Oswald West State Park

Drove by Oswald West State Park. The park was below me but I did’t head down. There are lots of view points to stop and admire the beautiful view. It was very cold and foggy the day that I was in Oregon Coast. I loved the view. I mean to be honest where ever you go in Oregon its beautiful. BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL. What more can I say.
I find the rock in Oregon Coast very interesting.

Don’t miss this gem! There are few better spots in the coast. Water fall, creeks, beautiful scenic hikes. Tide pools, etc.
Cape falcon offers relief from the nasty north wind that is so familiar in the summer.
I have had a love hate relationship with surfing here over the decades. Right now I’m loving it, the sand bars are perfect.
The way I see it you’d be hard pressed to locate a prettier setting.
Heads up its busy, and not just on the weekends anymore.
Remember to STAY SAFE! I can not begin to tell how many coast guard rescues I have seen here over the years. One of those rides is about $ 15,000 and yes they will charge you.
Stay on the trail if your a hiker.
«If in doubt don’t paddle out!» Short Sands has some strong rips throughout the year.
You will here people say it’s a good beginner beach. From time to time that’s true. Under 6ft.
If you want to learn, know the code, and a lesson never hurts.
Hang onto your board! You have 10ft of board, 13ft of leash, and I don’t have dental.

There is no nicer beach on the planet.
I could stop there and let the secret be held by only a few. But this is truly a pleasure to behold. A diamond in the vast offerings of beaches. From Hawaii to Florida, you should take the time to come behold this magical place for yourself.
The trail down to the beach is a fern jungle with river crossings and wooden bridges. Each mature tree has moss growing on their shaded sides with their branches draped in lichen. Jurassic park has nothing on this walk back in time.
The trail ends with a beach surrounded by shear cliffs that form a bay over a mile wide. The river pours into the south side of the bay and both sea and fresh water life collide.
I’ll just close with this. «You don’t know what you don’t know.» This place is just that, one to experience.

¡Híjole! It’s all about the views. Being from LA, we hardly get this kind of vista at home. Needless to say, we relished in it and were in awe. The park stretches along four miles of coastline in dense, temperate rainforest. OWSP has secluded sandy beach and miles of trails leading to breathtaking views of the Pacific. It also contains Neahkahnie Mountain, Short Sand Beach, Short Sand Creek, Necarney Creek, Cape Falcon, Smugglers Cove and the Oregon Coast Trail. Urban legend claims pirate treasure is buried near Smugglers Cove but has never been found. We didn’t find it :(
Nonetheless, you can catch the grey whales migrating and take fantastic shots. Kind of mind blowing. Be sure to stop while on the 101.

Ecola State Park is the better known park on the northern part of the coast. However, a friend recommended that I go to the Manzanita area instead because there is better geography to see. I took his advice and am glad I did. Coming from the north, the parking lots are on the side of the highway. A smaller lot is on the right while the primary lot is on the left. The Cape Falcon trail starts near the smaller parking lot. As an added bonus, there is no fee to park. It is approximately an hour hike to and from the cape. The hike is not strenuous since the elevation changes are minimal. The trail is also pretty well maintained. I experienced some mud but you could run on it if you feel inclined since I saw someone do it without much trouble. The trees and foliage on the path are very beautiful. In my travels, Cape Falcon delivers the best view of the coast. The sight of Neahkahnie Mountain and cliffs next to the Pacific Ocean is spectacular.
I also hiked up Neahkahnie Mountain. I drove down the highway in an attempt to find the trailhead. I missed the sign for the north trailhead. As a result, I parked at the south trailhead which appears on the left shortly after you exit the state park. The hike to the summit is definitely a good exercise with a decent level of elevation gain. However, the views are obstructed by the tall trees. On the mountain, the best views of the coast occur during the hike up since there is no clearing that provides a payoff at the top. Near the top, the path splits into three directions. The path on the left takes you to a phone tower that has a decent view but it is nothing special. The path straight ahead took me in a circle back to the same intersection. The path to the right is another way that takes you back to the bottom. It is a wide path and easy to hike down. Unfortunately, I could not find where the trails on the south side of the mountain connect to the trails on the north side. As such, I did not get an opportunity to explore those trails which may be better. The view of Neahkahnie Mountain from Cape Falcon is much better than actually being on the trails on the south side of the mountain. If you want to try the trails on the north side, make sure to look for signs for the «Oregon Coast Trail» on the drive down from Cape Falcon. It is not called Neahkahnie Mountain so I missed it on the drive down. There are also a number of lookout points on the drive so that you can enjoy awesome views of the coast.
If you are traveling the Portland area and looking for recommendations, please see

