The southern Oregon coast is hiding 12 free miles of arches and beaches off Highway 101

It’s free, and you don’t need a permit

Oregon’s southern coast, between Brookings and Gold Beach, features a 12-mile stretch of Highway 101 that most people blow right past.

The Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor packs 1,400 acres of sea cliffs, rock arches, old-growth forest, and tucked-away beaches into one long, skinny park.

You can pull over at one stop after another, each one with a viewpoint, a trail, or a picnic spot. No pass, no parking fee, no permit.

And the deeper you go, the wilder it gets.

One man tried to make it a national park

The park carries the name of Samuel H. Boardman, Oregon’s first state parks superintendent.

He held the job from 1929 to 1950, and somewhere in the early 1940s, he pitched the federal government on turning this stretch of Curry County coastline into a national park. The feds came, looked around, and walked away.

The state picked up the pieces, buying land from private owners and the Bureau of Land Management between 1949 and 1957. A London mining company, Borax Consolidated, Ltd., handed over more than 300 acres in 1950.

The park got Boardman’s name when he retired that same year.

Arch Rock sits at the north end with sea lions below

Arch Rock marks the corridor’s northernmost major stop, and it pulls a crowd for good reason. A paved parking lot feeds into a short 0.3-mile loop trail that drops you at a clifftop overlook.

From there, you look straight down at massive sea stacks punching out of the water. Watch long enough, and you may spot whales, sea lions, or harbor seals working the surface.

Restrooms and picnic tables sit right at the trailhead, so you can settle in.

Watch the ocean punch through rock arches at Natural Bridges

Natural Bridges is the spot you see on postcards. A short trail leads to a wooden platform perched above a cove where the ocean has carved a series of rock arches right through the cliff face.

The water below runs blue-green, and at high tide, blowholes blast mist into the air. Sunrise and sunset throw the best light across the formations.

A memorial here honors Dr. Samuel Dicken, the man who first mapped out the idea for the Oregon Coast Trail.

Find Secret Beach through ferns and old-growth forest

No sign marks the way to Secret Beach. You park near the Thunder Rock Cove pullout, about a third of a mile south of milepost 345 on Highway 101, and follow a trail through ferns and conifers until the forest opens up.

The beach sits between tall cliffs with sea stacks rising from blue-green water.

At low tide, the sand stretches out, and you can pick through tide pools and walk among the rock formations. The cliffs close the place off on all sides, so it feels like your own private cove.

Walk sand dunes with 12,000 years of human history at Indian Sands

Indian Sands looks nothing like the rest of the corridor.

Eroded sandstone cliffs have broken down into sandy dunes that sit right above the ocean, and the 1.1-mile loop trail crosses a mix of sand, rocky ground, and forest with wide views of open water.

Archaeologists have found evidence of human activity here going back 10,000 to 12,000 years. Fewer people stop at Indian Sands than at the big-name viewpoints, so you may have the whole trail to yourself.

Cross Oregon’s highest bridge at 345 feet above the ravine

The Thomas Creek Bridge sits inside the corridor, and at 345 feet above the ravine floor, it holds the title of Oregon’s tallest bridge. Built in 1961, the bridge stretches 956 feet from end to end.

You can park on either side and take short trails that give you a look at the structure from below, plus views of the coastline beyond it.

After all the natural rock arches and sea stacks, a steel-and-concrete span hanging 345 feet in the air hits differently.

Whaleshead Beach has a rock that blows mist like the real thing

Whaleshead Beach gets its name from a big offshore rock that looks like the head of a whale.

When waves slam into it at high tide, mist shoots straight up from the top, and for a second, you’d swear the thing is breathing. The beach is one of the easiest to reach in the corridor.

A short drive off Highway 101 takes you to a parking area with restrooms and picnic tables, and from there you walk onto a wide stretch of sand with sea stacks and cliff walls on both sides.

Spot gray whales from the treeless bluffs at Cape Ferrelo

Cape Ferrelo sits about 300 feet above the water on an open, grassy bluff with almost no trees blocking your view.

An easy one-mile loop trail crosses the headland, and below you, Lone Ranch Beach stretches along the shore.

During spring and fall, gray whales pass through on their migration, and this cape is one of the best places in the corridor to watch them. In spring, wildflowers cover the meadows.

The cape takes its name from Bartolome Ferrelo, a Spanish navigator who sailed this coast in the 1500s.

Hike four miles between House Rock and Cape Ferrelo

House Rock Viewpoint holds a memorial dedicated to Samuel H. Boardman, with views that reach north all the way to Cape Sebastian.

A four-mile trail connects House Rock to Cape Ferrelo, and along the way, side paths drop down to small cove beaches that most people never see.

At the southern end of the corridor, Lone Ranch Beach wraps into a crescent shape with tide pools at low tide, sea stacks close to shore, and a picnic area with tables and fire rings.

The Oregon Coast Trail runs 27 miles through 300-year-old spruce

The Oregon Coast Trail threads about 27 miles through the corridor, connecting every major viewpoint and beach along the way.

The trail passes through forests of 300-year-old Sitka spruce, and more than 14 named creeks cross your path as you go. You share the route with seabirds, shorebirds, and marine mammals lounging on the offshore rocks.

If you only have time for a section, pick the stretch between Natural Bridges and Indian Sands for the best variety.

1.2 million seabirds nest on 130 protected offshore islands

The Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge protects about 130 rocks and islands scattered along the corridor’s shoreline.

An estimated 1.2 million seabirds nest on them every year, including common murres, tufted puffins, and pigeon guillemots. Harbor seals and sea lions haul out on the lower rocks to rest and raise their pups.

The islands are closed to people, but you don’t need to set foot on them.

Every clifftop viewpoint in the corridor puts you close enough to watch the colonies with a pair of binoculars.

Explore the Boardman Corridor along Highway 101 in Oregon

The Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor runs along Highway 101 between Brookings and Gold Beach on Oregon’s southern coast. You can visit any day of the year at no cost, and you won’t need a pass or a permit.

Restrooms are available at Arch Rock, the Whaleshead Beach picnic area, and Lone Ranch Beach. Before you head down to any of the beaches, check the tide tables online.

Some spots only open up at low tide, and you don’t want to get caught off guard.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• America’s coolest postal route shoots through an Oregon canyon you need to see
• Oregons wildest 12 miles of coast are free, and almost nobody knows
• The Oregon Coast Just Made a Global Must-See List for 2026