Secret Beach Oregon: First Time Visitor Guide
Secret Beach Oregon is one of the most panoramic and beautiful spots you’ll find on the state’s coast, but in order to get the full experience out of your visit here, it’s important to know a couple of things and this post is going to cover all of that!
Quick info:
- Name: Secret Beach
- Location: Southern Oregon Coast
- Cost to enter: Free
- Visitor ratings: 5 out of 5.
- Recommended? Yes! Secret Beach is one of the most amazing spots I have ever seen on the Oregon Coast and when visited during the right times, you’re likely going to have the same thoughts too!
Overview:
Secret Beach is likely a top 10 must see place on the Oregon Coast because of it’s several features:
- Amazing beach views
- Incredible sunsets nearly every single day
- Sea caves (there’s multiple ones there, including gigantic ones)
- Wildlife (sea otters, whales and more but to be honest it’s rare to see them there)
- Hiking adventures
- Nearby spots worth seeing afterwards (covered below)
To get there, you must first drive to the parking lot which is then followed by a 0.2 mile hike down to the beach itself. Once you reach it, there are numerous things to check out including sea caves, a waterfall and even wildlife. The full length of this place in and out is about 2 miles. I have been to this place at least 4 times so far and it’s one of my personal favorite places to visit on the Oregon Coast.
Photos:
Things to know:
- There’s actually 4 different beaches that make up the Secret Beach area.
- To get full access to all 4 beaches, go here during low tide (check the tide reports).
- There is some scrambling to get down to the base of the beach.
- There are numerous sea caves scattered across this area worth checking out.
- One of my favorite/recommended times to visit the area is during sunset.
- This beach is dog friendly but I would not recommend going if you have injuries (use trekking poles if you still want to).
How to get there:
- Start at the Secret Beach trailhead (this parking is easy to miss).
- Walk down to the beach along the main trail.
- Once you get there, turn left to get to the beach spots and explore from there (some scrambling required in this part).
Tips:
- If you get here during high tide, I would not recommend risking going into the other beaches.
- Wear some waterproof clothing just in case
- Remember that the majority of the sea caves here can only be accessed during low tide and even then, many are submerged (do not explore those if that is the case)
- Give yourself at least 2 hours or more to explore just this area
- If you can only choose between going either during sunset or low tide (considering they aren’t both available at the same time), prioritize going during low tide, and then if possible waiting until the sunset.
- Be careful when scrambling down to the beach as the rocks may be pretty wet in most cases, especially if it just rained there.
- There are some strong tides there so I wouldn’t recommend swimming in Secret Beach.
Nearby places to explore:
- Natural Bridges is my top pick. It is only 5 minutes from there and has equally amazing views, but is a bit less explorable due to hiking restrictions.
- More of Samuel H Boardman scenic Corridor which Secret Beach is a part of (there’s stops and places to see every 5-10 minutes while you drive on the 101).
- Brookings is the main town worth exploring south of Secret Beach where you can eat/stay at.
- Gold Beach is the nearest northern town of Secret Beach worth checking out (about an hour drive).
Nearby campgrounds:
- Harris Beach State Park Campground (20 minutes south of Secret Beach)
- Indian Creek Campground by Gold Beach (20 minutes north of Secret Beach)
Conclusions:
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!
I hope this helps the person who couldn’t understand why you would want to share such an extraordinary place.
Your blog has been so helpful for nature lovers like myself. I’m sorry you have some incredibly rude and ignorant people blaming you for the actions of others. Keep on keeping on because the world and all of its beauty doesn’t belong to a single local grouch, it belongs to us all and everyone should have access and knowledge for places like this.
Thank you very much Meressa 🙂
Hey, the Samuel Boardman Scenic Corridor could use a volunteer to keep the trails clear. How about it?
I’ve been using the Corridor for years. I make it a goal to clear all the trees off the trails from Cape Ferrelo to north of Arch Rock and more on every visit from Washington State. Most recently in mid September 2021. Did you notice?