We escaped a sweltering heat wave (95º) sucking the life out us in Portland. We headed to a sunny but cooler Cape Falcon on the Oregon Coast 10 miles south of Cannon Beach. In the park there is a network of trails through old growth forest out to a long stretch of sandy beach. From the beach climb the trail (ascending up 500 feet) and winding along the cliffs through a variety of thick lush green ferns, The trail is spotted with lots of white, yellow and purple dainty wildflowers. You walk under the shades of Hemlock and Spruce – 68º – way more comfortable than sizzling Portland. Oh, phenomenal ocean views! Hiking is easy out and back in the shade of trees for about 5 miles. Bring a snack and beach blanket and hang out awhile at the beach. It’s another grandiose day on the Oregon coast!

They have both difficult and easy hikes here. There are public bathrooms too. Lots of old growth forest and trees. It’s so beautiful even in the rain. Had a great hike/​time.

This was our last stop along the Oregon coast before we headed back to Portland and it was worth the extra 20 minute drive. Absolutely gorgeous!

Great 5 mile hike round trip to the Northern rock off of Short Sands beach in Oswald State Park. Parking if easy on the weekdays-​on the weekends, come early (especially during summer months). The trail head is easily identifiable going southbound on 101 it’s a small parking lot to the right before the large parking lot on the left. If you’ve gone over the bridge over Necarney Creek then you’ve gone too far.
The hike starts out easy enough-​flat with a gradual incline. Then as you tread further the terrain gets a little bumpy with tree roots and muddy spots. There is one ‘bridge’ that’s made from a large log that can be precarious for some. Dogs are welcome on this hike and the view at the top of the hike is definitely worth the work!
Reason it got 4 stars instead of 5: toward the end of the hike the trail was very overgrown (wear long pants and long sleeve shirts) AND beware of hornets nests (my husband got stung by a group of angry hornets).
Overall a great hike-​intermediate level and great for dogs.

The first hike I ever took was from the 101 to Short Sand Beach. It’s a nice and pretty short hike, although the beach is not as spectacular as some of the other beaches in the area (Indian, Arcadia and Neahkahnie especially). However, the hike to Cape Falcon is very worthwhile. The forest is gorgeous with interesting twists and turns. The views of Neahkahnie Mountain are spectacular. I’m honestly not sure if we got to Cape Falcon (there was no signage where we ended). If you’re walking towards Cape Falcon, do what another hiker told us on the way up – when the train sort of splits as you’re getting close to the cape, bear to the left and walk through thick berry bushes to the top of the hill. It’s fun and the view at the end is a huge pay-​off in all directions. Sit on the steep, rocky cliff and enjoy Neahkahnie Mountain and the spectacular rock formations all around.

Cape Falcon trail is an easy hike that can be done in under 3 hours roundtrip. Some spots were muddy so wear good hiking shoes. This is the place to bring those weird ski poles that I will refrain from using until I’m at least 50 years of tender age.
When you come to a fork in the trail, stay right, go through bushes that tower over even an 8ft giant. You’ll come to a clearing where you can see the bluff below. This was the exact spot my best friend proposed to me while we were munching on baked pastries. Don’t forget to wear sunscreen and long pants. And not sure if those
glistening purple berries were huckleberries. Don’t eat berries on this trail because the nearest hospital is probably more than an hour away. At least that’s what I kept telling my crazy inner bear whenever I saw a nice patch of huckleberries just chilling in the breeze.
Trust me, I’m a medical corp ninja.

