way better experience overall.

Secret Beach Oregon low tide info and other important advice:

Click here to find the high and low tide times for Oregon (they do change, so make sure to keep checking the tides according to when you plan on going).

Just as a note, timing is critical here. During low tide, you will have several hours to explore Secret Beach (at least) and that’s assuming you arrive while it’s occurring or during it’s peak. The last time I went to Secret Beach, it was close to the time high tide was starting to come in and it prevented me from seeing the other beaches or sea caves there and trust me, they are absolutely stunning if you get there at the right time!

In fact, to showcase how stunning they are, I did revisit Secret Beach again in 2023 and was fortunate enough to do so during peak low tide and this time around, I made sure to explore all of the beaches there. Let me tell you, the exploration experience here is 100 times better during low tide and to showcase that, here’s one of the best sea caves  you will find at the end of Secret Beach (as you hike south of it).

It actually takes you to a “secret” cove called Thunder Rock Cove which is absolutely amazing and another Oregon Coast gem I only recently saw myself. Here it is:

When you go there, just make sure to go during peak low tide to get the most time available for exploring this area. And it will also provide you with the next thing you can do here:

3) Kayaking opportunities (Secret Beach may be the one of best places for it):

One of the biggest things I had hoped to do when visiting the Oregon Coast was to kayak near Secret Beach and Natural Bridges, and go through the sea caves that were there. As I entered Brookings, which is the town nearest to these locations, I had found several kayaking rental stores, called them up and asked if it’s possible for them to come meet me so I can rent the kayak and head down to the beach.

But if you’ve ever been to the Oregon Coast, you’ll know that most of the spots, especially near Secret Beach are extremely dangerous to hike down because there’s often just sheer drops making it impossible to hike down to the beaches, let alone bring a kayak down there.

Out of all the places I’ve been to in the Oregon Coast, Secret Beach might be the only plausible one that you can kayak from in this particular region because the hike from the parking lot is short, not too steep and then access to the beach is pretty simple. So my next trip through the Oregon Coast, I’ll be trying to do this and will try documenting that.

Keep this location (Secret Beach that is) in mind if you’re into kayaking but also know that doing this activity anywhere on the coast of Oregon may also be very dangerous (bad weather, waves, tides, etc…).

4) I strongly recommend visiting Natural Bridges, the next door neighbor to Secret Beach Oregon:

First, here is the video of what it looks like there:

Need I say more about why you should visit this spot? If so, then well OK! Here is the second reason:

While Secret Beach is one of the most beautiful places on the Oregon Coast that I’ve visited, my top choice would have to be Natural Bridges and luckily it is right near it so you can either access Natural Bridges by car, and hit up the very next parking lot area (there is a sign for Natural Bridges so you won’t miss it).

There is also a nature trail which goes through these and other areas of Samuel H. Boardman park which contains these 2 spots. The hike to Natural Bridges is strenuous, steep and often dangerous, but if you’re not into doing that, you can see this beautiful place from an overlook that is right near the parking lot.

This is ultimately where I want to kayak through if I get the chance next time, as it has several beautiful natural bridges to go through and scenery to enjoy. But overall, the point is, if you’re going to see the Oregon Coast and Secret Beach, you have to see Natural Bridges too and because both of these spots are so close together, you’ll easily be able to do that.

5) Check out Samuel H. Boardman Park overall:

Secret Beach, Natural Bridges and other spots that are on the 101 road in this area are all park of what is known as Samuel H Boardman Park and while these 2 spots are my favorite in the entire area, if you’re driving through the park which is about 20 or more miles, you will see signs for many more places and I highly recommend stopping at all of them.

For me, besides these 2 areas:

Whaleshead is also highly recommended and is my 3rd choice in the places to see at Samuel H. Boardman Park, with Secret Beach being 2nd and Natural Bridges 1st. And frankly, I’d dare say that out of all the places I’ve seen on the Oregon Coast, the area which belongs to Samuel H. Boardman Park is the most beautiful and a must visit if you’re traveling through the Pacific Coast Highway.

And it’s also a great area for checking out the best hikes on the Oregon Coast too! Now here’s another important thing to discuss:

Bonus: Let’s talk about camping at Secret Beach Oregon, is it even allowed?

My understanding is that you can’t. You can read the rules on camping on the Oregon Coast here. There is a section on that page that mentions general rules and which beaches you can actually camp at, and Secret Beach is not listed there.

For me personally, every time I have been to Secret Beach, I have never seen a single tent and I’m honestly happy about that. At the same time I can tell you that there are plenty of camping spots on the Oregon Coast to check out.

Here are the closest campgrounds to Secret Beach:

• Harris Beach State Park Campground (20 minutes south of Secret Beach).
• Indian Creek Campground by Gold Beach (20 minutes north of Secret Beach).

Harris Beach campground is good because it’s close to Brookings (lots of restaurants). You can also see more of Samuel H Boardman Park. Indian Creek campground by Gold Beach is good because it has a mix of campgrounds which include RV friendly places, and on top of that a town with restaurants too and as for hikes, aside from Secret Beach, you can also see amazing places north of it like Cape Sebastian Trail.

Should you wear anything specific if you go to Secret Beach?

If you plan to do a short visit to this spot to just look around, then no, you really don’t need much. But if you do intend to do some hikes (across here and the Oregon Coast) and explore this area further like the sea caves, then maybe regular water shoes or hiking shoes would be fine for that.

Other commonly asked questions about Secret Beach Oregon:

Where is Oregon Secret Beach?

South Oregon, specifically a park called Samuel H Boardman Scenic Corridor.

How long is the hike to Secret Beach Oregon?

About 15 minutes from the Secret Beach parking lot. Other hikes are available on the beach too.

Can you swim at Secret Beach Oregon?

I didn’t see any signs saying you can’t swim at Secret Beach, but I would be careful because of the tides, sea caves and sharp rock cliffs.

Final tips before you visit Secret Beach Oregon:

There’s a lot of amazing spots to explore within Secret Beach and aside from visiting it during low tide, I also recommend coming here during sunset if that’s possible to fit in as well. Because you can do so many things inside this area (during low tide) plus alongside the other spots like Natural Bridges and Samuel H Boardman Park, you can really spend at least a whole day exploring this area and that’s exactly what I recommend you do. 

If you need to prioritize which to see first, I’d start with Secret Beach provided that when you get to the area, it’s low tide. If it’s not, you can easily explore many of the other areas around it which don’t require visiting it during low tide, wait for the low tide to come in, and then visit Secret Beach. I hope this post helps you find and have an awesome time in this place!