Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Whaleshead Beach

    4.6 (15 reviews)

    Whaleshead Beach Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Whaleshead Beach

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Dave O.

    I took a hard left after seeing the sign to this secluded beach along Oregon's beautiful coast line, my QX80 handled the steep grades of loose gravel just fine after finding the far left side of the road offered a much smoother ride as I whipped it around the switch backs to the tiny parking lot, almost proud of my off-road excursion only to find a few nimble cars and motorcycles had taken the same route without issue - I guess the sign suggesting four wheeled drive vehicles beyond a certain point is somewhat overstated - but I did enjoy the ride down even though my embellishment was only in my head. Once you park it's a fairly short hike down a well marked path, you may be tempted to take in all the scenery from the small park at the top but believe me the awesomeness will meet you at the waters edge. There's a small creek dividing the open area at the bottom of the trail it's a cake walk to cross it and if you've come this far you have to find a way to cross it, its about thirty feet wide but on this day it was merely a few inches deep, of course if there's a flash flood warning when you visit then your story may differ from mine. The sand is mostly silty in and around the creek but loosens up as your approach the water. As you stand amongst the giant rocks the waves atomizes the cool ocean water as it crashes into the rocks gently misting you with its salty spray, today the weather was quite warm so it was a welcoming anointment. The drift wood and rugged terrain is prehistoric and it's easy to imagine the Jurassic world when you stand so close to creation. The relentlessness of the ocean is almost deafening as the waves march ashore but yet it's a tranquil paradise filled with life forms that dance in the foam and tidal pools. If you can't find your sanity here all may be lost...

    View from parking lot
    Lacey T.

    Thick tangles of equisetum, fragrant wild dill and blackberries, mussel shells, driftwood, aquamarine water, and spots of nearly black sand. Littered with looming dark rocks, edged by emerald pines and wild greenery, here is a scene epitomizing the glory of Oregon's beaches. Whaleshead is exceptionally beautiful. A visit requires driving over rough, uneven gravel at a strong decline, but the reward is great. There were hardly any others present the morning I stopped by, and this ended up being my favorite beach on a road trip along Northern California and nearly the entirety of Oregon's coast. There are picnic tables, a restroom, and no fee required.

    Through the forest
    Andrea U.

    Very nice overlook with plenty of parking. Yes, the rock didn't look like a whalehead below. Very scenic and beautiful

    Emily L.

    Such a beautiful beach - you can't beat those gigantic sea stacks against the blue sky's and brilliant ocean. It's like waking amongst ancient giants. I'd recommend coming here to watch the sunset because it's stunning. The sun starts sinking behind some of the rock and it really looks like a million bucks. The kids liked running around and climbing on the Little Rock's upon the shore. The beach closest to the parking lot was fairly wet and almost mud like. Not my favorite with the kiddos, but it looked like further down you get more smooth sandy beaches. Some great things about this beach: - it's easily accessible (you do have to drive down a fairly uneven gravel road however) - Bathroom - picnic tables - gorgeous views

    Whaleshead Beach. Sunset September 2012. Breeauna's Photography
    Breeauna G.

    Beautiful beach!!! You can walk down a trail to it, or you can drive to it. Great picnic area to enjoy with your friends and/or family. Gorgeous and picturesque. Don't forget your camera, especially if there is a summary set The Whaleshead Resort is a great place to stay as well. Each unit is individually owned. You can go online and view the unit before reserving which is nice. I have stayed there twice and love it!

    See all

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    7 days ago

    I wanted to sit at a beach awhile and so we stopped here to spend some time. The breeze was a bit much but it was a beautiful little beach.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of R H.
    9
    141
    13

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 50
    Thanks 0
    Love this 44
    Oh no 2
    Photo of Lacey T.
    478
    973
    15433

    8 years ago

    Helpful 16
    Thanks 0
    Love this 14
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Andrea U.
    5000
    3478
    28231

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of A L C.
    15
    181
    6

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Whaleshead Beach

    Review Highlights - Whaleshead Beach

    This is one of my favourite "hidden" beaches along the Oregon coast.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Beaches 322 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Lone Ranch Beach

    Lone Ranch Beach

    5.0(14 reviews)
    2.0 mi

    While visiting Redwood National Park from the Bay Area, I decided to go a little further north and…read moresee the Oregon coast. A quick glance at beaches not too far over the border showed Lone Ranch Beach as a quieter local favorite. Well signed turn off took us here right off the 101. There were only a few other cars. What a gorgeous, dramatic beach! Tons of driftwood, sea stacks and forest that comes right up to the water. Walking along here was a lovely, peaceful way to spend an afternoon on the coast. There were several picnic tables on the grassy area before the beach and it seems like a great place to spend the day if you're local. Very glad I found my way up here!

