Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

The parking lot is tiny. There isn’t a campground. And if you’re driving down U.S. 101, there aren’t any signs to tell you it’s there.

Like its namesake animal, Otter Point is one of the most elusive state parks on the Oregon coast. It's a beautiful slice of public land that somehow maintains an air of secrecy, making it a great destination for seasoned coastal travelers who are looking for something new.



Located just a few miles north of Gold Beach, the 121-acre state park features short hiking trails along crumbling sandstone bluffs. Just below is a stretch of sandy beach that extends all the way down to the north jetty on the Rogue River, accessible from a small pullout just down the road from the main park entrance.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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The park's beauty is understated when compared to the towering cliffs of Ecola or the sea stacks of Harris Beach – it even pales in comparison to Cape Kiwanda, another sandstone headland on the northern Oregon coast. Instead, Otter Point offers a small, quiet place to explore. It's not a park where you spend the day hiking, but one where you could spend a long afternoon looking into all its nooks and crannies.



In 2018, only about 35,000 people visited Otter Point, according to statistics kept by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, making it one of the state's least popular park sites. Though, it is worth noting that last year was the park's third busiest on record, continuing a steady three-year upward trend.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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More people may be discovering Otter Point, but it’s unlikely the park will become overcrowded any time soon – the tiny park site simply doesn’t have the space to accommodate a crowd. Once the parking area fills up, there’s nowhere else to go, forcing visitors to turn around and try again another day.

If you do get turned away once, it’s well worth it to try again. Otter Point is a fascinating little park on a beautiful stretch of the coast. And barring some serious investment it may very well remain hidden forever, keeping the little pocket of coastline a secret for years to come.

NOTE: The sandstone at Otter Point is very unstable, so please explore with caution and avoid going out onto the edges of cliffs.

To get to Otter Point, take U.S. 101 to Old Coast Road, found about three miles north of Gold Beach (the highway and road meet just farther north as well). Turn right at the next intersection and follow the road for .7 miles to the signed park entrance.

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--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian