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    Bob Straub State Park

    4.4 (7 reviews)

    Bob Straub State Park Photos

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    View of Haystack Rock/Cape Kiwanda from Park
    Lynn W.

    Pacific City is a beach village west of Pacific Coast Highway 101 -- cut off on one side by the coastal mountain range, on another by the Pacific, and winding through and around the village is river-front -- and lots of houses perched on the river's edge with docks and bike trails -- and Bob Straub State Park almost seems like an afterthought. Take the last left turn on the last road -- just a couple of hundred yards from the water's edge, and most of that space is filled with sand, salt grass, and beach houses sitting just a few feet above sea level. Like the section of Hwy. 101 in Waldport (where waves splash up over the seawall into oncoming traffic!) the sea-levelest of sea level locations can be a little unnerving -- especially since I am visiting less than 72 hours after an 8.0 earthquake in the Pacific and its 6.0-7.0 aftershocks. The road itself feels pretty remote -- you can't actually see the shore until after you park (in a turn-around lot, complete with rest room facilities) --and climb over the little car-height bluff. Then it opens up to -- the west. The water. The sunset. The waves. The oncoming clouds. It's pretty impressive. Pacific City's natural landmarks, Haystack Rock, and Cape Kiwanda, are also pretty impressive -- bringing to mind the rocky coast of Scotland more than anything else. Even in the off season, this beach gets lots of foot traffic. Just before the 2-way road turns into Park drive, there's a stable that offers beach horse-rides -- which is much too cool for me, but possibly not for experienced horse people.... And the real close-up view of Haystack Rock is from the village's sandy parking lot about a mile north of this little State Park -- though I'm not sure the rock benefits from close up viewing....

    Adrienne D.

    Beautiful nearly deserted beach with a haystack rock in the ocean. It's a peaceful stretch of sand with the occasional shell, crab leg, and seaweed find. There is a nice sized parking lot and clean bathrooms to use, then simply walk up one of the beach grass-lined paths to reach the beach. When I was there there was only one family and one guy walking his dogs. Great spot to take photos and take a long stroll in solitude.

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    Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area

    Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area

    4.8(40 reviews)
    2.7 mi

    I'll never forget this trip and look forward to dipping my toes in the sand in warmer temperatures…read more It's not too crowded and you'll want to kick your shoes off as soon as you see the soft white sand. We couldn't resist climbing the top of the giant steep sand dune, and I'm glad we made it! Stunning views of the ocean from the top, and it's fun to people watch too. Our dog made it too. Some ran back down, others skipped, some used sleds. It's fun either way! You'll be able to rinse your gear as you head to the parking lot. There's clean bathrooms and plenty of parking. Hungry? There's restaurants near too.

    What a great little getaway! Did I think it was secluded? No. Did I expect it to be busy? No,…read morebut it was. We first checked out this place on a lovely Juneteenth Friday afternoon. The temperature was in the low 80s, but the cool ocean breeze made everything just right. It had been raining all week prior, so we thought we'd explore and give our little mutt, Tha 'il Nana, some much needed sun. So, here's a few things about Cape Kiwanda: First off, there's a public parking lot at the beach where Pelican Brewing is located that requires a Daily Fee of $10. Just remember to place the parking pass on your dashboard. The lot probably holds about 125-150 spaces, so we had no issue finding a spot. People coming and going as well. Second, expect high winds and sand blowing down the dune and along the beach. And expect those high windy days to kick up the sand along the beach. It's also pretty scenic so bring a camera or make sure your phone is fully charged. Speaking of dune, there were plenty of folks challenging themselves running up it. And usually folks would end up heading towards the tidepools. There's definitely a lot of interesting things to see from crabs, to green anemones, to fancy sandstone rocks, and starfish. Oh yeah, and speaking of high winds, there were plenty of folks flying kites too. Third, the beach is a long and wide straightaway stretch, so everyone has plenty of room to run and play in the cold water. Great for dogs to play fetch and intermingle with other dogs. Our mutt was all over the place and I could tell she was having fun. She simply loved it! As far as the sand in general, it looks fine and bright. Not as white as the beaches in Cancun, but definitely cleaner than the ones in Cali. Bring a towel or two and enjoy the sun. Hell, some folks even had a whole tent set up. Fourth, some fellow yelpers mentioned there are no public restrooms, but there actually is one public restroom way up in the corner of the parking lot. Maybe because of covid they were closed, I don't know. But from relaxing on the beach, I can see how long of a walk it would be just to wanna relieve yourself. In closing, we accomplished our goal of making our old dog happy, and getting away from the inland heat. I truly enjoyed it here and plan to return someday. One final note; I was told from a local, "pretty much from here to Astoria (north) the beaches will be packed, but south of here will be a bit more secluded". Gotta love the Oregon coast! Enjoy!

