BANDON:


🌊 Beaches & Scenic Views

  • Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint – Walk the beach, explore tide pools at low tide,         and enjoy spectacular sunsets.
  • Coquille Point – Scenic overlook with sea stacks, seabirds, and opportunities to spot harbor seals.
  • Bandon State Natural Area – Beach walks, hiking, photography, and wildlife viewing.
  • South Jetty Beach – Beachcombing, photography, fishing, and views of the Coquille River Lighthouse.
  • Travelers will need a State Parking Pass to Park at these locations; PURCHASE PASS HERE

🦅 Wildlife & Nature

  • Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge – Excellent for birdwatching, photography, wildlife viewing, fishing, and seasonal recreation.
  • Birdwatching: Look for shorebirds, waterfowl, seabirds, seals, and other coastal wildlife.
  • Coquille River – Fishing, crabbing, boating, kayaking, and scenic waterfront views.

⛳ Golf

🏘️ Old Town Bandon

Old Town offers about 10 blocks of shops, galleries, restaurants, waterfront views, and local attractions. Visitors can walk the boardwalk, shop for local products, enjoy seafood, and watch boats and wildlife along the Coquille River.

🎨 Arts, History & Culture

  • Bandon Historical Society Museum – Local history, including the 1936 fire, maritime history, Native American history, and the cranberry industry.
  • Washed Ashore – Large marine-life sculptures created from beach-collected plastic debris.
  • Local art galleries and studios.
  • Circles in the Sand – Walkable labyrinth artwork created on the beach and erased by the tides.

🦀 Fishing & Crabbing

  • Crabbing from the Coquille River/Old Town area.
  • Ocean and river fishing.
  • Clamming and other seasonal coastal activities.
  • Local businesses can provide equipment and information.

🐴 Family Activities

🗼 Nearby Attractions

For a longer outing, visitors can explore:

  • Bullards Beach State Park & Coquille River Lighthouse
  • Seven Devils
  • Whiskey Run Mountain Bike Trails
  • Cape Arago State Park
  • Shore Acres State Park
  • South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
  • Cape Blanco Lighthouse and Port Orford

🍒 Seasonal Experiences

Bandon is known as Oregon's Cranberry Capital, with cranberry-related

activities and the annual Cranberry Festival. Fall brings cranberry harvest scenery,

while winter is popular for dramatic coastal storm watching.


Port Orford is a small coastal town known for its rugged ocean scenery, beaches, hiking, fishing, historic sites, art galleries, and working fishing harbor.

It is located along Highway 101 between Bandon and Gold Beach.

🏖️ Beaches & Scenic Areas


🥾 Hiking & Nature

🗼 History & Attractions

⚓ Port & Fishing

The Port of Port Orford is a working commercial fishing port and is famous for its unusual “dolly dock,” where large cranes lift fishing boats from the water onto trailers.

Visitors can watch the fishing fleet launch and retrieve.

Fishing opportunities include:

  • Deep-sea fishing
  • Salmon and river fishing
  • Crabbing
  • Kayak fishing
  • Scuba diving

🛶 Water Activities

Visitors can enjoy sea kayaking, surfing, windsurfing, paddleboarding, kiteboarding, and scuba diving. The Port Orford area also provides access to coves, kelp beds, reefs,       and marine wildlife. Reserve with South Coast Tours

🎨 Arts & Shopping

Port Orford has an active arts community with numerous galleries featuring paintings, sculpture, ceramics, woodworking, metalwork, and other locally created art. Small shops also offer local crafts, gifts, books, and coastal products.

🦕 Family Attraction

Prehistoric Gardens, just south of town, features life-sized dinosaur sculptures set among    a coastal rainforest and offers a unique stop for families.

🚴 Scenic Biking

The Wild Rivers Coast Scenic Bikeway begins in Port Orford and offers a roughly 60-mile coastal and river route with ocean views, forests, rivers, cranberry country, and sea stacks.

🌅 Seasonal Activities

  • Spring: wildflowers, hiking, beaches and wildlife viewing.
  • Summer: boating, kayaking, fishing, hiking, biking and beach activities.
  • Fall: fishing, cycling, hiking and wildlife viewing.
  • Winter: dramatic storm watching, beachcombing and coastal photography.

Great guest day trip from Bandon:
 Bandon → Port Orford Heads → Port Orford harbor/dolly dock → Battle Rock → Cape Blanco Lighthouse & State Park → return to Bandon. This combines scenic viewpoints, history, beaches, wildlife, and coastal photography in one outing.

Coos Bay is a great base for exploring the Southern Oregon Coast, with beaches, forests, dunes, museums, wildlife, boating, hiking, and scenic drives.

The city is also close to North Bend and Charleston, making the entire bay area easy to explore.

🌊 Beaches & Coastal Scenery

  • Shore Acres State Park – Beautiful gardens, dramatic cliffs, ocean viewpoints, and seasonal storm watching.
  • Cape Arago State Park – Coastal trails, tide pools, and opportunities to see seals, sea lions, and whales.
  • Bastendorff Beach – Beachcombing, photography, fishing, and sunset viewing.

9🏜️ Oregon Dunes

The nearby Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area offers hiking, wildlife viewing, horseback riding, fishing, camping, paddling, sandboarding, and off-highway vehicle recreation. Some dunes reach approximately 500 feet high.

🥾 Hiking & Nature

  • South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve – Hiking, kayaking, birdwatching, and wildlife viewing.
  • Golden & Silver Falls State Natural Area – Forest hiking and two spectacular waterfalls.
  • Mingus Park – Walking around the lake, gardens, recreation, and picnicking.
  • John Topits Park / Empire Lakes – Walking, wildlife, fishing, and outdoor recreation.

⚓ Boating, Fishing & Wildlife

Coos Bay and the surrounding waterways offer fishing, crabbing, boating, kayaking, surfing, and wildlife viewing. The coastal area is also known for marine mammals, seabirds, and seasonal whale watching.

🏛️ Museums & History

  • Coos History Museum – Local Native American, maritime, logging, and settlement history.
  • Coos Art Museum – Northwest and contemporary art, changing exhibits, and the Steve Prefontaine Memorial Collection.
  • Oregon Coast Historical Railway – Vintage railroad and logging equipment.
  • Marshfield Sun Printing Museum – Historic printing equipment and local newspaper history.

🎭 Downtown Coos Bay

Visitors can explore the historic downtown/Marshfield District, including:

  • Coos Bay Boardwalk
  • Historic buildings
  • Local shops and galleries
  • Restaurants and seafood
  • Egyptian Theatre
  • Farmers market and community events

The city specifically recommends historic walking tours, downtown shopping, dining, museums, and the waterfront.

⛳ Golf & Cycling

Golf, bicycling, mountain biking, and other outdoor recreation are available throughout the Coos Bay area. Nearby Whiskey Run also offers an extensive mountain-bike trail system.

🍬 Local Food & Shopping

Visitors can enjoy fresh seafood, local restaurants, food trucks, breweries, specialty shops, galleries, and local products such as cranberries. The Coos Bay Downtown Farmers Market operates seasonally.

📸 Suggested Day Trip from Bandon

For guests staying at Sunset Oceanfront Lodging, a nice Coos Bay day trip would be:

Bandon → Coos Bay Boardwalk → Coos History Museum → Charleston → Sunset Bay → Shore Acres → Cape Arago → return to Bandon