“MINI-MARCHERS” AT A CANNON BEACH TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR MEASURE 6
IN 1968. THE EVENT DREW MORE THAN 200 SUPPORTERS.
PHOTO COURTESY OREGONIAN / OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
HOBBIT TRAIL
BEACHES
FOREVER!
O
ne of the things that makes
Oregon so livable is our miles
of unspoiled public beaches.
More than a century ago,
Oregon Gov. Oswald West
engineered the first major
protection of public access
to the state’s beaches by
convincing the 1913 Oregon
Legislature to declare all the state’s tidelands to be a state
highway. Wait, what?
If you could teleport yourself to the local beach in 1899,
you’d find wagons using the wide expanses of packed sand
as the only public roads north and south.
West’s workaround held for more than 50 years.
But in 1966, a local hotel owner challenged the public
easement, instructing his resort’s “cabana boys” to tell
beachgoers who were not staying at the motel to leave the
dry sand “private beach” in front of the motel.
The effort drew public complaint and exposed a flaw
52
June 1, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com
Why are Oregon
Beaches Public,
and Where Can
You Enjoy One?
The parking pullout for Hobbit Trail is easy to miss, just
a mile north of Heceta Head, on the east side of Highway
101. Be careful as you cross the road – then plunge into the
deep cool of Sitka spruce and rhodies. Follow the Hobbit
Trail as it winds down towards the ocean. Get your Bilbo
Baggins on as the soft sandstone beneath you squishes
under your feet. Go barefoot. Seriously, this is the best
part. The trail getting down to the beach is magical.
BY RACHAEL CARNES
in the 1913 bill, which technically protected only the wet
sands.
The 1967 Legislature attempted to fix the loophole with
House Bill 1601. Dubbed the “Beach Bill,” it declared all
wet sand lying within 16 vertical feet of the low-tide line
to be the property of the state. The law also required that
property owners seek state permits for building and other
uses of the ocean shore and declared that the public would
have free and uninterrupted use of the beaches.
Fifty years later, we enjoy the Beach Bill’s success.
Here are just a few local beaches on and off the beaten
path worth celebrating:
HECETA HEAD LIGHTHOUSE
STATE SCENIC VIEWPOINT
Located 13 miles north of Florence. At low tide, tide pools
to the north reveal themselves, and a pleasant 10-minute walk
leads to a fully restored lighthouse. Built in 1894, the 56-foot
lighthouse shines a beam visible for 21 nautical miles, making
it the strongest light on the Oregon Coast.
SEAL ROCK STATE PARK
Seal Rock State Wayside, a few miles north of Waldport,
has large off-shore rock formations which provide year-
round habitats for seals, sea lions, sea birds and other
marine life. Terrific tide pooling can be found here.
BRIAN BOOTH STATE PARK
Brian Booth State Park is a coastal recreational area just
north of Seal Rock, consisting of two major portions: Ona
Beach State Park and Beaver Creek Natural Area. The park has
beach access, kayaking and hiking trails — and fewer people.
NAMELESS SPOT SOUTH OF NEWPORT
About eight miles south of Newport, look for milepost
145, and about three quarters of a mile north of that, you’ll
see an unmarked beach access with a gravel patch by the
side of the road. Once on this unnamed beach, you’ll find
a pleasant stream and a lot of striking sandstone cliffs. But
head maybe a quarter of a mile to the south and there’s a
couple of enchanting rounded-out areas in the cliffs, one of
which has a tiny waterfall.
Whose beaches? Our beaches!