PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s a road once taken, you’ll never want to leave: The “Cape Arago Highway” skirts a lonesome section of the Southern Oregon coastline.
It leads you past so many intriguing sights and sounds that you may wonder, "Why have I never come this way before?"
When Marty Giles comes a knocking, you better be ready because her class is in session. The longtime teacher and owner and operator of “Wavecrest Discoveries” showed up bright and early at our campsite in the Sunset Beach State Park Campground.
Chris and I were ready for a day of travel and learning more about the Coos Bay area of the Southern Oregon coast. Giles promised us a day filled with sights that takes the breath away and would fill us with surprise.
First stop, the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area; a timeless coastal treasure and giant sandbox with plenty of elbowroom to stretch out and play.
The Oregon Dunes covers forty-two miles from Florence to Coos Bay and is an Oregon landmark for outdoor recreation.
People come from all over to experience the 32,000 acres of sand, forest, rivers and lakes, so don’t forget your hiking boots for when you stroll the many trails to reach the dunes.
We follow Giles along the “John Dellenback Trail” at the Eel Creek Campground.
She noted that many folks are surprised to learn that the dune sand doesn't come from the ocean but from the mountains.
“The sand is really tiny bits of rock or crystals that are broken apart, brought from the mountains down to the ocean,” said Giles. “The sand grains that we’re standing on came down the streams and rivers down the ocean when the sea level was lower and then were pushed back up as the sea level rose up.”
Hiking across the dunes really puts you in touch with a unique story of Oregon’s geography. Giles noted that some of the dunes reach 500 feet tall, among the highest dunes in the world.
The Oregon Dunes story is interesting, complex and ever changing.
“Everybody likes the open sand,” noted Giles. “Everybody likes this type of habitat; everyone likes this sense of openness and dynamics of things changing. It feels wild with the wind blowing. It has a wonderful sense of place, and everybody likes that.”
Soon, we were back on the road and traveled six miles southeast from Sunset Bay State Park on the Seven Devils Road to visit a piece of Oregon coastal paradise that’s been preserved since 1974.
The South Slough Estuarine Research Preserve offers a visitor center that introduces you to the area with varied multi-media and hands-on exhibits.
We hurried into the South Slough Visitor Center to beat a November downpour and Giles said with a laugh, “people complain about the rain, but really there’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing.”
Inside the center, exhibits put you in touch with a rare piece of Oregon coastal environment, especially the aquariums with both fresh and saltwater marine life.
Education Specialist, Joy Tally, said each of the three tanks puts you in touch with Oregon’s coastal environment.
“They help you experience what an estuary is, see what the habitats are, and then, you use that as your jumping-off point for exploring the rest of South Slough,” she said.
There are more than 5,000 acres in South Slough Preserve — approximately 1,000 of that is the slough itself, then the rest is protected upland forest or marshland.
You will find plenty of elbow room and plenty of trails to explore at South Slough Preserve.
“It is undisturbed, it is not developed, and you do have more interaction with wildlife here," said Giles. "It’s quiet! It’s peaceful! And you can picture what life was like many years ago across this southern branch of greater Coos Bay."
One of my favorite trails is called the Hidden Creek Trail — a little over a mile in length, and it offers a wonderful wooden boardwalk that takes you out over a wetland area where the freshwater creek meets the sea.
In addition, there are many stunning views along the trail, including those from atop a two-level deck that looks across a marsh area to the Winchester Arm of the slough.
The Hidden Creek Trail allows you to keep your feet dry and the walking is easy with gorgeous views at every turn. Be sure to bring your camera to capture memories of time well spent.
Be sure to watch the weekly half hour program of Grant’s Getaways. The show airs each Saturday and Sunday at 4pm on KGW.
For something different, you can follow my Oregon adventures via the Grant’s Getaways Podcast: Each segment is a story-telling session where I relate behind the scenes stories from four decades of travel and television reporting.
You can also learn more about many of my favorite Oregon travels and adventures in the Grant’s Getaways book series, including:
- "Grants Getaways I," Photography by Steve Terrill
- "Grant's Getaways II," Photography by Steve Terrill
- “Grant’s Getaways: 101 Oregon Adventures,” Photography by Jeff Kastner
- “Grant’s Getaways: Guide to Wildlife Watching in Oregon,” Photography by Jeff Kastner
- “Grant’s Getaways: Oregon Adventures with the Kids,” Photography by Jeff Kastner
The book collection offers hundreds of outdoor activities across Oregon and promises to engage a kid of any age.
You can reach me: Gmcomie@kgw.com