Bullards Beach SP - Beach Hiking

July 16, 2019

It's been 18 years since we camped at Bullards Beach SP just north of Bandon.  Back in 2001 we stayed just 2 nights since we waited too late to get reservations, this time it was for 4 nights.  In 2001 the cheese factory was Bandon Cheese Co, now it is Face Rock Creamery.  In 2001 we had 2 young kids and no dog while camping, this time our grown daughter and our dog joined us. Having visited Bandon many times over the years, we of course made our way back to old favorites like Bandon Sweets N Treats & Bandon Bakery Co (even got Katie some baked dog treats), but we also visited new places like the Bandon Coffee Cafe, The Rolling Pin Bake & Brew, and the Bandon Brewing Co.  Notice a "food" theme?

Wide open beaches at Bullards Beach SP

Coquille Lighthouse

In between those food stops, we did a number of hikes to and along the beach area which is considered part of the Oregon Coast Trail (OCT).

Looking out along the jetty

Looking back at the lighthouse along the jetty

One hike involved following the lighthouse trail from the campground to a day use area, going over the sand dunes to the beach, and then hiking along the beach 1.5 miles to the jetty at the Coquille Lighthouse and back.  The wind was at our back hiking to the jetty which was fine, but the return 1.5 miles felt more like 5 miles as we heading into a very strong wind.  Katie though enjoyed her beach time.  Hiking in soft sand at the beach is a differnt kind of hike which we found out many times on this trip.

Downtown Bandon

Our yurt at Bullards Beach SP

Our beach hiking totalled about 7-8 miles in all and helped put us over the 300 mile mark for the year.  We did do another hike south of Bandon, but that will be another post.  One last note - while in Bandon we visited the Washed Ashore Project Art Museum.  Be sure to check out their website as this organization works to help clean up our oceans and beaches.  If you go to Bandon, be sure to stop and visit their free museum.  Very hands on and great for kids of all ages.

Our daughter being eaten by a plastic trash fish

A whale skeleton at the Washed Ashore Museum

Another plastic trash work of art in the museum

Trekking Together
Glenn & Carol

Escape to the Coast!

August 16 & 17, 2018

Southern Oregon has been hit with numerous wildfires since mid-July.  It seems we are surrounded by fires and the Rogue Valley is a natural catch-all for the smoke.  As a result we have hiked very little and those hikes have been local and short due to the air quality.  So it is only natural that like other hike deprived hikers, we had to venture out a ways to get to some clean air for our "fix" of hiking.

Time for some hiking at the coast!

We packed up the car, Katie included, and drove to Gold Beach for a few days. We also managed to stop at Harris Beach SP in Brookings on the way to and from Gold Beach for some hiking.

Path from our lodging to the beach....

Beautiful ocean!

From our cabin at Ireland's Rustic Lodges in Gold Beach, we hiked out to and along the beach to Kissing Rock enjoying the beautiful and wide beach under clear blue skies.  Katie especially enjoys beach hikes and rolled in the sand and/or on rocks numerous times.  We also enjoy beach hikes but due to other people being on the beach, we refrained from rolling in the sand on our backs like Katie.

Kissing Rock

We also made a stop at the Cape Sebastian Viewpoint and hiked the Oregon Coast Trail in each direction from the parking lot.  It felt great to be among the trees and ferns with the wind blowing and to have views of the ocean and coastline.  The  hikes were not that long, but it felt great to get out and stretch our legs.

View of Oregon Coast along the OCT

OCT winding its way through the trees.

We also took time to just sit back and enjoy the sights, sounds and smell of the Oregon Coast.  It truly was a much needed break for us and we ended up hiking over 11 miles too!

Arch rock at North Myers Creek Beach

Hopefully the fires will subside in time for some Autumn hiking as there are lots of trails we really enjoy during that time of year.

Trekking Together
Glenn & Carol