Hi Gary, I live in New York and whenever I’m around a nature spot and see garbage, I do make sure to pick up whatever is on my way (provided it’s not too much to hold). Really appreciate you keeping Secret Beach clean.
I can’t understand why you would just completely exploit this location? I’m a local and have watched this special location become more heavily trafficked and littered. It was ridiculous this summer with trash, toilet paper, underwear etc. Along with way more people than I’ve seen here before. This is because of exploitative blogs/tagging like this from people who do not live here bringing others who do not follow LNT principles. Please rethink what you’re doing. It destroys these delicate locations and turns them into amusement parks.
Hi while I can totally respect your point, I disagree with what you’re asking me to do and the main reasons why are:
1) Because these are public areas.
2) I don’t endorse any littering or acting out to ruin these spots and I personally respect the areas (can’t speak for others though).
3) No matter how much you try to hide these spots from people, there will always be word of mouth, social media and other places that attract people and while most people who visit are good and respect the area, you will always find those who don’t. This would happen with or without my blog (which doesn’t actually get a lot of visitors anyway).
4) Seasons matter for this too. Highly trafficked hiking spots happen during the warmer seasons everywhere so while I understand you wanting to keep it a secret, it’s not really possible to do this.
5) My blog is for responsible people who want to enjoy beautiful travels and experience the beauty of Oregon and other spots I visit.
6) If I read this blog post as a stranger, I’d be happy that this kind of spot was shared because I love finding new places like these.
7) I can honestly relate to what you’re saying, because I also have hiking areas that I frequent that have become more and more trafficked due the same reasons and the same problems happen too.
8) Of the spots I visit, I also know of locals who treat these beautiful areas I know as playgrounds and leave their trash. It doesn’t matter if it’s a local or not, what matters is the person themselves and if they aren’t good people, they’ll do these things and if they are good people, they won’t.
Wow that first comment was a very aggressively negative approach to someone who just wants to share such a beautiful and potential life changing experience. Labeling this inspirational blog as “exploitative” is a very hasty opinion that gives the commenter a very narrow minded representation.
Vitaliy, I just returned from my 8 day solo road trip on the Oregon Coast.
Indescribable is the word I keep using whenever I am asked about my trip. At times, I find it difficult to put into words the sheer beauty of the Oregon coast.
I wish I would have read this blog prior to going! I hiked the Natural Bridges but was not even aware of Secret Beach! I made a conscious effort to try and stop at every viewpoint and scenic area because I realized every stop has something different to offer. Even if it was 5 minutes down the road from the previous one.
I have every intention of returning for another road trip so I want to sincerely thank you for providing such useful information that could help someone like me have another life changing experience.
Thanks Nando! I agree with the negative comments thing. I actually had to erase some from this post because they were even more negative (name calling too). The places I speak about are public and while I get that people don’t like crowds and littering, it happens everywhere and to think I am the cause of this is just ridiculous. Not to mention how often locals litter the places. But if it’s a truly secret spot, I’ll respect that and keep it private. Public places that are already popular and crowded, that’s a different story.
Anyway, with your story on the Oregon Coast, my first time there was similar. I too was on a solo trip there and did try to stop at many places there and it was absolutely amazing. I also missed Secret Beach the first time I went, but returned 2 times later. Hope your next trip is even better there!
I live here in area too and the local kids trash locations just as much if not more. In fact after my last hike the kids at Dutch Bros told me all about it when I stopped there.
The locations are available on AllTrails and other apps. So chewing out a guy with a blog isn’t going to save Oregon.
The best thing we can do as locals is share LNT principles. Know the best and quieter times to visit these locations. And pack trash out. I always have bags and clean up litter then toss it in the garbage in Brookings Harbor front.
Another thing to consider is the economy over in this area is supported primarily by tourism and retirement. Most of these mom and pop shops and kayak rental places need Summer’s to maintain rest of the year. Being hostile isn’t going to help them any.
Thanks for sharing your points and I agree with all of them. It’s also a good mention about the economy and how much of the Oregon Coast needs the money from tourism to keep running.