Oregon Coast

http://visittheoregoncoast.com and www.traveloregon.com

I've divided the Oregon coast into three sections:

North click here
Astoria, Gearhart, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Nehalem,
Wheeler, Tillamook, Pacific City

Central click here
Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Newport, Waldport, Yachats, Florence

South
North Bend/Coos Bay, Bandon, Port Orford, Gold Beach, Brookings

South Oregon Coast

The Pacific changes color here to hues of teal and turquoise, warmer climes too

Bandon
www.bandon.com
My first trip to Bandon was in 1981, traveling back to L.A. with my 8 ½ month pregnant sister after our father’s funeral. Red VW bug packed with canned peaches, berry jams and preserves and a gas gauge that didn’t work. The nice retired man and his RV picked us up about three miles out of town, took us to the nearest gas station in Bandon, took us back safe and sound. We drove through the town on Hwy. 101 not knowing that just a few blocks to our right was one of the loveliest beaches on the Oregon Coast. Spectacular sea stacks rising dramatically out of a teal & turquoise ocean. I learn later that its sandy beaches are a flat stone-skipping collector’s paradise. Old Town restaurants and shops on the Coquille River, cranberry bogs, Bandon Dunes world-class golf course, Bullard’s Beach State Park with yurts and the historic lighthouse. And just think, you can turn that corner on Hwy. 101 and miss it. [ARCHIVES: To Be or Not to B & B and In the Pits at Bandon Dunes and Bandon by the Sea]

EAT

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (out of town) www.bandondunesgolf.com Gallery Restaurant NW cuisine fine dining, Tufted Puffin Lounge, Bunker Bar in the lodge. McKee’s Pub, Pacific Grill and Trail’s End on site. Alloro Wine Bar 375 Second St. SE, 541.347.1850 www.allorowinebar.com, serves Italian and NW wines: Lord Bennett’s Restaurant & Lounge 1695 Beach Loop Drive, 541.347.3663 seafood, beach view. Bandon Baking Co. & Deli 160 2nd St; Bandon Coffee Café 365 2nd St SE.

STAY

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort www.bandondunesgolf.com handsome lodge, inn and cottage rooms & suites overlooking golf course, ocean & woodsy ponds. Special winter rates. You don’t have to golf to enjoy a stay here, but you should give the rugged, wind-swept Scottish links-style golf a try. Love the Spartan, rather masculine room décor –wood and stone, no fuss. Six dining areas on site: the lodge’s excellent Gallery Restaurant, the more casual Tufted Puffin Lounge, and the downstairs Bunker Bar. McKee’s Pub, Pacific Grill and Trail’s End are a short distance from the lodge. [ARCHIVES: In the Pits at Bandon Dunes] The Lighthouse B&B www.lighthouselodging.com comfort, vivacious hostess, great river, lighthouse, ocean views and complimentary wine and full breakfast. [ARCHIVES: To Be or Not to B & B]

PLAY

Beaches & seastacks; world-class golf at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort www.bandondunesgolf.com [ARCHIVES: In the Pits at Bandon Dunes] The Coquille River Museum at 270 Filmore & Hwy. 101 Over 1,000 photos of old-time Bandon, including photos of the famous 1936 fire, and disasters at sea, Indian artifacts, logging, fishing, marine history. Cranberry Bog Tours in October at Faber Farms, Bandon 541.347.4429. Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge www.fws.gov 800 acres of rare salt marsh; Bullard’s Beach State Park www.oregonstateparks.org

Port Orford
www.portorfordoregon.com
Between Bandon and Gold Beach, I seem to drift on along Hwy. 101 tucked behind sandunes and farmland, scrub brush and low pines, almost forgetting I’m near the ocean until I arrive at Port Orford, and bam! As the highway curves, there’s suddenly this stunning drop-dead view of a turquoise ocean far below. Get off the highway here and stop at the viewpoint. Founded in 1851, the small town is one of the oldest townsites on the Oregon Coast. Explore black sand beaches, forest trails, or climb the promontory of Battle Rock for breathtaking (windy!) views. Check out the open harbor, unprotected from southerly winds, where fishing boats are hoisted by crane in and out of the ocean. Be sure to visit Oregon’s oldest, highest, windiest, and most westerly lighthouse at Cape Blanco State Park. Dramatic.

Did I mention the views? Or the wind?

EAT

Fair Warning: recommended, untried.
Paula’s Bistro Hwy. 101, 541.332.9378, vegetarian and other; for fish & chips Griff’s on the Dock 490 Dock Road; 541-332-8985 and Crazy Norwegian’s 259 Sixth Street, 541.332.8601.

STAY

WildSpring Guest Habitat www.wildspring.com five art and antique filled cabins amid woods — boutique spa resort atmosphere with guest lecturers and artist workshops. Walk to beach; Jacuzzi overlooks ocean; camaraderie, cooking and games in Guest Hall.

PLAY

Explore black sand beaches, forest trails, or climb the promontory of Battle Rock for breathtaking (windy!) views. Nearby Elk and Sixes rivers for fall and winter steelhead fishing. Don’t miss Oregon’s oldest, highest, windiest, and most westerly lighthouse at Cape Blanco State Park www.portorfordoregon.com eleven miles north of Port Orford.

Gold Beach & Brookings
www.goldbeach.org

EAT

Café Kitanishi 632 Hemlock Street, Brookings, 541.469.7864, sushi, etc.

STAY

mostly motels - to be updated.
Tu Tu Tun Lodge www.tututun.com tastseful, luxurious, serene lodging on the Rogue River, seven miles east of Gold Beach. Putting green, restaurant on site. Fair Warning: To be updated. New owners; recent reports on unsatisfactory dining.

PLAY

Beautiful beaches; fishing charters; Mail Boat & Jerry’s hydro-jet boat tours www.mailboat.com/ up white-water rapids of the Rogue River. Fair Warning: Might get wet!