Oregon’s Undiscovered Coast |
Gold Beach hasn’t changed much in the last 60 years. Well that not exactly true. There are less people here today now than when timber was king
. It’s still the place where the “Famous” Rogue River meets the Pacific Ocean
and nature takes the front seat to man’s interest. Gold Beach has always been the kind of place that draws in those
that love nature untouched by the development that binds most people’s lives. In short Gold Beach is a lot
about what used to be great in a lot of places, i.e. the great outdoors raw and simple. Yes it’s true not a lot has changed in Gold Beach
while a lot has changed in the rest of the world. We have a Dairy Queen and a Subway. That’s it for formula food! The lack of change in
Gold Beach is one of the reasons it seems Gold Beach is like a place father time forgot to check in on while he changed everything else.
This is good and bad. If you don’t want to see your neighbors on vacation it’s good. If you love big box retailers, well Gold Beach
might not be your place. Gold Beach is your chance to see what the great oudoors was like before everyone got so busy changeing perfection
Gold Beach has it all for those that love the outdoors. The National Wild and Scenic portion of the Rogue begins 11 miles east
of Gold Beach and the Wild Rogue Wilderness Area begins just east of Foster Bar 36 miles up the Rogue River. You add all the Pacific has to
offer and the area can keep you busy all year long with activities you can’t get anywhere else. Windsurfing, hiking, kayaking, cycling,
stand up paddle boarding, mountain biking, swimming, golf and surfing are only a few of the activities for those that crave the exertion of
physical activities. For those that need to take it a little easier there are nature walks, beachcombing, tide pooling, scenic drives,
bird watching, panning for gold, jet boat trips, fishing and the list could go on. The bottom line Gold Beach has more things you gotta do
than any place I’ve been.
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Places to Go To and From Gold Beach Oregon |
Brookings, Oregon: oregonbrookings.com
Crescent City, CA: cacrescentcity.com
Redwood National Parks: redwoodnationalparks.com
Crater Lake Nat. Park: craterlakenational.com
Fort Bragg, CA: californiafortbragg.com
Coos Bay, Oregon: oregoncoosbay.com
Newport, Oregon: oregonnewport.com
Lincoln City, Oregon: oregonlincolncity.com
Big Basin Redwoods Park: bigbasinredwoodspark.com
Jedediah Smith Redwoods Park: jedediahsmithredwoods.com
Prairie Creek Redwoods Park: prairiecreekredwoods.com
Humboldt Redwoods Park: redwoodshumboldt.com
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Stand Up Paddle Board Rentals |
The Inn of the Beachcomber is the only south coast rental center for Stand Up Paddle
Board Rentals.
Stand Up Paddeling has taken the surf industry by storm the last three years. We have
responded with a great rental program so you can drive up from the Bay Area or down from
Portland to take advantage of the Rogue River and the summer waves. Stand up paddle boards SUPs
are one of the fastest growing outdoor activities sweeping
the country. We have ten boards ordered for our rental fleet. The fast-growing sport of
stand up paddle boarding (SUP) is a fun, easy way to go play on the water and a great
core exercise. Any one can do it with a little perseverance. Gold Beach in uniquely
situated to offer both beginners and experience enthusiast ideal conditions. You can
enjoy the flat-water of the Rogue Bay or the challenge of surfing in the Pacific.
For thrill seekers there are the rapids up past Foster Bar. For the adventurer you
can put in at Lobster Creek Bridge and float down river. Check out our video page www.StandupPaddleBoarding.TV
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Great Hikes Along Hwy 101 |
Jeff, football buddy from college and visitor center director has put together
some hikes along Hwy 101 . It's a great starting
point and includes degree of difficulty info. The
web page is broken down to south towards Brookings and North towards
Port Orford. We are working on the trails east along the Rogue River. Jeff will be putting
together a Pamphlet that you can get at the visitor center. The visitor center has to be the best
resource for info on hiking around Gold Beach.
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Jet Boat Trips |
Gold Beach is where the legendary Rogue River meets the Pacific
Ocean. From May 1 to October 31st Jerry’s Rogue Jet Boats
and Mail Boat Hydro-Jet Trips offer excursions up the Rogue.
Travelers come from all over the world to experience the deep
canyons, waterfalls and rapids in the jet boats. The boat pilots
point out the abundant wildlife and share the history of the
river as you journey along one of the most remote areas in the
county. It is not uncommon to see bears, eagles, otter’s,
osprey and deer. The trips take all day for the 104 mile and
half a day for the others so you will need to make arrangements
for overnight accommodations. On the jet boat trips you will
see some of the remote lodging located up river. After the boat
trip how about soaking in a private beachfront spa at the Beachcomber.
You won’t find that at any of the other Gold Beach motels
or any other beachfront inn.
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Cycling on the Southern Oregon Coast |
The cycling is exceptional here in Gold Beach even in the winter. Most of the rides around here
have some climbing which I enjoy even though I weigh in at 240 pounds. In the summer it’s little
tough going North with the world class windsurfing wind. Jerry’s Flat road along the Rogue River up to
Agness is a great option out of the wind. The ride I enjoy most in the summer is up and over Cape Sebastian and
down Meyers Creek Road and back. It’s 20 miles of climbing and offers the most spectacular view of the windsurfers
at the rock. There are many great bike rides that can be taken along Hwy 101 or along the Rogue River. There are easy rides or
rides that involve climbing. The cool thing is, every ride has spectacular scenery. Here
is a link to some great rides north and south, from the Beachcomber
: oregon coast cycling page |
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Windsurfing |
Gold Beach is short for “World Class Windsurfing”. Home to the second stop on the American Windsurfing Tour the Pistol River Wave Bash
the 3rd week in June is a must see event. For video from last year and some great footage from Maui check out www.BoardWindsurfing.com
our windsurfing video site. Pistol River and the South Jetty are great spring and summer windsurfing locations. Considered among one of
the worlds choice spot is the stretch of coastline 8 miles south of the Inn of the Beachcomber. The area from Cape Sebastian to Pistol
River is alive with the windsurfers when ever the wind is blowing. When the wind is blowing out of the North and surf is up, you’ll
see colorful sails surfing and soaring typically between mileposts 334 and 339 on US 101..
