A short hike from the parking lot trailhead leads you to this beach. I was surprised since there was a restroom with plumbing right next to the beach, in addition to the one at the trailhead. I guess it gets very busy during the summer. The trail is well marked and well maintained, with only one or two muddy areas which are easily navigated to avoid getting wet. I wasn't able to get close to Blumenthal Falls on the north end of Short Sand Beach due to the tide and waves, but I could see it from the end of the trail on the beach. It's on of the very few waterfalls in the PNW that cascades into the Pacific Ocean. Very pretty! The beach itself is very picturesque as it's located in a cove surrounded by mountains. Several benches are present to let you take it all in. read more

Short Sands Beach - Trailhead - Beaches Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

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We always drive right by, as most of the year parking is impossible. Luckily we decided to pull off last weekend, so glad! Varied winding trails from the parking lot through gorgeous trees. The trails go off in different directions with decent signage along the way. Let's be real, the Oregon coastline is gorgeous no matter where you decide to stop off, and Short Sand is no different. Two creeks emerge from the trees flowing onto the sands and into what feels like a huge "cove" with great waves (at least this day) and a lovely beach. Beautiful spot! I can see why it's so busy during most of the year, but it's sooo peaceful right now during the winter! read more

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How could this review not be great. Parking adjacent to Hwy 101. Trail starts from the pisser. Grab some free dog bags. And casually stroll to the beach. This forest that you walk through is a mixture of Sitka Spruces and Hemlocks. I guess you can pretend it's like "Fangorn forest". Primal and creepy. Whatever. So your destination is like maybe what I would call a "cove'? Absolutely beautiful. Pictures do not show the scope of what you are witnessing. Not too many beach fires. Or pop up tents. Even dogs were kept at a minimum. Wow factor. Think "Indian Head Beach". But bigger. read more

Short Sands Beach - Giant Sitka spruce near short sands beach - Beaches Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

A very nice hike to get an amazing view of the short sand beach and I will say it's totally worth it. The hike isn't so bad and you don't need any special gear. Just follow the trail and you'll reach the beach with no big issues. Some of the path can be narrow so just be compassionate with other hikers. We took the trail that took us to the beach and we totally enjoy it. The view from the top of the mountain and then the view of the beach is astonishing. You also might have to look for parking because the lot where the trail began is small. read more

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Love this beach! .5 mile walk through trails to the beach but a great day surfing. Ways were fun, beautiful day- bathroom was clean. Great day! read more

What a great beach!!! The walk from the large surface lot was lovely and well maintained. The beach itself was pristine and honestly not that crowded - just us and a few surfers. Found a few agates too! The only thing that was special was the large elephant seal carcass washed up on the beach. It didn't smell that bad so it was clearly fresh. I feel for this visiting in the next two weeks. read more

Short Sands Beach - Beaches Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

This is one of the nicest Oregon beaches. A bit of a hike from the raking lot but worth it.

Magical mystic enchanted uh surreal definitely a stop on anyone's Oregon coast venture hood spot to surf.there's a small walk very easy .25 miles to get to the beach and different trails not many people during winter great place to come be alone just hear the waves and enjoy the nature read more

Short Sands Beach - Beaches Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

Amazing hidden treasure. Always will have great memories of visiting this place. It's worth the stop and short short hike/walk. It's definitely worth going out of your way to see! read more

Secluded and beautiful!!! Coming here was such a pleasure. Off HWY 101 the beach is located at the end of a very tranquil and cooling short 1/2mile trail. Its not strenuous at all. Very easy to get to. You come out to a nice size cove with mountains hugging both sides of the beach. At low time you have a large sandy area. There are plenty of surfers, and boarders out looking to catch a good wave. Dogs are welcome and they were all enjoying swimming and playing. There are some benches and grills to BBQ before heading down to the beach. Locale ~ Off of Oswald West State Park Offerings ~ Lovely short hike through the woods and out to a beautiful cove. Extras ~ Dog friendly! Not very crowded. read more

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Like Jason, this is my favorite not-so-secret spot along the Oregon Coast. At the tip of Oswald West State Park - a place with more personal stories involving late night wheelbarrow trips, oysters, honeymoons, and tent pitching than I care to share over the internet, sits Short Sands Beach, a jump off point for surfers, hikers, and lovers. Something about the prepositions of anticipation...walking for a mile through the forest, alongside a river, across wooden bridges, over piles of driftwood, before setting foot on the 500 yards of beautiful rocky beach makes the experience absolutely breathtaking. Catch a sunset, roast some marshmallows, explore the caves, or in my case, just drool over the surfers in their tight little wetsuits. This beach is definitely worth the walk! read more

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One of my favorite beaches in Oregon!! The parking lots to this place get packed because it's also one of the ways to start hiking several trails through Oswald West State Park. We visit while staying in Manzanita, so we can avoid Highway 101 North traffic back towards Portland. Even if you can only manage a day trip, pack the cooler, a wet suit and surfboard if you're brave enough (I'm not), maybe a light sweatshirt so you can stay until the sun sets, and make the trek down the 1/2 mile trail. You'll want to yell out some sort of swear word the moment you look up and realize you have arrived at probably the most beautiful spot on the Oregon coast (oooh that's a tough call right?). Trees are permanently swayed from the wind and there are sandbars to walk across. With your back against the ocean, take a moment to witness the dramatic cliffs and think about your former life as a pirate. On a more useful note, there are recycling and garbage cans near the picnic area so you will probably end up hauling less weight back to your car. There's also a restroom in between the beach and the parking lot (no light though), so there's no need to drop trou please! read more

