South Beach State Park, Newport, Oregon

What: South Beach State Park
Where: South of Newport, Oregon
When: August 2009
Why: To go to the beach!
How much: Free
How long: We could spend all day....

This is a nice beach. It was actually the 3rd one we tried, looking for a nice beach for a picnic dinner and campfire. The first was Beverly Beach State Park, about 20 miles north, but it was super duper windy and we would have been miserable. Agate Beach wasn't much better. South Beach was great. Not very windy at all.

There was plenty of parking here, some grass by the restrooms and parking lot, then a little hill to walk over and down to the beach. We went left for several hundred yards and were the only ones over there, so if you want more privacy then just walk for a few minutes.

We found a log and sand dune already used for a fire, so we set up there. The wet sand had a lot of little flies in it, but this dry sand was insect free.

The sunset was gorgeous!!!

This is a long, flat beach and when the tide goes out it's a long way to the water. If you're going to build a fire, I would suggest filling up a bucket before it gets dark so you don't get wet trying to find the water in the dark. Just a suggestion...right honey? :)

This was a nice beach for the kids to play, not too crowded, etc. I would go back again.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Newport, Oregon

What: Yaquina Head Lighthouse
Where: North end of Newport, Oregon.
When: August 2009
Why: Tallest Lighthouse in Oregon. I like lighthouses.
How Much: $7 per car, free for National Parks passholders like us
How Long: 1 hour for lighthouse, more for beaches and visitor center

At 93 feet tall, it's the tallest lighthouse in oregon. We were just exploring this section of the coast, so we stopped for a brief visit. There is a visitor center that we didn't go to. There is a paved, accessible trail to the beach that looked cool, but we didn't go there either. There is another cove/beach that is a short hike down some stairs, and we didn't do that either, but there are supposed to be good tidepools to explore.

We went to the lighthouse. Unfortunately, you have to be 42 inches tall to climb to the top and K was an inch too short. They are very strict about height, so be warned. If you're too short, you get a coloring page and they tell you to bring it back when you're tall enough and your whole family gets a free 3-day pass to the park. Whoop de doo.

There was a long wait, 20 minutes maybe? to climb the stairs. A BLM employee stands there to tell you when you can go up. You climb 3 flights of winding stairs and then you have to wait again at the top for your chance to climb about 7 stairs up to the window so you can see this view:

This is the lens you see. I have no idea why they think it's too dangerous or scary for my 4-year-old who can climb Astoria column and actually stand outside in the wind, or who could go on the Bobsleds roller coaster at Disneyland when she was 2 years old, but cannot climb this dumb lighthouse.

Can you tell it was annoying? Dumb rules make me annoyed.

So W waited with K while I took the other kids up, and then he went up while we looked at the ocean. It was very windy, and the tide was coming in, so we couldn't see the harbor seals that were out by these rocks. We could see some birds, though.

So...tips would include not taking your kids shorter than 42 inches, and unless you REALLY like lighthouses, it's not worth waiting 20-30 minutes to see the view for 5 seconds.

Also, they have pins you can get for a small donation. The one at the top says "I survived" climbing the lighthouse. Moms like me who are suckers for this stuff, bring a dollar with you to donate. :)

Fogarty Creek State Park, Oregon

When: August 2009
Where: Fogarty Creek State Park, along Highway 101 just north of Depoe Bay, Oregon.
Why: To explore tidepools at low tide.
How much: Free.
How long: 1-2 hours for tidepools.

We arrived shortly after 7 am, for a low tide somewhere around 7:30 or 8 am. We were the first ones there. There are 2 parking lots, north and south. Either one works, then you cross the footbridge, go under the highway and you're at the beach. There are picnic tables and restrooms by the parking lots.

There is a stretch of sand, then rocks to both sides. We went to the right and found a great bunch of tidepools.

The rocks were covered with seaweed and were a bit slippery, but the tide was far out and didn't make me nervous at all (it was -0.3 or so). We saw lots of sea stars, sea anenomes, mussels, limpets, and a few crabs and seagulls. And a heron:

This was a nice beach, would be great to just come play in the sand as well. Wear a jacket and sturdy shoes--expect to get your feet wet in the tidepools and rocks. Bring a guidebook for the tidepools if you want. You can touch the sea creatures but you're not supposed to remove them.