    One of many beaches in Brookings OR…read more The beach is part of the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor in Brookings OR, a little further drive down after crossing the CA/OR stateline. We turned in the parking lot but it was full, luckily, we found a spot (well, we kinda made our own spot) LoL! We attempted to walk down to the beach following a trail to the left but it was somewhat unpredictable and a little dangerous so we turned around. The path to the right has a better access to the beach but we didn't go. Instead we just took in the coastal views from atop and watched the crashing ocean waves hit the offshore rocks. The beach features many scenic sea stacks too. There is a picnic area at the site. February weather was exceptionally sunny, no rain in sight, but it was windy. Wish we had time to check out the tide pools but it was high tide when we went. Review #2525

    Photos
    Lone Ranch Beach
    Lone Ranch Beach
    Lone Ranch Beach

    See all

    Chetco Point

    Chetco Point

    5.0(5 reviews)
    7.7 mi

    This beautiful beach in Brookings can be found by using a beach access trail from the water…read moretreatment facility parking area (indicated by a public access sign as you turn into the parking area). I wouldn't call this a hike as it can't be longer than a mile to get down to the beach, and most of it is paved. It is only accessible up until a certain point, then turns into gravel, eventually sea-smoothed stones, bits of logs, and sand. Our party of six adults and two children were looking for a beach to explore along the Brookings coast, and this ended up being a great choice. There are some extremely cool points of interest along the way, like panoramic views of the point and surrounding coastline, and a lookout trail that splits off and carries one up a steep cliff. None of the people in our beach going party opted for this, but it did look like a fun photo op. I wasn't sure if my dang back would allow for me to get up there. Maybe if I ever return. It was instead onward to the beach to set up chairs, let the kids make sand castles, and wander about looking for shells and tide pools, of which there were many! Hmm I'm just now remembering I left the teeny sand dollar I found at the airbnb. Aww. Our day was bright and sunny, which a friend local to the area told me is rare. Personally I was looking forward to an overcast chilly Oregon coast day, but I can't complain about sun and a gentle, cool breeze compared to the over 100 degree weather my friends and I left behind in California to come up here a couple weeks ago in September 2022. The water was not too cold to swim in, or at least wade in, which is what I opted to do. Salt water healing, yes please. This is a great beach for watching wildlife and observing native plants. One of the kids found the chonkiest bull kelp I have ever seen in my life, which needed three other people (okay maybe not needed but it made a cute picture) to help carry it across the beach. I would definitely come here again and try that steeper lookout point, should my mobility improve. Otherwise there is always the sweet beach access trail. Plenty of parking can be found, and though we saw bathrooms on our way down to the beach when my friend tried their door handles they turned out to be locked.

    So beautiful. Not far from the parking lot, if you brave the smell you'll be happier than you…read moreanticipate out there

    Photos
    Chetco Point
    Chetco Point
    Chetco Point

    See all

    Redwood Rides - Inflatable Kayaks

    Redwood Rides

    4.9(88 reviews)
    30.7 mi

    Fantastic!! If you are in Crescent City and want to do some adventuring I'd highly recommend this…read moregroup! Adam, the owner, is great! And he brings his dog along. He gets everything arranged, gets you fitted with the right bike, and sends you out with a guide to get you through the forest on bikes. The guide we had today was Josh and he was very good! ( after biking he added his sweet dog, Annie, to the group for the rafting section!) along our biking he told us some fun facts about the Redwood Trees and some exotic plants! Our biking section of the day was GREAT! It is actually a perfect ride you start on pavement and then you end up on a gravel road with some uphills and some downhill but nothing super steep allowing you to take in the scenery. Can the forest be any more beautiful!! The trees are enormous!! Some have been burned, some struck by lighting, some both!! But they are still standing! After biking we drove to the Smith river where they laid out a great lunch! After lunch we geared up for river rafting down the Smith River, the only un-dammed river in California! It is spectacularly clear! Since we were here in June, the river was not super deep, but we did have some fun rapids and some really nice open spaces that were very mellow, allowing you to take in the scenery! For those more daring there is a stop where you can jump off rocks into the water. The rafting portion lasted about 2 to 3 hours. Our entire day started at 9:30 and we were done around 4 PM. I thought it was a fantastic way to spend the day! I highly recommend them.

    Amazing trip with the most fabulous guides - knowledgeable and fun - what a wonderful family trip…read morethat I recommend you do with Redwood - great kayaking, great lunch, great guides - best experience in northern California! They even helped my hubbie with the bum arm! Go - do not wait!!!

    Photos
    Redwood Rides
    Redwood Rides
    Redwood Rides

    See all

    Whaleshead Beach - beaches - Updated July 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...