Takes your breath away beauty.
While the entire Oregon Coast is stunning, particularly the stretch between Cannon Beach and Manzanita, Oswald West State Park is an easily accessible place that will take you back to your natural self for very little effort.
Park and walk down ½ mile through old growth forest, a twisty, rope suspension bridge leads down a creek side of spear ferns, douglas fir and sausal which opens to a secret cove with towering cliff sides, a beachfront waterfall, tidepools with sea anemones and a walkable sandy beach. Rugged, ancient and beautiful.

Awesome hiking, best costal park i have ever been to.

Fave short and easy trail. A must see. So many interesting and jungly moments and opens up to the awesome and surfable beach. Check tidal pools for giant starfish and sea anemones

Great great trail! We parked in the lot and took the trail through the stream over the highway and into the trail. It was sooo pretty with green ferns and berry greens along the patch. Small quaint nature path that goes high then forks into two trails, one to the beach one higher into the mountain. We took the beach trail and ended at Short Sands which was a lovely little beach with big logs to play on and take pictures. There was a huge bananna slug along the walk with twig camoflauge on its back.

«Ocian in view — O Joy» — Lewis and Clark
This is a little sliver of paradise. Wonderful at any season. Bring a picnic.
Enjoy the cove, the cliffs, the mighty spruces, the waterfall, the tidepools… Be optimistic that our earth will forgive us and heal.
Note — the campground is closed, probably forever, due to a huge tree that fell on a calm night with no warning.

If I could only show a visitor one spot on the coast, Oswald would be a good choice. It’s a cove sheltered by two sharp cliffs. To the north is a waterfall with tidal pools of mussels and anemones at its base. You can see incredible colors striped through the rock along this cliff. There’s even a spot with a muppet-​style face in the rocks! To the south is a stream that trails out of the forest to join the ocean. (John Denver anyone? Where the River Meets the Sea, Muppets Christmas album, so good) There’s an awesome wide log you can walk to cross the stream for the fun of it. There’s plenty of drift logs, practically the size of whole trees, upon which to sit and share a moment with a loved one gazing at the peace of the bay. Or watching a surfer biff it on a big one.
There’s a walk from the parking lot to the beach, not strenuous, that meanders by a tree with a hallow base you can stand in, trees growing on top of a fallen tree, a burbling waterfall, and a tree too wide for two people to hold hands around.
It’s a wonderland.
FYI, the campground is still closed in order to let the ecology recover.

There are a few magical days every winter when the wind is gusting west from the gorge and the Oregon coast is significantly warmer than Portland. The day after Christmas, we decided to avoid the malls and head to one of our favorite beaches at Oswald West State Park.
There are other beautiful beaches nearby, but Oswald West seems to be a bit more sheltered. After a leisurely stroll through the former campground, which closed in 2009, you can access Short Sands Beach or take the scenic Cape Falcon hike. The hike is around 2.5 miles and filled with old growth trees and salal bushes. The trail ends with a spectacular lookout above the cape. Most of the hike is under a canopy of trees and you just get peeks of the shoreline and beach along the way. The trail is relatively level, but covered with roots and fallen trees.
Short Sands Beach is a beautiful spot and if you walk to the north end of the beach, you’ll see a waterfall. The beach is in a relatively small cove, so it is an entirely different feel from Cannon, Tolovana or Manzanita beaches which tend to draw the masses and the wind. Since you hike in, most visitors are there to beach comb and don’t bring huge coolers or other beach gear. Fingers crossed for more sunny days this winter.

Park your car in the lot, load your things in a wheelbarrow, and make your way down to the best camping ever. Every campsite is vastly different from the next in shape and size, and the ocean is less than five minutes away on a little scenic trail. In addition to the crashing waves, there is a bubbling brook running along one side of the campground. Can you tell I love nature sounds?
Don’t forget a flashlight or headlamp… no lights anywhere, even in the bathroom. Can be quite popular on weekends and does not take reservations. If you’re not wanting to stay the night, great hiking in the area and Short Sands is supposed to have excellent waves for surfing (my dog and I like it just for the smooth sand and ocean views).