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Redwood National Park |
The park headquarters are just 50 minutes south of Gold Beach
in Crescent City. This makes the Redwoods a great day trip from
the Inn of the Beachcomber. There are not a lot of beachfront
lodging choices near the Redwood National and State Parks that
reside in the North Coast of California and Southern Oregon.
Staying in Gold Beach at the Inn of the Beachcomber and doing
a day trip to the massive redwoods is a great way to enjoy the
ancient coast redwood ecosystem preserved in the parks. The
Redwood National Park contains some of the planet's most majestic
forests and offer many good day hikes. There are plenty of motels
and a few hotels in the towns near the Redwood National Parks
but the best beachfront accommodations in the area are located
in Gold Beach.
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The Rogue River |
Our Rogue River information page: The Rogue River You can fish the Rogue year round when you stay in Gold Beach.
Winter steelhead travel up the Rogue from December through March
and a great tasting fish and are great fighters. From March through
June Spring Chinook run up the river
and can be caught from the mouth of the Rogue River all the
way to Agness.
Springers can range from ten to 40 pounds. July through December
the fall Chinook and summer steelhead provide great fishing.
September through December Coho salmon from five to fifteen
pounds offer great sport. The Rogue River is the center of recreation
during the summer with swimming, Kayaking and Stand Up Paddle boarding. The Rogue is also great for rafting. Check out these websites: northwestrafting.com and sundancekayak.com, a kayak school.
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Fishing the Pacific |
The Rogue River Reef is home to a huge variety of different
fish and maybe the best bottom fishing found anywhere. Ling
cod, Snapper and rock fish are some of the species you will
find. When ocean conditions permit it Halibut fishing in Gold
Beach is a great option. Why not treat your wife to the best
accommodations in Gold Beach while you fish? Of all the lodging
choices in Gold Beach we think the Inn of the Beachcomber is
your best choice. When condition are good fishing for salmon
in the ocean is always an experience you won’t want to
miss.
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Day tripping |
So much to do just in and around Gold Beach. Gold Beach and
Curry County is truly the place time forgot and is a great way
to discover the best of this beautiful area as you adventure
out from the Inn of the Beachcomber. How about heading north
on 101 to Port Orford for fish and chips at the Crazy Norwegian
for lunch and driving out to the Lighthouse at Cape Blanco.
The total mileage from the Inn of the Beachcomber is only 35
miles. The drive from Gold Beach to Port Orford is either the
most scenic drive on Oregon’s Hwy 101 or the second most
depending if your one of those that think the drive to the south
is the most scenic. Either way it doesn’t matter much
because once you’ve ventured the six miles from Hwy 101
to the lighthouse at Cape Blanco you will know you’re
one of the few special people to have ever ventured to this
spectacular setting. The view to the south is the Head Lands
of Port Orford and the north view is more haystacks rocks. I
gotta wonder how all these rock formations came to rest way
out in the Pacific. The lighthouse is open April through October
10:00 am to 3:00 pm. It is the most westerly lighthouse in Oregon
and was constructed in 1870. When you gaze out to the Pacific
and take in how many rocks you can spot you’ll understand
why Cape Blanco was worthy of so much attention way back in
1870 for the sake of the weary mariners who might have wandered
this way. This is only one example, though a darn good one,
of what Gold Beach and Curry County has to offer as you come
and go around here. |
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Bird watching on the
Southern Oregon coast |
With more than 250 species of birds in and around Gold Beach
it’s pretty easy to be enthusiastic about birds. To start
with if your lodging choice was here at the Inn of the Beachcomber
all you have to do is take a short walk down our trail to the
beach and you see lots of birds. Check in to any of the motels
is Gold Beach Oregon and head out to the local spots. The Port
of Gold Beach, Ophir tidelands, the old mill site and the Rouge
River Estuary are all within ten minutes of Gold Beach Oregon
and great choices for bird watching. |
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Golf |
Cedar Bend Golf Club is ten miles north of Gold Beach and
is a nice nine hole public course that offers no lodging or
accommodations. Cedar Bend is about fifteen minutes from the
motels and inns in Gold Beach Oregon to the South 3o miles in
the Chetco River valley is Salmon Run an 18 hole course. There
is only one beachfront inn located around Brookings and like
Cedar Bend Salmon run has no accommodations or lodging choices
at the course. 50 miles North of Gold Beach is Bandon Dunes
with its three world class courses and upscale lodging. Bandon
Dunes is a true golf resort with fairly high green fees. |
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Horseback Riding |
Have you ever ridden a horse on the beach? With the Curry
County Fairgrounds located on the beach here in Gold Beach Oregon
you have a great chance to stall your horse at the fairground
for $15.00 a night, pamper yourself at the Inn of the Beachcomber
and enjoy a ride on the beach. With a little planning you can
or trailer you horse for a ride in the forest and come home
to the comfortable lodging accommodations at the Beachcomber.
Gold Beach riding is great because of the choice of scenery
and trails located here on the southern Oregon coast. Siskiyou
West Day Lodge rents horses of all temperaments and rider skill
levels for treks on the beach, local dunes and the owner’s
ranch, just south of Gold Beach at Pistol River.
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