Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Turn off U.S. 101, cross the railroad tracks and look for the retro wooden sign welcoming you to Manhattan Beach Wayside, one of the least-visited, tucked-away parks on the Oregon coast between Nehalem Bay and Rockaway Beach.



People always flock to state parks like Ecola and Oswald West – where you'll find some of the very best views in Oregon – but Manhattan Beach remains a sleepy wayside, offering little more than a quiet stretch of sand.



The park saw just over 83,000 visitors in 2018, according to data provided by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Of the 77 state park sites on the coast, Manhattan Beach ranked 63rd in annual visitors last year. Its biggest year on record is also the oldest year on record, 2002, when nearly 97,000 people showed up.

But that’s still small potatoes compared to the coast’s busiest state parks. Last year’s most popular, Harris Beach, received more than 1.7 million visitors. Even neighboring Nehalem Bay saw more than 700,000 people in 2018.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Manhattan Beach isn’t set up to handle those kinds of crowds, but unlike a lot of side-of-the-road beach access points, it does have established amenities. You'll find a modest, paved parking lot as well as restrooms and, strangely, a park host camped out in an RV by the entrance.

From the parking lot, a short trail leads over a dune down to the ocean. The whole beach stretches just more than a mile from the Nehalem River to a creek that separates Manhattan Beach the state park from Manhattan Beach the small community. To the north you can see the profile of Cape Falcon, and to the south there are the distant figures of Three Arch Rocks.

As far as beaches go, Manhattan Beach is bare-bones and quiet. But on a coastline that offers stunning landscapes and busy beaches galore, that stands out.

Of course, Manhattan Beach is sure to get crowded on beautiful summer days, just like anywhere else on the Oregon coast. But for those looking for a different speed, or even just a new experience, the little tucked-away wayside is a great escape.

Find Manhattan Beach State Recreation Site just north of the town of Rockaway Beach. Follow signs on U.S. 101 to the turnout on Beach Street.

SEE MAP AND MORE PHOTOS BELOW

--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