We all know the weather here in PDX has been sweltering this past week. There's only one sensible thing to do: blow off all responsibilities, rent some surf gear, and head out to the coast. That's what we did on Monday and it was exactly the right thing to do in exactly the right place! Short Sands Beach is my favorite beach in OR - beautiful, not too remote, forest on one side, glorious beach on the other. The sand is clean, the hike down to the beach is easy, the water is clean & cold! While I wouldn't normally think 'surfing' when I think 'Oregon', this beach just may change my mind...it IS true, a full wet suit is needed due to the chill of the temperature of the water, but the waves are good, the scenery is lush, and I didn't notice a single incident of dog aggression - people had their dogs on leashes or they were really well behaved. We will make a point of returning here whenever possible. read more

Short Sands beach is in Oswald West State Park is one of the most amazing places and I always have to stop here when on the coast. It's about 10 miles South of Cannon Beach and the parking lot for the trail to get down is right off of Hwy 101. The short hike (about a half mile) on a paved trail down to Short Sands doesn't take long and is not strenuous. It's a smaller beach that is in a cove and has an amazing waterfall at one end of the beach. The beach isn't crowded during the off months and can get crowded during the summer time, but not as much as some other beaches on the Oregon coast. If you surf, this is known as one of the North Oregon Coast places to surf. I don't care what time of year you go, there is always someone surfing there and there are all experience levels that do so. read more

Short Sands is a lovely little beach. One of the best parts is the little hike down to the water. There are several routes but my favorite is the one that leads to the swinging bridge. To find it, follow the signs to the Neahkahanie Mtn. hike route (this a great hike by the way!). There are lots of surfers at this beach, great picnic spots and because of the cliffs on either side, it feels private and a little remote. My one complaint - and it's small - is the dogs. I love dogs and I think it's great that folks can bring their dogs along to the beach, but please, keep an eye on them and be respectful of the people around you who don't have dogs. We saw a dog pee in someone's picnic bag and the owner of the dog didn't say a word or check in when the owner of the bag returned. Really? Other than that, an ideal spot!! read more

I went with a Meetup group to hike the Neahkahnie Mountain trail, and finished with a trek to the beach. There was a lot of drama unfortunately with the group, and so by the time that we got to the beach the "Shit hit the fan" as they say..so I didn't get to enjoy the beach as much as I would have liked. So, I will be going again and doing the exact same hike...it was really a beautiful hike and day....although I wish it would have been sunnier. The beach here is intimate and really pretty...I wish I could have walked around a little bit more. read more

Shorts sands beach is great. You get there through a short hike through beautiful old growth forest with some of the tallest and most massive trees that you can find anywhere on the Oregon coast. The cove is small with cliffs on all sides. One side has a freshwater river draining into the ocean and the other has a rare waterfall that falls directly into the ocean during high tide from the cliff edge. The beach was crowded, and probably always is, when I went but it still had ample space to set up camp, explore or go for a swim or surf. It also seemed like everyone had their dog and every dog was unleashed and running around all over the beach doing dog things and having a wonderful time. We have an anxious dog that doesn't like other dogs so we had to keep shooing other dogs away to avoid a confrontation as we walked across the beach from one end to the other. Overall this beach is beautiful and is definitely worth visiting. read more

I love you short sands! Great for mid week jaunts with the kids while on vacation. Bring firewood, smores and accoutrement to make your visit comfortable and fun. Pack in your needs and don't tell anyone where you're going. This is the perfect place for R&R and to ponder why it is that you live in the NW. You'll need a baby Bjorn or Ergo to pack in your kidlets as it can be a bit tricky to hike over the logs and such to access the beach. Enjoy! read more

Cool Hip Trendy beach, if it had more bikinis I would give it 5 stars. Good waves for surfing. About as good as it gets on the Oregon coast.

Safe cove and some of the best waves for learning to surf, boogie board, and SUP on the Northern Oregon Coast. Wear a thick wet suit to keep the chill off. read more

First time I went to short sands was in 1948 on a field trip with my high school. We were so excited to get to go to the Beach! We had the whole place to our selves. Very few people knew about it. We carried our picnic supplies in with us and back out again. I'll never forget it. Years later in 1955 a friend from High School, her husband and my husband and I went back and again had the beach to our selves. Then again in 1966 I took my mother and my four children there. There were wheal barrows there to carry our supplies. Quite a few people were there, but all stayed to them selves and all seemed to like the quiet and solitude of the beach. There was a big log that we had to walk across on my first two trips there then a when we had the wheelbarrow on my last trip there was a small bridge. Good memories of that place. read more

This is my favorite beach on the Oregon coast so far. I'm a native Oregonian and I am saddened by how crowded this beach has become, but I suppose that happens to all good things. I think that few people know the hidden gem that is the trail above the beach! Go right past the official "viewpoint" with bench and railing, and keep heading up the trail. On the left not long before before the trail ends, there's a little trail going off the main trail, that leads to a sweet overlook of the whole beach. You can clone down that way if you dare, or go back the way you came. A short hike with an awesome pay off! read more

my favorite place on the entire north coast. located midway between manzanita & cannon beach in oswald west state park. park in one of the lots along hwy 101, then follow the trail through the forest. it comes out in a beautiful hidden cove. not too many people come here, but it can get busy when the surf is good. read more

GORGEOUS beach. Lots of logs to play on and do photo shoots. Pretty little babbling brook that comes from the peaks above. We did the hike from Oswald State Park, it was lovely, not too difficult with very nice fauna and greenery along the path. The path goes higher and veers off from beach. read more

I love this little beach. It's quiet, breathtaking, and less windier than other surrounding beaches. It's an enclosed cove and blocked off from the harsh wind typically common on The Oregon coast. Also it makes a great location for dogs n kids to play without the worries of venturing out too far out. read more