    Photos
    Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area
    Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area
    Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area

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    Oregon Beach Rides - Horse-drawn Carriage, great for families and weddings

    Oregon Beach Rides

    1.8(4 reviews)
    0.8 mi

    I waited 1 year to give this review. The horse here are not treated well. Go ATV'ing on the sand…read moredunes instead. The ppl who run this place look haggard like they are recovering from something. They need to shut down bc their better years running this outfit is over. They run their horses over & over again without much rest. I was sized with a horse that was way too big for me at 5'2" & 130 lbs. The horse I was given, gave the woman who works there an attitude as if to let her know, 'hey, I'm exhausted, can I please rest'. This horse rode hard the whole way. I FELL OFF THIS HORSE as she bolted hard left as we went back up the sand dunes. I've been hurting for an entire year now from my right shoulder to my neck and down my arm. I felt awful for the horse that day. She was 15 yrs old & her name was Bella. I wish I would have never ridden her that day. Also, they practically make you leave your phone behind. They promise to take pics from their phones & send it to you. They don't. I think them taking the phones is so patrons wouldn't takes pics of their exhausted horses or in case you fall off one who is highly disgruntled. This place is pathetic.

    What a pleasant adventure! Things felt a little rocky in the beginning, with the owner taking a…read morepretty stern approach to us that I didn't fully appreciate, but I think once she realized we weren't going to run amok with her horses (we DID have a big group -- almost 20 people!), she relaxed a little. Because they didn't have enough horses to accommodate all of us at once, we were split into two groups. The rides last about an hour, so those of us who were in the second group headed down to the nearby Pelican Pub to grab a bite while we waited. When we headed back, we were each assigned our horse based on a physical assessment (and sort of on our previous riding history). I've had riding lessons in the past, and love horses, so I was given the privilege of riding Bella, a beautiful but somewhat finicky horse. She was very engaging to ride... as in, you had to stay engaged the whole time or she might take advantage of you, haha. None of these horses are really the trail-broken ones you'll find at some riding companies. They each have minds of their own, though some are definitely more... headstrong than others, haha. The trail we went on took us up the sand dunes and down onto the beach, then back up onto the dunes further down. The beach was lovely, but once we hit the top of the dunes, the views were incredible! I only wish it hadn't been so foggy on the day we went, because I can only imagine how far the view goes on a clear day! On the way back, we headed onto the beach again, where the winds had turned up something FIERCE. I was pretty severely wind- and sunburnt by the time the ride was over, so please, please, for the love of God, wear sunscreen. You'll also want to make sure you have a windbreaker or hoodie of some kind on, because even in the middle of July it was downright cold on that beach. All in all, I thought this was a very pleasant riding adventure, and since the other company we used to ride with on the coast is no longer in business, I imagine that if we have another trip out there, we'll definitely be going with Oregon Beach Rides again.

    Photos
    Oregon Beach Rides
    Oregon Beach Rides - Riding on the beach in the water

    Riding on the beach in the water

    Oregon Beach Rides - Riding on the dunes at Pacific City

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    Riding on the dunes at Pacific City

    Bob Straub State Park - beaches - Updated May 2026

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